The document discusses the shift towards smarter working in organizations, highlighting the need for flexibility, mobility, and effective communication to meet changing employee expectations. It outlines the principles of the 'simply smarter office' at Plantronics, which include redefined physical workspaces, unified communications technology, and new flexible working practices. The implementation of these principles has resulted in improved employee satisfaction, reduced absenteeism, and significant cost savings.

1. WHERE NEXT FOR
YOUR WORKPLACE?
New ways of working are changing
employee and organisational expectations.
How can Human Resources respond?
BRICKS BYTES BEHAVIOUR

2. Technology has redefined the boundaries of work so that employees now want
flexibility, mobility and the ability to communicate effectively. At the same time,
the organisation must continue to improve productivity, maintain compliance
with workplace legislation and operate efficiently in order to compete.
All this has led to a change in the way that we utilise the workplace.
The most progressive organisations are embracing change by adopting the
principles of Smarter Working – a concept brought to life by Plantronics at its
Simply Smarter Office at Royal Wootton Basset.
INTRODUCING SMARTER WORKING
“ The foundations of a Simply Smarter Office implementation
are bricks, bytes and behaviour – allowing associates to work
where and when they are most productive, cost-effective and
environmentally respectful.”
Philip Vanhoutte, SVP and MD – Plantronics EMEA

3. The building blocks of the Simply Smarter Office
BRICKS
Redefining physical workspaces to facilitate flexible working can have a significant
impact on real estate costs.
BYTES
Introducing Unified Communications technology will help employees collaborate more
effectively in and out of the office.
BEHAVIOUR »
Identifying new flexible working practices to increase employee satisfaction.
Realising the huge benefits of flexible working and new communications technology
takes senior management commitment and employee engagement.
New workplace policies, training programmes and employee contracts are required
to ensure the organisation becomes more responsive and agile while maintaining
high levels of job satisfaction.
This is where HR professionals can make a real difference and add value across
the organisation.

4. “ Flexible working is always
classified under employee
relations but it should be
under employee benefits.
Our employees actually
benefit greatly from the
freedom that they are given
in that they can actually
manage their own time”
Norma Pearce, Human Resources
Director for EMEA

5. WHY SMARTER WORKING AT PLANTRONICS?
The Plantronics Simply Smarter Office was a response to the need to give our
people more freedom in the way they worked. Our journey to Smarter Working
began by recognising the value of flexible working to the sales team and then
extending this to all office based employees.
By transforming the office from a typical workspace
into a new central hub for communications, we were
able to combine three sites into one - reducing floor
space by over 50%.
Implementing Unified Communication (UC) technology has given our staff
the opportunity to work in or out of the office depending on the nature of
their work. Rather than fixed desks, our employees now have laptops running
Microsoft® Lync and UC headsets so that everybody is visible and can be
contacted in the most effective way, wherever they happen to be.

6. WHY SMARTER WORKING FOR YOUR ORGANISATION?
With the active involvement of Human Resources,
Smarter Working means more than physical or
technological change. It can have a fundamental
impact on the future of your organisation through:

7. Improved wellbeing at work
A culture of trust and empowerment led by senior management can have far-reaching
effects. Improvements in work/life balance and a reduction in workplace stress mean
increased productivity by reducing the number of days lost to sickness.
Enhanced employee satisfaction
A new generation of employees is entering the workforce with radically different ideas
about where and when they are required to work. Smarter Working offers a way to meet
their demands and ensures the organisation can attract and acquire the best new talent.
Changing recruitment strategies
If staff can be hired from their home locations, the organisation benefits from savings on
relocation costs. By offering more job flexibility, staff retention rates increase and the talent
pool for higher-skilled people widens.
Cost savings
Accommodating a new, distributed workforce will lead to fewer desks, rationalising floor
space requirements and lowering environmental impact – a key CSR objective for many
organisations today. Improvements in collaboration technology will also minimise the need
for business travel, further reducing costs and improving green credentials.
Experience Smarter Working first-hand. Take a tour of the Plantronics Simply Smarter Office to learn more.
85%Employee satisfaction at
Plantronics – a rise of 24%
since Smarter Working was
introduced.
-9.2%The reduction in absenteeism
at Plantronics – down from
12.7% to 3.5%.
2%Current staff attrition rate at
Plantronics – a drop of 10%.
£300,000+
Initial cost savings from
combining three buildings
into one at Plantronics Royal
Wootton Bassett location.

8. © 2014 Plantronics, Inc. All rights reserved. Plantronics and the logo design are trademarks or registered trademarks of Plantronics, Inc. Microsoft is a trademark or registered trademark of Microsoft Corporation in the U.S. and other countries.
All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners. 01/14
At Plantronics, Smarter Working is not theoretical.
It’s how we work every day. By putting what we’ve
shared into practice, we’ve empowered and enabled
our team to more fully engage, enjoy and produce
great work. And we’d love to do the same for
your company.
For more information on our products, services, to visit one
of our offices or to speak to one of our experts, please call
+44 1793 842426 and one of the team will be pleased to assist.