This weekend, I received my souvenir tickets from the Olympic and Paralympic Games.
It took me back to the stands of the Stade de Versailles during the para-dressage event, facing the Château and the great waters, surrounded by greenery and fairly wet but delighted supporters. What will remain of the vision of the future offered by the Olympic and Paralympic Games?
Was it an enchanted interlude, quickly closed by the busy back-to-school schedule?
Like many of us, I refuse to believe it, preferring to think that we might also be able to draw lessons and inspiration from it for our day-to-day office life.
What can we learn from these magical moments for our work environments?"
Michael Kaplan
Associate
Hospitality
What a pleasure it is to be greeted by an enthusiastic, smiling human being!
If the volunteers have shown incomparable energy and good humor throughout the events that have punctuated our summer, the baristas or coworking hosts are not to be outdone.
We realized post covid that offices would remain an essential place to work, particularly for the social ties that employees seek out there (a trend confirmed by our latest barometer).
Today, a human welcome remains a strong added value, provided you give it the means to do so. A mobile hostess, freed from her reception desk, in a warm environment such as a hotel lobby, and able to offer your visitors a cup of coffee, will put them in a much better frame of mind.
We applauded these volunteers because, in addition to their smiles, they were the backbone of these games, some visible, others working in the shadows. Doesn't it make you think of other colleagues, whether you call them members of the work environment, or more soberly general services? We should think about celebrating them too, highlighting the actions that keep our buildings running smoothly.
Inclusion
Much was made of this for the opening ceremonies, but I found it particularly well done on site access, removing the usual barriers around disability.
As the Versailles site required a long walk, electric shuttles were made available for anyone with walking difficulties, with a visible or invisible disability, or just elderly, pregnant... there was no need to show any card or pass to benefit.
Tools developed to assist one type of disability can be used by all if they are designed with this in mind. For example, for each event, the Games' dedicated application provided access to an audio description. While this was intended for the visually impaired, it was also educational, and very useful for children or non-expert audiences.
In the design of spaces, inclusive design aims to take into account the physical and physiological needs specific to each person by translating them into spaces that are useful to all. A height-adjustable desk, for example, will be indispensable for an employee in a wheelchair, but will also be much appreciated by someone suffering from occasional lumbago.
Taking inclusion into account must also be reflected in communication, like this delicate attention to "Stand up, if you can, for the hymns."
Digitization
Venue management applications are still underdeveloped, implemented by lessors in the marketing phase but often shunned by users.
During the Games, the various applications (Transport, Tickets and Olympic) were particularly used by visitors.
I give you my positive impressions of these applications:
- Visible: Everywhere, on all the physical sites or websites, QRcodes encouraged you to download the applications. Impossible to miss.
- Systematic: No choice for tickets, you had to go through the tickets application. I found this compulsory process very reassuring.
- Updated: The news feed was regularly updated. It's true that there was a lot of news during the Games, but there must be something to be said for regular news in our businesses.
- Ergonomics: it can't be said often enough, but the care taken over the ergonomics and design of an application makes it a success. The graphic charter, also applied to all downloadable documents, contributes to a pleasant digital experience.
- Rich content: in addition to the latest news, a wealth of educational and practical content was available, including maps, explanations of events and sites, etc.
- Personalization: the content on offer could be personalized according to your choices (which team you support, which sport you want to follow) and according to the tickets you purchased. This implies a certain interconnection.
Less concrete
"Less concrete" as Phryge would say: To reduce its ecological impact, Paris 2024 has favored temporary facilities. We have thus seen ephemeral stadiums emerge in the middle of the city center.
This inspires me with 2 thoughts:
Firstly, the question of materials. In many development projects, particular attention is paid to the sourcing of local or recycled materials. This virtuous practice is to be encouraged. But it also needs to be sustained over time.
As I said in my article on persistence in real estate projects, it's all very well to inform your collaborators at the time of the project, but it's just as important to keep this information available over time. For example, a label indicating that a particular piece of furniture has been produced in France, or that a particular acoustic wall is made from recycled materials. This way, new employees or visitors will be able to (re)discover your environmental commitment long after the project has been completed.
Then there's the question of temporary installation. We all know that the animation of a site is essential. It can also be a factor in innovation, by testing out new facilities. How can we do this? With furniture rental, which is becoming increasingly popular. For example, if your team is unsure about the type of meeting room it should use, you can test a brainstorming area with tall furniture and, after a few weeks' use, decide whether it's the right choice. You can also apply it to your common spaces, reception areas, etc.
Nudge addict
For the end At last but not least, as our English friends say.
I loved the little messages from the Phrygians.
" One two tri!" to encourage recycling of waste, "Chou must go on" and "veni vidi veggie" to encourage discovery of vegetarian and gourmet recipes, "espace VIB (Very Important Biodiversity" to raise awareness of respect for the site, with each time a too-cute drawing of Phryge and a QR code to find out more.
Passing on instructions with joy and happiness is far more effective than the traditional methods of "forbidding" and "thank you for".
So get to your word games!
Digitization
Venue management applications are still underdeveloped, implemented by lessors in the marketing phase but often shunned by users.
During the Games, the various applications (Transport, Tickets and Olympic) were particularly used by visitors.
I give you my positive impressions of these applications:
- Visible: Everywhere, on all the physical sites or websites, QRcodes encouraged you to download the applications. Impossible to miss.
- Systematic: No choice for tickets, you had to go through the tickets application. I found this compulsory process very reassuring.
- Updated: The news feed was regularly updated. It's true that there was a lot of news during the Games, but there must be something to be said for regular news in our businesses.
- Ergonomics: it can't be said often enough, but the care taken over the ergonomics and design of an application makes it a success. The graphic charter, also applied to all downloadable documents, contributes to a pleasant digital experience.
- Rich content: in addition to the latest news, a wealth of educational and practical content was available, including maps, explanations of events and sites, etc.
- Personalization: the content on offer could be personalized according to your choices (which team you support, which sport you want to follow) and according to the tickets you purchased. This implies a certain interconnection.
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