Workplace Experience in the COVID-19 Era

Workplaces have undergone dramatic changes during the COVID-19 pandemic. We recently sat down with workplace experience expert Francis Aquino to discuss how to craft the optimal workplace experience for your employees during the era of COVID.

There’s more to managing an office than simply maintaining facilities and providing supplies. Beyond the daily basics, office leaders are responsible for creating a great workplace experience. This is the holistic daily experience employees have when working for a company.

Social distancing regulations and statewide lockdowns have pushed many companies into adopting drastically different daily operations. Some companies are currently 100% work-from-home, while others have adopted a hybrid model. The good news is that, in the long term, the traditional office isn’t going anywhere.

“As the physical office is redefined, I don’t think the office will go away,” Francis says. “It’s the forefront of collaboration and the cultivation of culture. The office might have a different model in the future, but I think it’s still important that we provide a space for employees to go into, create relationships, build culture and nurture that much-needed collaboration in order to be successful.”

Keys to High Employee Engagement in the Era of COVID

Because of the changes offices have undergone, it’s more important than ever for employers to focus on creating a positive workplace experience for their employees. According to Francis, communication and visibility are two important factors that leaders should be emphasizing right now.

“Communication and visibility go hand-in-hand—being able to address the employees on a regular basis, and being visible to employees regularly,” he says.

In addition to maintaining regular, effective communication and high visibility, Francis says companies should encourage their employee resource groups to create events and activities for employees to engage in.

“It’s not just HR—not just the culture team or workplace experience team that carries the responsibility of employee engagement,” he says. “It’s a great opportunity for employee resource groups to create specific events and activities geared toward their own causes and missions.”

According to Francis, offering many options for engagement allows employees to choose which activities resonate most with them and their values. And, the events don’t have to be costly.

Redefining the Workplace Experience Post-COVID

COVID has opened new opportunities for companies to redefine the office, the workplace, and how employees interact with leadership and one another. Francis is optimistic and sees a bright future ahead for the physical workplace

“I’m really excited about how we can redefine the office and reimagine workplace experience for all employees no matter where they are,” he says. “A lot of companies are realizing that yes, we can provide a work-from-home opportunity for employees and still maintain a great culture.

Here are some quick tips to think about as you plan out your return to the office:

Create tiers and prioritize who needs to be in the office
Create a rotating schedule so every team gets a chance to work in the office
De-densify the office space - alternate desk availability, implement hot-desking, limit occupancy of conference rooms, create social distancing protocol in collaborative spaces and employee spaces
Review office perks/amenities and determine what can still be offered
Plan safe and socially distanced onsite events as permitted

In addition, COVID has brought issues like safety, security, and office sanitation to the forefront. Francis says leaders should review the resources and policies they have in place, and consider bringing a professional office management organization like Eden to help in the day to day management of back end operations

In Workplace Experience, the Little Things Add Up

Francis’ interest in workplace experience evolved from his early work as an office manager. He found that he loved creating relationships with the teams he worked with.

“Relationships are the best way to build a great workplace which is customized to who the employees and team members are,” he says.

According to Francis, there has always been a need for a Workplace Experience Team as part of office and facilities management. There needs to be a team who is wholly focused on maintaining the office spaces and creating relationships with employees.

“We want to make sure someone is taking care of the little things that fall within office management so the employees can focus on their work and be successful,” he says.

Francis says his idea of workplace experience evolved from just setting up offices to making sure the overall experience is excellent for employees. Creating a mindset of happiness and productivity is just as important as providing excellent amenities.

Must-Haves for a Positive Workplace Experience

Francis says creating a positive workspace includes:

A well-designed office that is customized to who you are as a company
Good lighting
How welcoming your space is - activate the senses - music, scent, smile, etc.
Plants & more plants
A great Workplace Experience Team

Workplace experience, in other words, is a holistic effort that involves many touchpoints.

“That’s why I hold Eden in such high regard,” Francis says. “I call people and organizations like us unsung heroes. We’re in the background of every successful office, and sometimes employees will only find out what we’re doing if something goes wrong.”

Workplace Experience Pitfalls to Avoid

Francis says one of the biggest pitfalls to creating a great workplace experience is duplicating other companies’ practices…without evaluating those against their own DNA first.

“As a company, we need to be authentic in who we are—in the design of the workplace, in the perks and benefits we provide, and in the culture we want to emulate to our employees,” Francis says. “It could work, but it could also be a failure if it’s not for you as a company.”

Francis’ solution? Find out who you are as a company, then create a personalized experience that’s authentic to your company and your values.

According to Francis, here are the questions you should be asking before you offer a perk to your employees:

Is this what our employees need?
Will this make them happy?
Is this true to our values as a company?
Is it scalable?

Sincerity is the Key to an Optimal Workplace Experience

Throughout Francis’s career, he says there are many important lessons he’s learned about cultivating a great workplace experience. However, one lesson stands out.

