Arnav Singh Gusain, Head of Real Estate and Product at WeWork India:
Arnav Singh Gusain’s responsibilities at WeWork primarily includes market identification, property closures, and market mapping. He works with key partners and experts to understand that when the company enters new markets, what is the working culture and how incorporating local design elements can create a sense of familiarity and be appreciated by our members.
WeWork has a global interdisciplinary team of specialists comprising architects, interior designers, lighting designers and the building engineering and information modelling group, that work cross functionally to take workplace design to a new level. Through data, they figure out important core elements such as size and material of desks, the height of the white boards or lights while also partnering with artists and local vendors from that specific region to source artworks, furniture and elements like lights, linen, etc.
Coworking sector took one of the worst hits during the pandemic. However, it also showed one of the highest rate of revival. How is WeWork preparing for the return-to-work phase?
The health and safety of every employee and member has always been of paramount importance. During the course of the past year, the operations team at WeWork has been working tirelessly to put into place a stringent set of measures regarding safety & health protocols such as sanitization, density plans, social distancing norms, etc.
We are the only flexible workspace in the country to have received the global certification from The British Safety Council for our efforts in taking stringent risk management and safety control measures to keep the environment safe and secure for all members and employees. As part of our WeWork Safe Program, we also partnered with Dettol to provide industry-defining standards of cleanliness and disinfection for all WeWork spaces in India, this includes additional deep-cleaning of high-touch surfaces etc. Additionally, all our buildings are fumigated and sanitised thoroughly before and after members come in. From a design and seating arrangement perspective, spaces in common areas and conference rooms are modified to ensure a minimum of 6 feet distance between two people.
Through strategic design elements, we have also made provisions for additional distance at the community bar and other prominent locations. Mandatory temperature screenings have also been implemented outside all our buildings for members and employees along with all common touch points being sanitised at regular intervals and making it mandatory for everyone to wear masks. Visitors are allowed only after self declaration and ensuring that they follow Covid protocols. We also recently organised vaccination drives for our employees, their dependents and our member base in association with leading partners across cities and have shared many online resources, including a ‘Return to Work’ manual to ensure a safe transition back to work.
How is WeWork managing operations in this low-touch economy?
The Covid-19 pandemic has had a significant impact on office design and company operations; to mitigate the risks associated with the virus and ensure maximum safety and efficiency, workplaces have had to evolve their operations and processes to enable more low-touch and tech-enabled interactions. We had to rethink our approach with agility and introduce innovative solutions that ensure a safe return to workplaces.
Contactless health-checks and screenings have been made mandatory to ensure employees are screened before they enter the office premises. In order to enable low-touch processes, biometric systems have been overtaken by online attendance portals, and sensor-based lighting and doors have been adopted to minimise the need for human touch and reduce transmission from surfaces. Keyboards, mouse, and other equipment that was previously shared, may not be shared anymore. What is evident is that these are smart building solutions that are more likely to stay till the virus subsides and workspaces need to pay more emphasis on maintaining low-density and air quality to ensure safety and health.
Given the accelerated pace of transformation, what emerging technologies is the industry working with?
The ways of working have changed drastically; there has been a seismic shift in day-to-day working patterns, operations and processes that are heavily reliant on technology. The move to remote working and hybrid model of work has accelerated the need for technologies that are equipped with less manual exposure to risks and ensure workspaces function smoothly and safely. These include:
- Smart buildings: There has been an encouraging shift towards automation in building operations through tech-enabled and fully integrated self-operating systems such as touchless doors, faucets, sensor lights, contactless health screenings to ensure safety and wellbeing of all employees.
- Cloud Computing: With the implementation of cloud computing, companies have been able to efficiently maintain all employee related databases online and enable data storage and file-sharing. This has proven to be particularly important during remote-working, allowing a seamless flow of communication.
- Talent Management Platforms: What has been severely impacted during the pandemic is perhaps HR processes such as hiring, onboarding and evaluation of employees. Companies have now embraced talent management technologies to virtually hire and onboard employees while also keeping existing employees engaged and motivated.
- AI driven technology: The future is undoubtedly dominated by AI and machine learning. For offices as well, one can witness AI assistants reducing the dependency on human need for day to day tasks such as blocking meeting rooms or recording sessions.
At WeWork, technology is used to design spaces that are attentive to people’s needs. There is a larger outlook for user experience and how we can use technology to solve problems. We use data and analytics from our global buildings to understand large-scale workspace and real estate trends and re-evaluate new locations and services to help our members save, grow and thrive.
How is WeWork working towards balancing sustainability with safety in the post-pandemic era?
Beyond the space, we are committed to implementing solutions that pave the way for smarter and environmentally conscious workspaces. We make conscientious efforts to improve our use of energy and materials giving due importance to the overall health and well being of our members. We have come up with various sustainable initiatives such as not using leather anymore or any single use plastic condiments; we provide only reusable stainless steel cups, compostable bowls and plates to our members and encourage them to bring their own reusable water bottles. A sense of community at the crux of what we do is also extended to our business transactions where we always partner with local vendors for our spaces.
While companies and offices continue to innovate, they are also aligned with the long-term objective to remain and sustain with changing needs. The biggest learning from the pandemic has been to become more resilient and to come together as a community to re-evaluate our choices. Health and safety have become the key tenets of resiliency and sustainability; as employees work from home, creating a culture that is embedded in their wellbeing is essential to this. This has also been a period of great learning and companies have had time to introspect the impact their businesses have on the environment while embracing more greener ways of carrying out daily processes. Moreover, with hybrid working being embraced, decentralization of spaces by adoption of more satellite offices can further help reduce carbon emissions and time spent on commuting.
Can you see any elements in workplace design that will disappear?
With the situation at present, changes in workplace design have indeed become a part of the conversation. Offices are innovating and reimagining newer designs that are reinforced with safe and comfortable spaces that also boost productivity and ignite a sense of collaboration. Workspaces with smarter spatial planning that are designed keeping in mind employee wellbeing and are more welcoming and user-friendly have become the need of the hour. Private cubicles and tightly-packed desks may give way to more open-plan and flexi arrangements that facilitate greater collaboration and engagement.
Our spaces are designed by incorporating lessons from psychology, biology, design and architectural principles, to inspire collaboration and interaction among our members and cater to the millennial workforce who demands more from their work than just a job. In terms of design, no two WeWork locations are designed identically which creates a unique appeal and adds excitement to the overall vibe of the space.