Reimagining Work: A Chronicle of Past, Present, and Future

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All rights reserved.
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A Future Of Work Chronicle

There is no denying it – work as we know
it is going through a revolutionary and
volatile phase. Organizations and
companies alike are grappling with the
after- effects of post-pandemic disruptive
digitalization and ever-evolving employee
needs.
Work pre-pandemic had several
limitations brought to light in the wake of
unorganized work policies and traditional
workstyles. Hybrid working, healthy
buildings, choice and digital workplace
solutions were at the brim, surfacing
post-pandemic to give way to renewed
and purposeful ways of working.
Exploring the graph of HOW we used to
work shows a rather slow almost
insignificant progress in terms of
employee choice and experience. The
pandemic was a trigger that helped
pushed the conversation towards the
provision of choice in terms of also how
we WANT to work.
If you thought choice pertains to only the
way we work, you would find you are
woefully wrong. Choice in providing a
green and healthy building benefits the
employees and the business alike, so far
as to say the economic benefits of choice
is evident in the rekindling of
physiological aspects of work as well.
Also explored is the journey of an office
undergoing digital transformation leaning
heavily on data – the currency of the
digital era. When it comes to been
‘smart’, we retract our statement on
choice. It would do well for top
management to follow and adopt digital
technology to power and accelerate their
work.
Which brings us to the metaverse - a
boundaryless and boundless world born
out of providing an optimal experience in
entertainment but right now it is the
cynosure of WHY people want to work –
the pull of choice and engagement. The
metaverse is set to reshape the world of
work and it will do good if organizations
utilize it to beat competition and help
build employee social connections along
with skills upgradation.
Many aspects of work are undergoing
uncertain change, and this chronicle is a
small yet comprehensive effort to guide
readers and make them aware of the
new ways of working. It is also a guide for
leadership to make appropriate strategic
decisions regarding HOW their
employees would like to work –now and
in the future.
PREFACE
3
APARNA ANIRUDHAN
Head Research
SANDHYA LAKSHMANAN
Manager - Research

Welcome To
The Era Of “Choice*”?
Is Your Building
“Healthy”?
How To Get
“Smart”?
To Meta Or Not
To Meta ?

5
Welcome To The Era Of
Choice*?
*strings attached.
“My team has been constantly studying the various changes in the psychology of
working people to improve workplace design experiences in our existing projects.
What we found is that people are missing their offices and they want to get back to
their normal routine life. So, this is the point where organizations need to take
those extra steps in redefining the workplace policies and design to safeguard
their people.”
Shilpa Revankar | Co- Founder - ZYETA
In today's workplace paradigm, choice is fast
becoming a valued currency. Brain science1
also provides supporting evidence showing
that we as humans crave certainty and
safety by taking control to create conditions
that reduce ambiguity. Most of us can agree
that having choice in our jobs helps us be
more productive, healthier, creative, and
engaged.
Choice, control, and autonomy are critical to
an employee's wellbeing, happiness, and
mental health, but also play an important
role in attaining organizational results. A
well-designed workplace can enhance
creativity and innovation; while a supportive
work culture is equally, if not more,
important. It is also paramount to note that
engaged employees have more control over
their experiences at work.
The Job-Demand-Control-Support2 model is
a well-known theory that illustrates how job
demands can cause stress for employees
such as heavy workload, role ambiguity, and
job-related strain for employees with high
psychological demands and low decision
latitude. However, the model posits that
individuals can manage these stressors by
utilizing job skills that allow them to gain
autonomy and control over their work.
Upon understating the evolution of when,
where, and how work gets done, it is noticed
that the choice available to an employee
always comes with strings attached. By
realizing and addressing the pain points that
arise, the path to a better future workplace
that provides, and champions choice in
terms of how we WANT to work can be
paved.
The currency of the future work environment?
‘CHOICE’.