“Sincerity is the most important lesson I have learned,” he says. “Being sincere and genuine in what you’re doing are the key secrets to success.

“We are at the forefront of customer service, and we’re the first line of defense for anything that could go wrong in the office, anything that’s fun, or anything that could make employees feel secure. If we’re not sincere and genuine in our objective of creating the optimal workplace experience, employees can see right through us.”

May 14, 2020

How to build an unforgettable workplace for your startup

May 14, 2020/ Francis Aquino

Francis Aquino, Director of Workplace & Employee Experience at Honey, shares his insights about workplace leadership, employee experience initiatives, and the strategy behind building new workplaces.

Being a successful startup can be equal parts exciting and anxiety-inducing. While you’re thrilled that all the work you’ve put in is finally paying off, all that sudden growth has to be accounted for. Some startups even have to deal with the logistical challenge of moving from a small coworking space to a full-fledged office space of their own with several different floors.

Francis Aquino, Director of Workplace & Employee Experience at Honey, is on the front lines of his company’s rapid evolution. His vast set of duties find him balancing the needs of employees along with the inevitable challenges that come along with keeping a growing team motivated and satisfied.

You’ve led workplace and employee experience at major companies like Uber and Headspace. What is your personal philosophy when it comes to building a great workplace and employee experience?

Aquino: One size does not fit all. That’s been my personal philosophy working with different companies, founders, and industries. I always make time for discovery and immersion when I join a new company. Anything that I successfully implement at one company may or may not be successful at another company. It’s very important to get to know the individual culture, voice, and inner quirks of a certain environment within an industry. Spending a good amount of time in the discovery and immersion stage almost guarantees a successful implementation.

I don’t just sit down with high-level executives and department heads either; I participate in random coffee or lunchtime conversations with other employees as well. It’s important to get the feedback and vision from the founders and senior leadership as the main guide to what you want to implement in the office. That said, getting granular insights from employees is the cherry on top that wraps it all up and makes it a wonderful dessert.

I also think that it’s very important to speak with pioneer employees who have historical data on how the company was in the early days. And then get insights from the new hires who have fresh eyes and have recently come from different environments. Pick their brains to find out the best things they’ve encountered at their company and the things that aren’t as good and were better at their previous company.

How did your experience in being an Executive Assistant and working in Office Operations contribute to your current success leading employee experience projects and understanding the impact of effective facilities management?

Aquino: I’m lucky that I was able to experience all areas of office operations. I went from being a front desk coordinator to working in office management and office operations and am now building workspaces. Having gone through all those experiences, I know first-hand what a front desk needs. I know first-hand what office management looks like.

As an example, when I worked at Nasty Gal, my first hypergrowth startup company, I got in trouble for ordering trash bins that were too small. In the first couple of months, we also kept running out of drinking water. I needed to define how much water a team of 15 needed versus how much water a team of 100 needed. Those are just a few examples of experiences that helped me design an office and create a workplace environment that was not only safe and comfortable but also functional.

What are some things you’d like to see included in a potential new HQ? How would this type of space fit into your company’s larger workplace and employee experience strategy?

Aquino: The discovery, immersion, and time spent to get to know all the departments along with the vision of the founders have to all be in line when designing something like a new HQ. The new space should be completely our own and customized for us and our employees.

It also needs to include options. As we scale our headcount, we’re naturally going to have differences in the work styles of employees. It’s not as much about being unique as it is about thoughtfully considering all the work style options of all our employees. That means quiet and heads-down work zones to open collaborative settings. We want our employees to have those open spaces where they can communicate and collaborate with other employees freely.

There definitely seems to be a lot of thought and consideration going into building a new HQ. In a more general sense, how do you think the physical workplace can impact employee experience?

Aquino: I’ve been in this field for a little over a decade and it’s been my professional mission to elevate facilities managers, office managers, and office coordinators because we play a really big role in creating environments that are conducive to productivity.

We’re the ones who are always on-the-go, creating relationships with employees, and listening to their needs and wants. With all the data and information we get from these conversations, we try our best to create the optimal environment for our customers — which are our internal employees.

Lighting can really make or break an office space. Too harsh of a lighting setup can impact the eyesight and overall health of employees. Lighting also helps create a mood. It creates the mood for a collaborative space or a quiet work zone. It might be a little dimmer in the quiet work zones and brighter in the collaborative spaces. Our CEO and founder also shared a podcast about how important plants are in the workplace. They really lighten the mood, give you energy, and studies show that having greenery in sight creates a more positive work outlook and you’re able to find more creative ways to solve problems.

I’m really happy to see that these roles have been elevated in recent years. We understand that it's not just about creating a functional office space; it’s also about building a space that gets employees excited and motivated to go to work.

