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As a Founder and the CEO of , my mission is to help companies create workspaces that elevate people.

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It's been a year of unprecedented challenges and ever-changing health and safety guidelines.

For businesses, the key to withstanding these constant changes is to stay flexible - what worked six months ago or even three months ago might not work today or tomorrow. This is as true in the office as it is in many other areas.
What if the role of the office changes?
As we pivoted to adapt to the new normal, most businesses adopted a full work-from-home model back in March and April. Now, many of us are slowly reopening our offices and implementing extensive safety measures and distance-based design to help protect employees. Business leaders are also wondering if the pendulum will swing all the way back to working in-office every day.

Global Workplace Analytics estimates that 56% of U.S. workers have jobs that are at least partially compatible with working remotely, and that 25-30% of the workforce will be working from home multiple days a week by the end of 2021. However, studies have shown that trust and creativity among team members may suffer without face-to-face interaction. It's hard to measure the value that comes from being together, but what people miss the most is culture, collaboration and connection.

We're seeing a new model emerge, a "blended office model" where companies take a flexible approach to in-office vs. remote work - allowing for a little of both. This model lets businesses support employee safety and well-being while also getting the benefits that come along with having a central, physical workspace. For many companies, this middle-ground approach may be here to stay.
Consider distance and density.
If you think a blended model may be the answer for your business, there are some important things to consider.
Find the right mix.
Employee safety is job number one. Due to health and safety guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), businesses are looking for ways to implement social distancing in their workspaces. For companies with limited square footage, this can be especially challenging. One benefit of the blended office model is that fewer people are in the office day to day, so you can easily increase the space between desks without the need for a larger office or a huge remodel. In fact, some businesses may be able to downsize their workspace, manage a smaller head count in the office and save on real estate costs.

What exactly this model looks like may vary from company to company. Depending on a range of factors - such as industry, culture, geography, team dynamics and head count - a blended approach will look different for every business. For example, we did a gradual re-opening of our headquarters with a limited number of people coming in at the same time, which allowed us to tweak our workspace design to prepare for the return of our larger teams.
Remember, culture counts.
Some other strategies include shifting staff attendance to 50% with rotating days, using several satellite office locations rather than a central headquarters, desk sharing or desk-by-appointment for certain team members or having teams use coworking spaces on a project-by-project basis.
Provide access to tech tools.
Employee experience should be an important consideration, and you'll want to find a way that allows for flexibility while keeping your culture intact. In-person collaboration and interaction helps your team create the trusting, lasting relationships that are the building blocks of a positive culture. On the other hand, working remotely gives employees a chance to focus on solo work, take a break from long commutes and public transportation, and deal with childcare and family responsibilities. By striking the right balance, you can maintain productivity and culture while enhancing the work-life balance that helps you keep and attract top talent.
Prioritize safety.
For a blended approach to work, it's important that employees have a seamless experience wherever they work, and that means having access to the same technology and tools both in the office and at home. After some research (and a little trial and error in the early days), we settled on the platforms that made the most sense for our business, and it's been well worth the effort in terms of productivity and communication. Keep in mind that with a partially remote workforce, using the right technology will also be the key to promoting culture and connectivity among distributed team members.

When preparing our workspace for a gradually returning team, we relied on CDC guidelines to help us configure a space that built social distancing, sanitation and other features into the design. I can see some of the new measures we adopted - like temperature screening, acrylic privacy screens, and private work pods - becoming regular features in many offices for the foreseeable future.

As of September 2020, there are no official federal guidelines for businesses to follow. Virginia is the first state to legislate new safety requirements for offices, and it won't be the last. By looking at its requirements and consulting with health officials in your state, you can get an idea of best practices and common solutions for a safe return to the office. We're seeing an interesting trend: Many businesses are preparing both for the way things are now and for how they may look in the future; in fact, we're frequently creating two space plan layouts for clients.

Whether the blended office model becomes permanent or not, it's clear that flexibility is the key to the future of work. This year has taught us that you can't always predict the nature of change, but whether it's a pandemic or just simple market forces, you can manage whatever comes your way by staying nimble and ready to adapt. By adding more flexibility into the equation, you can create an environment and a company culture that can effectively react to anything thrown your way.

Forbes Business Council is the foremost growth and networking organization for business owners and leaders. Do I qualify?

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Council Post: Is A Blended Office Model The Future Of Work?