Computers enter the workplace
• The desktop computer reducing the space
needed for storing documents.
• Improved document production, reproduction and
storage.
• The arrival of laptops made it possible for work to
be done outside the office, allowing employees to
work during travel and from home.
The Internet connects us all
• Ability to communicate improved drastically with
tools such as Email and instant messaging.
• Rise of telecommuting led to decrease in
overhead costs for daily operation.
• Ability to market all over the world through
websites, banner placement and search engine
optimization.
Cloud, Big data and IOT
• Intelligent automation with self learning systems.
• Digitization and unprecedented access to data.
• Redefined unhindered collaboration, anywhere
and at any time.
• Improved productivity, innovation and security.
• Completely remote mobile device management
• Smart building management systems.
1970’s
-
1980’s
POWER
-
LOW
1990’s
POWER
-
MODERATE
2000’s
POWER
-
HIGH
Orientation to the needs & desires of employees
• Strict working times (“9-5 o’clock”) replaced by
flexible intervals at the beginning and the end of
the working day.
• Not oriented towards the customer.
• No long-term elasticity on a monthly or yearly
basis.
• Schemes were not suited for shift work.
Orientation to customers’ needs and wishes
• Shift of focus from the employee to the customer.
• Focused on the accessibility of services for the
customers at any time.
• Collective bargaining led to a decline of the
average working hours for full time employees.
• Companies extended their operating hours.
The economic efficiency orientation
• Shift of focus to economic efficiency.
• progress in the organization of working times.
• Working time based on trust.
• Working time is no longer controlled by the
employer or the time clock.
• Employees held accountable for the distribution
and use of their working time.
1970’s
-
1980’s
RIGIDITY
>
FLEXIBILITY
1980’s
-
1990’s
RIGIDITY
=
FLEXIBILITY
1990’s
–
2000’s
RIGIDITY
<
FLEXIBILITY
Private office
Perimeter offices.
Cubicles
High panels, limited daylighting & views to the
outdoors.
Open Plan
Lower panels and greater access to natural light.
Activity Based Working (ABW)
Access to wider range of amenity spaces, focus
booths & enclaves.
Coworking
Access to communal resources, amenities and
other companies .
Neighbourhood Choice Environment (NCE)
Wide variety of task-based settings for highly
mobile teams.
Maker environments-Mobile Occupants
Access to others, scrum spaces for creative and
innovator teams.
Immersive environments
Access to community, resources, amenities
Function-driven, human-centric experiential space.
1980’s
-
1990’s
2000’s
–
2010’s
2020’s
6

Have employees quit quitting?
“The ‘Great Resignation’ is a term that describes the trend of the mass
voluntary exit of employees from their employment obligations. The term was
brilliantly coined by Anthony Klotz, a management professor. Many believe
that this trend of workers voluntarily quitting their jobs began in early 2021 due
to the Covid-19 pandemic, but the pandemic may have simply accelerated an
already occurring problem. According to the Analytics India Magazine (AIM) 3
Who is Causing the Great Resignation?
The great resignation does showcase a generational divide.
➢ Workers who were making more money and were more
likely to be in a position of seniority before the
pandemic .
➢ Workers with homeownership commitments and other
long term financial entanglements seeking financial
stability.
➢ Younger workers who were paid less and often in lower-
tier positions.
➢ Workers who were more likely to be terminated or laid
off in difficult economic times or during company
restructuring before the pandemic.
THE BIG EXIT OR THE GREAT REFLECTION?
CHANGE OF LIFESTYLE
Temporary shift in place triggered pre-
pandemic to a family-oriented and flexible
lifestyle
WHAT IS DRIVING
THE GREAT
RESIGNATION?
CHANGE OF HEART
Increased movement of employees
between sectors with lower waged jobs
showed a higher quitting rate.
CHANGE OF MIND
This change has affected women
more, a forced choice to quit jobs
to prioritize caregiving.
CHANGE OF PREFERENCE
Increased focus on safety and wellbeing has
deterred employees from returning to work.
CHANGE OF PRIORITY
Influenced by changing priorities- to re-analyze
how work has a place in a person’s lives.
Indians quit
their jobs in
September
2021
Increase in open
jobs requirement in
June 2021 compared
to June 2020
4.4
MILLION
47.1%
BOOMERS
GEN-X
ARE STAYING PUT.
MILLENNIALS
GEN-Z
ARE LEAVING

By understanding the root causes behind the great
resignation, it is evident that employee choice and control
over how, when and where work gets done paly a significant
role in their decisions. The solution to theses issues lies in
being an organisation that champions choice. What makes
an organization an employer of choice is its potential to
recruit and keep the top talent with favorable organizational
culture, leadership styles, and employee engagement. These
contribution allows organizations to experience greater
productivity, great profitability, lower turnover and less
absenteeism.
CHOICE + CONTROL = A SATISFIED EMPLOYEE
HOW WE
WANT TO
WORK
OPPORTUNITY
FOR GROWTH
FAIRNESS
WORK-LIFE BALANCE
EMPOWERMENT &
AUTHORITY
RECOGNITION
EMOTIONAL
WELLBEING
COGNITIVE
WELLBEING
PHYSICAL
WELLBEING

In response to an increasing body of
evidence, employers, building owners,
designers, developers, and investors
throughout the world are understanding that
office design affects the health and
wellbeing of occupants in many ways.
Employees are the most valuable resource
in most organizations, typically accounting
for 90 percent of business operating costs,
so even a small improvement in productivity
can have a major impact on the profit and
competitiveness of any business.
While designing workspaces it is imperative
to understand how to implement strategies
into our designs that consider the people
who inhabit the spaces and resources
consumed during the whole life cycle of the
building.
Sustainable buildings and green living have
been popular for years now, but do they
mean the same? Are these terms
interchangeable? Do they rely on the same
concept? And where does the latest focus
on healthy buildings and wellness/wellbeing
environments factor into all of this?
The following segment delves into factors
and considerations that bind and
differentiate all these concepts while
throwing light on what we should focus on
while designing a future workplace.
Is Your Building “Healthy”?
“The pandemic has rewired us in ways that health and wellness are of topmost
priority in every field. Which should have always been! But the factors are
dominating particularly in workplace design, as offices will have to transform to
build trust in their employees. I hope people start understanding the importance of
investing in the health of employees. This is the most crucial time to reconfigure
and redefine spaces with extra emphasis on design that promotes, wellbeing,
mental health and safety.”
Tanvi Kesarwani | Architect & WELL AP - ZYETA.
Champion choice by not just giving employees a place to
work, but a workplace where they feel SAFE.
9