Getting employees excited and motivated for work can definitely be difficult at times. With that in mind, what are your biggest personal challenges in managing a growing startup workplace?

Aquino: In general with startups, the most exciting thing is change. More often than not, they’re generally really fast changes. One of my biggest challenges is keeping up with those changes. Trying to avoid putting out fires and strategically thinking about what happened, what it is happening, and what could go wrong. If we’re constantly running around like headless chickens, we’re still able to do our jobs, but we’re just going to continue putting out those day-to-day fires.

If we’re able to plan things out and strategically think about things that would be more productive for the company, employees, and facilities, then we’d be far more prepared for anything that comes up in the future. It’s really about anticipating those rapid changes and how prepared you are for them when they happen.

I always say sincerity and passion will always be the secret ingredients to being successful in the field of workplace experience. This role has high visibility and the need for excellence in customer service. All initiatives, plans, and designs will have a higher chance of success if one is genuinely sincere and passionate about employee happiness.

March 18, 2019

HOW I STARTED MY CAREER IN WORKPLACE AND EMPLOYEE EXPERIENCE

March 18, 2019/ Francis Aquino

Francis is the Director of Workplace & Employee Experience at Honey.

Francis Aquino is the newest addition to the growing team at Honey as their Director of Workplace & Employee Experience. He is in charge of Employee Engagement, Culture, Office Operations in their DTLA HQ, and all around Employee Happiness.

Before Honey, Francis was overseeing Facilities & Workplace Experience for Uber across many offices on the West Coast. At Uber, Francis led all aspects of day-to-day operations for each location, including vendor selection and management, and interfaced with all levels of the organization.

His 10-year career journey is marked by self-discovery, thoughtful company selection, and lots of hard work. Here are key decisions and lessons learned throughout his career.

Discover your passion

From an early age, Francis was intrigued and inspired by people. In pursuit of his passion, Francis studied Psychology and Marketing in college. His career began as an Executive Assistant (EA) to the Owner / President of a small fashion retailer in NYC. He was drawn to this initial job by the opportunity to support others, and he found joy from understanding “how people work, and how to make life better for them”. His core passion for people, and supporting their success, was fully uncovered.

Find an environment and company that motivates you, and be flexible on the details

After several years in the EA role at a retail company, Francis wanted to move to a startup environment. He interviewed for an EA role at a then-small startup called Nasty Gal and was moved by the sincerity of the CEO and company mission. Unfortunately, he was not offered the role of EA. While disappointed, Francis took the news with grace and informed the CEO that he would be open to different opportunities at the company if they were to become available. A couple weeks later, the CEO called Francis with exciting news: he was hired as the first Office Manager for their LA office! Just a few days after starting at Nasty Gal, Francis realized the office manager role was much more his speed than EA. “I loved being in a role where you needed to understand and serve all members of an organization –– it was an amazing challenge and opportunity.”

Take initiative to grow your impact

Nasty Gal scaled from 11 to 280 people over the following few years, and its ascent came with rapidly growing Workplace needs as well. Francis stepped up and assumed full responsibility. From conducting an office buildout and move to hiring and managing a Workplace team of six, it was a dizzying time of personal and professional growth. By the end of his almost four-year tenure at Nasty Gal, Francis became Director of Office Operations. “Nasty Gal was in hyper-growth, and I absolutely loved the chance to work with such ambitious, talented people. I had learned so much and realized that there were ways that I would do things differently if I had only known certain things from the start. I loved the startup ride, and I wanted to do it again with the knowledge that I had gained.”

Shape a promising company as a veteran

Francis moved to Headspace, as the Senior Manager of Workplace and Employee Experience. Francis chose Headspace because “they had built an office with their employees in mind. I also loved that their mission was to improve the health and happiness in the world”. His two years at Headspace enabled him to leave his personal mark on the culture and community of a rapidly growing startup. Francis completed the build out of their HQ in the United States and hired a strong workplace team.

Never stop growing

Recently, Francis joined Honey, and now manages the operations of offices in downtown Los Angeles. “I was drawn to the opportunity to make an impact and keep growing. I am excited about the challenge!”

Francis’ advice to those building their careers in the Workplace Experience field is “Never stop growing. Employee experience is an ever-changing field, and it is critical to make sure you grow as fast. Keep learning about new ways to empower your team, and find opportunities to build your skill set. That way, you can make a bigger difference in your team’s lives. Always be sincere."

March 12, 2019

Have you heard of ROOM?

March 12, 2019/ Francis Aquino

Have you guys heard of ROOM? I was really glad to discover this company. It’s an easy and not so expensive solution for an office who is running out of private rooms. It doesn’t hurt that it looks great too! We started with 3 and are on our way to getting our 10th ROOM! Customer service is excellent too. Only downside - since it’s been so popular, shipping is a bit longer and expedited shipping is a bit pricey. But I think it’s still worth the wait!

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