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As a Founder and the CEO of , my mission is to help companies create workspaces that elevate people. It's been a year of unprecedented challenges and ever-changing health and safety guidelines. For businesses, the key to withstanding these constant changes is to stay flexible - what worked six months ago or even three months ago might not work today or tomorrow.

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Written By ESR News Blog Editor Thomas Ahearn

At a time when the United States and the world is dealing with record job losses due to the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, an expert in global Human Resources (HR) Technology and Human Capital Management (HCM) who also lost her job is launching the HR Tech Alliances Professional Networking Group "to help those job seekers in Partnership and Alliances roles at HR Tech companies work together to find their next job."

Angie Brooks - an HR Tech and HCM Partnership and Alliances professional with over 20 years of experience - helps HR Tech companies grow their business and revenue by forming creative strategic partnerships to drive annual partner revenue through technical integrations and direct sales. The job search group is sponsored by HR Tech Alliances, a global platform for Alliances and Partnerships in the HR Tech/Service industry.

Prior to being laid off, Brooks served as the Director of Partnerships & Alliances at a job board, where she created and managed global alliances team and partnerships with job board and HCM technologies in more than 135 countries. She also launched a Global Operations division during her most recent job, procuring partnerships with job boards around the world.

Employment Screening Resources® (ESR) - a leading global provider of background checks that offers innovative and award-winning screening technology - interviewed Brooks about the details of the HR Tech Alliances Professional Networking Group, the reasons why she created the group, the benefits of joining the group, and how job seekers can get involved with the group.
The job search group is called the HR Tech Alliances Professional Networking Group and was created to help those job seekers in Partnership and Alliances roles at HR Tech companies work together to find their next job. Like many other industries, the HR Tech industry has also been hit hard by COVID-19 layoffs. The group is open to anyone who has been laid off, furloughed, or anyone just looking for a new job within the HR Tech Alliances sector. Typical job titles for this group include those in Alliances and Partnerships, Business Development, Sales and Marketing, Product Managers, and Executives overseeing Partnerships at HR Tech companies. It is interesting that even though we are in HR Tech, most of the jobs in our niche are not found on traditional job boards... the best way to get hired into these companies is to network and know someone. With so many of us losing our jobs within this small niche in our industry, we are hopeful that these jobs will return as the pandemic eases and the economy improves. Since Alliances and Partnerships professionals perform their jobs by partnering up with others, we are pros at working together to find solutions and success, so what better way to work together to help each other find their next position! As I have been looking for my next opportunity, I see many jobs that are not a good fit for me, but may be more attractive to others within my network, so the HR Tech Alliances Professional Networking Group gives me the platform to share these jobs and info with others in the group. So, "crowdsourcing for jobs" within our niche in the industry. Visit http://hrtechalliances.com/index.php?entryPoint=UserSignup to register for a free account. Even though it is free to join, we do ask that every person volunteers a small portion of their time to help the group in some way. Volunteer options include sharing open jobs that others may be interested in, making networking introductions, updating our database of hiring HR Tech companies, and promoting the group to HR Tech companies who may be ready to start hiring for these Alliances and Partnership jobs again. We distribute a weekly list of HR Tech companies who are actively hiring to our group members, and we also distribute a weekly listing of all job seekers / group members to interested HR Tech companies who are looking to hire, so it is a great way to get our group members in front of the right contacts at these companies. And, since many of us within the group have worked together in partnership at various companies in our previous roles, we will grow our networks, which may turn into great partnerships for all of us when we find our next opportunities. Job seekers can attend our "Job Search Networking Group - HR Tech/Service Pros" session during the HR Tech Alliances May Virtual Collaboration Zone on May 20, 2020, at 5:00 p.m. EST (2:00 p.m. PST). We will discuss the group, how it works, how to register and join, and answer any questions you may have. To view details of this session and to register, visit: https://hrtechalliances.com/index.php?entryPoint=SessionDetails&SessionID=697a2373-98a4-03e2-cb7c-5eb36711442a&Event=366c4187-5f2d-4d2b-fb70-5e7bd099f22a.
The April 2020 jobs report revealed the U.S. economy lost 20.5 million jobs - the largest over-the-month decline in the history of the report - while the unemployment rate rose to 14.7 percent from 10.3 percent during the month, the largest over-the-month increase in the history of the jobs report series dating back to January 1948, the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reported.

Coronavirus (COVID-19) is a potentially deadly respiratory illness that spreads from person to person. As of May 18, 2020, there are more than 4.7 million total global cases and more than 315,000 total global deaths, while the United States leads the world with more than 1.4 million total cases and more than 89,000 total deaths, according to research from Johns Hopkins University.

