Olympic & Paralympic inspirations
Quote or short catchphrase, short sentence or paragraph (> Always end sentences, even subheadings, with a period).
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, swiftly closed by the busy back-to-school news?
Like many of us, I refuse to believe it, preferring to think that we could, perhaps, also surprise ourselves by drawing lessons and inspiration from them for our day-to-day office life.
What lessons could we learn from these magical moments for our working environments?"
Hospitality
How pleasant it is to be greeted by an enthusiastic, smiling human being on arrival at a site!
While the volunteers demonstrated incomparable energy and good humor throughout the events that punctuated our summer, the baristas or coworking hosts were not to be outdone.
Post covid, we realized that offices would remain an essential place to work, not least because of the social ties that employees bring with them (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, working in a warm environment like a hotel lobby, and able to offer your visitors a cup of coffee, will put them in a much better mood.
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 they're called 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 has been said about 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 requires a long walk, electric shuttles were made available for anyone who has difficulty walking, has a visible or invisible disability, or is just elderly, pregnant, etc. There was no need to show any kind of card or pass to benefit from them.
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 gave you access to an audio description. While this was aimed at 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 during the marketing phase, but often shunned by users.
During the Games, the various applications (Transport, Tickets and Olympic) were particularly used by visitors. I'll give you my positive impressions of these applications:
- Visible: Everywhere, on all the physical sites or websites, QRcodes prompted visitors 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 given priority to temporary installations. We've seen ephemeral stadiums spring up right in the center of town.
This inspires me to think about 2 things: Firstly, the question of materials. In many development projects, particular attention is paid to the sourcing of local or recycled materials. This virtuous practice should 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 employees at the time of the project, but it's also important to keep this information available over time. For example, a label indicating that such and such a piece of furniture was produced in France, or that such and such an 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 people to recycle waste, "Chou must go on" and "veni vidi veggie" to encourage people to discover vegetarian and gourmet recipes, "espace VIB (Very Important Biodiversity" to raise awareness of the need to respect the site, with each time a too-cute drawing of Phryge and a QR code to find out more.
Passing on an instruction with joy and happiness is definitely more effective than the traditional "forbidden to" and "Thank you for" methods.
So here's to your word games!
Digitization
During the Games, the different applications (Transport, Tickets and Olympics) were particularly used by visitors.
I give you my positive impressions of these applications:
- Visible: Everywhere, on all the physical sites or websites, QRcodes prompted visitors 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 access maps, explanations of events and sites, etc.
- Personalization: the content offered 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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