About The Blog
What even is WX? What is it that you actually do?
These questions I get asked a lot, and explaining them is not so straightforward.
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Oh, so you're an Office Manager?
Well, yes, sort of..but not really.
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Right. So...you're Facilities?
Err, yes..that too..but it goes much deeper than just the bricks and mortar.
Ok. So you work in HR?
No, not quite! Let me try and explain..
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Just like no-one could understand the concept and power of the internet back in the mid 90s; or the rise of co-working in the mid-late 2000's; Workplace Experience (or WX as I like to call it) has only recently come to the fore as a concept, and the WX Manager (WXM) as a more established role within modern businesses. I'll do my best to unpack this for you to help shed a little insight into my world.
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The Problem
Workplaces are living, breathing ecosystems - that are utilised by humans - who by their very definition, are wonderfully diverse.
We all get to work, think about work...and execute our work in different ways - meaning if we want our employees to use our work spaces, we better cater to their differing needs.
WXM's are there to understand this. To facilitate it, and champion the use of their spaces. And even then, the role doesn't stop there (and here's where WXM's differ from your more conventional Office Managers).
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If nothing else, 2020 has shone a light on something that those of us at the forefront of this movement, have known for a long time. That workplaces are now everywhere...in the office, at home, in the local co-working spot..on the beach in Maui. And it's here to stay - the future of work is a hybrid of office and remote. So the WXM's role is to provide a frictionless experience to its team members, to enable them to produce their best work wherever they are in the world.
Not only that, but ensure that despite their geographical location, they still feel engaged and connected to the business and part of its culture. No pressure, right?!
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The Solution
So how do we do that? Well, it's not easy! And quite simply, it requires ultimate buy-in from Executive Leadership down. It doesn't work unless everyone is all in.
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Where I work at Sprinklr, we have over 2,200 employees globally (and counting), across some 25 countries. In order to deliver a fantastic workplace experience at that kind of scale, we partner closely with a host of different teams to execute our goals.
This includes HR - to ensure everyone has a great onboarding, and that our people have safe environments to work from. With IT - to tech-enable our spaces and employees to work seamlessly wherever they are. With Internal Communications - so we know our people are connected to everything happening within the business. And that's just a start.
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Summary
So yes, we are Office Managers. Yes, we are Facility Managers. And yes we do cross over in to HR. But we're so much more than that!
We're experience makers. We're storytellers. We're culture drivers. We're the Siri or Alexa of your business. We're that secret sauce; that glue that helps everyone in the business stay connected, engaged and aligned to the business's overarching vision.
At the end of the day, businesses are made up of humans. And as WXM's we're here to facilitate, empower and delivery joy to them wherever they are, to help them be the best version of themselves. And it takes some special super powers to do it, and do it well.
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So I hope that gives you a flavour of what WX is; who we are and why we do what we do.
Rethinking WX is something I created to showcase the work that we do, share stories, thoughts, and discoveries; and ultimately, what inspires me in the world of Workplace. I hope you enjoy reading it.
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Rob Blair - Senior Workplace Manager EMEA & APAC at Sprinklr