In 2016, ESR Vi c e President of Strategic Growth Dawn Standerwick - who has more than 25 years of experience in workforce screening solutions and a proven passion for building relationships - accepted her nomination to become a member of the Advisory Board of HR Tech Alliances, a global HR portal designed to foster collaboration, strategic partnerships, and alliances in the HR Technology industry.

Employment Screening Resources® (ESR) - which is headquartered in Northern California - is using the ESR News Blog to post blogs about the impact that the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic is having on employers, employees, and job applicants that are available at www.esrcheck.com/wordpress/tag/coronavirus/. To learn more about ESR, visit www.esrcheck.com.
NOTE: Employment Screening Resources® (ESR) does not provide or offer legal services or legal advice of any kind or nature. Any information on this website is for educational purposes only. © 2020 Employment Screening Resources® (ESR) - Making copies of or using any part of the ESR News Blog or ESR website for any purpose other than your own personal use is prohibited unless written authorization is first obtained from ESR.

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HR Tech Job Search Group to Help During Coronavirus Crisis - Employment Screening Resources

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Written By ESR News Blog Editor Thomas Ahearn At a time when the United States and the world is dealing with record job losses due to the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, an expert in global Human Resources (HR) Technology and Human Capital Management (HCM) who also lost her job is launching the HR Tech Alliances Professional Networking Group "to help those job seekers in Partnership and Alliances roles at HR Tech companies work together to find their next job."

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Marriot Hotels-

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Diverse organisations perform better. We're always saying it, but there's a very good reason why. In our E-Book on How to Increase Diversity Through Improved Hiring and Recruitment Processes , we uncovered some very interesting insights on the benefits of embracing diversity, including:

Most studies surrounding diversity in the workplace have found that for every 1% increase in gender diversity, company revenue increases by 3%.

Higher levels of ethnic diversity increase revenue by a whopping 15%.

According to Glassdoor, 67% of active and passive job seekers say that when evaluating companies and job offers, it is important to them that the company has a diverse workforce.

So, we're going to take a closer look at the companies around the world that are excelling when it comes to diversity hiring. You'll notice that they vary from industry to industry and all of them are embracing diversity in different ways. However, as a recruiter, you can stand to learn something from every company on the list to develop your own diversity and inclusion strategy.

1. Sodexo

Industry: Quality of Life Services

# of Employees Worldwide: 460,000+

Diversity & Inclusion: Although gender, generations and sexual orientation are all part of the diversity hiring strategy at Sodexo, they state that "gender balance is our business", and their mission is to make it everyone else's business too. 55% of all staff members in Sodexo are women - that's up from just 17% in 2009. 58% of the members on the board of directors are female and the company runs 14 Gender Balance Networks worldwide. What they have found is that when there is an optimal gender balance within an organisation, employee engagement increases by 4 percentage points, gross profit increases by 23% and brand image strengthens by 5 percentage points.

2. Johnson & Johnson

Industry: Medical Devices, Pharmaceutical and Consumer Packaged Goods

# of Employees Worldwide: 132,000+

Diversity & Inclusion: J&J have pumped a lot of resources into ensuring that all employees help to create an inclusive environment. The organisation's Global Diversity and Inclusion vision is "to maximise the global power of diversity and inclusion, to drive superior business results and sustainable competitive advantage." How they're making this happen is through employee resource groups, mentoring programmes and 'Diversity University', which is a dynamic website that helps employees to understand the benefits of working collaboratively. The Chief Diversity officer also reports directly to the CEO and Chairman of Johnson & Johnson, meaning that the whole operation is being overseen by top-level management. Various rewards and recognitions the company has received include being recognised by U.S. Veterans Magazine as the "Best of the Best" for strides made in diversity efforts, and being one of only two companies that have been on the Working Mother 100 Best list for the past 28 years.

3. Mastercard

Industry: Financial Services

# of Employees Worldwide: 13,400+

Diversity & Inclusion: Mastercard consistently makes it into the Top 10 of DiversityInc's 50 Best Companies for Diversity list. They believe that "diversity is what drives better insights, better decisions, and better products. It is the backbone of innovation". A particularly unique project that Mastercard has executed over the past few years involves getting older employees in the company more active when it comes to social media. To address generational barriers, "YoPros" BRG (the Young Professionals Business Resource Group) offers a one-on-one 'Social Media Reverse Mentoring' program to older employees who want to become familiarised with the platforms.

4. Accenture

Industry: Professional Services/Consulting

# of Employees Worldwide: 513,000+

Diversity & Inclusion: Accenture believe that "no one should be discriminated against because of their differences, such as age, disability, ethnicity, gender, gender identity and expression, religion or sexual orientation." Diversity training within the company is broken into 3 different categories:

1.) Diversity Awareness - to help people understand the benefits of working with a diverse organisation.

2.) Diversity Management - to equip executives to manage diverse teams.

3.) Professional Development - to enable women, LGBT and ethnically diverse employees to build skills for success.

The organisation also hosts a company-wide celebration of International Day of Persons with Disabilities as well as endeavour to help their employees with various supports, like assistive technology, flexible work arrangements and additional training.

5. Kaiser Permanente

# of Employees Worldwide: 217,828+

Diversity & Inclusion: As the largest managed care organisation in the USA, the Kaiser Permanente labour force reflects no racial majority, with nearly 60% of the staff comprising of people of colour. Additionally, three-quarters of all employees, nearly half of the executive team, and more than one-third of their physicians are women. Part of the diversity agenda is to provide culturally-acceptable medical care and culturally-appropriate services to all of the 140 cultures currently represented in the population of the US. The company also ranked in the Hall of Fame on DiversityInc.

6. EY

Industry: Professional Services

# of Employees Worldwide: 280,000+

Diversity & Inclusion: At EY, they believe that "only the highest-performing teams, which maximise the power of different opinions, perspectives, and cultural references, will succeed in the global marketplace." The organisation was the first of the Big Four to assign full-time, partner-level leadership to diversity recruiting. Ever since, the number of women in top executive management positions has increased by more than 20% and programmes such as EY Launch have begun, which is for ethnically diverse college freshmen, sophomores and transfer students, and builds awareness of accounting as a major and professional services as a profession.

7. Coca-Cola

# of Employees Worldwide: 86,200+

Diversity & Inclusion: At Coca-Cola, diversity is seen "as more than just policies and practices. It is an integral part of who we are as a company, how we operate and how we see our future." Diversity education programmes include Diversity Training, a Diversity Speaker Series and a Diversity Library. In 2017, a new parental benefits policy was implemented, whereby 6 weeks of paid leave is extended to all new mothers and fathers. The move was championed by 'Coca-Cola Millennial Voices', a group of young employees tasked with making sure there is a healthy level of employee retention in millennial consumers and staff members.

8. Marriott International

Industry: Hospitality/Tourism

# of Employees Worldwide: 174,000+

Diversity & Inclusion: Named as one of the 'World's Best Multinational Workplaces by Great Place to Work', the world's largest annual study of workplace excellence, Marriott International extends their commitment to creating an inclusive guest experience to their workforce around the globe. Women-owned business enterprises make up approximately 10% of Marriott's supply chain and they vow to spend $1 billion with diverse-owned businesses by 2020. LGBT inclusion is also a top priority for Marriott International. They received that 'Best Place to Work for LGBT Equality' accolade when they earned a perfect score on the HRC's 2016 Corporate Equality Index, a widely recognised benchmark for diversity and inclusion.

9. Novartis

Industry: Pharmaceuticals

# of Employees Worldwide: 125,000+

Diversity & Inclusion: Novartis believe that diversity is integral to their success, because it helps them to understand the unique needs of their patients and find innovative ways of addressing those needs. Within the organisation, the word 'disability' has been replaced with 'diverseability' because they don't view people living with disabilities as having a lack of ability, but rather having diverse skills and proficiencies. Human Resources professionals in the company are also educated on topics such as unconscious bias, inclusive leadership, disabilities/accommodations and compensation/pay equity in order to improve their diversity hiring methods.
Want to take a leaf out of these companies' books and hone your diversity hiring skills? It's time for you to improve diversity in your company!

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9 Companies Around the World Embracing Diversity in a BIG Way

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Diverse organisations perform better. We're always saying it, but there's a very good reason why. In our E-Book on How to Increase Diversity Through Improved Hiring and Recruitment Processes , we uncovered some very interesting insights on the benefits of embracing diversity, including: Most studies surrounding diversity in the workplace have found that for every 1% increase in gender diversity, company revenue increases by 3%.

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IKEA-

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We want to empower people to live more sustainably, so we're focusing on affordable, resource and energy efficient products. With home solar panels, veggie hot dogs, and energy-saving solutions, we're paving the way for more sustainable homes for the many.

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Learn how IKEA is focusing on affordable, resource and energy efficient products to empower and inspire people to live more sustainable lives at home.