1950s - solar energy was used (on an extremely small-
scale) clearing a path for the solution of solar panels
twenty years after the fact.
1970s - At the time of the energy crisis the green
building moved from innovative work to the real world.
1990s - Sustainable architecture has become part of
the world's sustainability system.
2002 - The concept of "sustainable consumption and
production" was introduced.
1970s - a high prevalence of symptom complaints
among the occupants of many buildings was reported
in several countries,
1980s - This has been termed Sick Building Syndrome
by a working group of the World Health Organization.
“ Buildings designed, implemented and managed in a
manner that takes the environment into account, it
reduces the building's impact on the environment
while minimizing construction and operating costs.”
- William Reed’s
“ Meeting the needs of the present without
compromising the ability of future generations to meet
their own needs.“
- The World Commission on Environment and Development
“A state of complete physical, mental, and social well-
being and not merely the absence of disease or
infirmity".
-World Health Organisation
Focused on the current state Term used mostly for
process or product that has little impact on the
environment
Minimizes the environment impact due to the design
procedures.
Hard to achieve suitable emphasis on human health
Green is a subset of sustainable
Focused on the distant future for the building and its
components
Look at a building's whole life cycle, from crib to grave
(including demolition or disassembly)
Hard to achieve suitable emphasis on human health
Sustainable includes green
Focused on the distant future for the building and its
and occupants
Look at a building's whole life cycle, from crib to grave
(including demolition or disassembly)
Support and protect health ethos for better wellbeing
A healthy building is a green and sustainable.
It also contributes to improving the mental state of
its occupants through its design characteristics.

Design spaces that encourage movement and
allow for collaboration among employees as well
as spaces to unwind
Utilizing natural daylight conserves energy,
improves well-being, increases productivity. And
manipulates shape within the design.
Good IAQ is a mandate when 90% of time is
spent indoors and is direct betterment of comfort,
health, well-being, and productivity.
An acoustically sound office — through
application of acoustic materials- provides less
distractions and is designed along with quiet
spaces for people to work.
View of and with a connect to nature radically
improve employee's mood and is proven to
increase productivity.
Colours, textures and materials play a vital role in
welcoming employees to office and keeping them
calm through the day.
Location of the workplace with lesser commute,
with easy access to public transportation and
with greener options of transit matters.
DESIGNING SPACES THAT CARE

In the highly connected world we live in,
technology influences and impacts almost
every decision we make. Big Data, Artificial
Intelligence (AI), and the Internet of Things
(IoT) have enhanced our connected world
and helped us understand more about the
spaces we inhabit. The goal of these
systems is to put our offices to work and
empower businesses to better understand
their design decisions, real estate
investments, and most importantly- their
own employees in addition to providing the
best possible work setup.
Smart buildings, or smart facilities, are those
that use information and communications
technology-based systems, services and
technology to optimize the facility’s
performance. Building systems, including
heating, ventilation and security, are
equipped with networked sensors that
continually provide information about the
condition and performance of those
systems.
The data that architects and analysts are
collecting from these spaces is helping to
transform workplace design into something
that is ultimately more efficient and
desirable. The notion that live information
feeds can teach us that the way we design
things could become smarter is the next
step in our ever-evolving design process
with the introduction of the smart digital twin.
How To “Get Smart”
“Just like how evolution has been a part and parcel of our lives in biology and in
nature, in technology there's always an evolution from a predecessor , and in the
case of the digital twin it is the CMMS platforms. The digital twin takes it one step
further with the incorporation of sensors, resulting in collection of insightful real
time data that is user friendly and increase in productivity and project lifecycle
management.”
Amit Prakash | Co- Founder - ZYETA
Up your healthy workplace game by leveraging the
ultimate smart building technology solutions.
12

DIGITAL TWIN
Building information model
(3D, 4D, Engineering Model)
AR, Reports, Dashboards
PHYSICAL ASSET
Site, Space, Equipment, Systems,
Sensors, Actuators, Reality
Capture Technology
THE SMART DIGITAL TWIN
A Smart Digital Twin is an incredibly powerful spatially-aware data model of an entire smart building
environment. But most importantly, because everything is run within a virtual model, a Digital Twin
allows for rapid ideation, prototyping, and business case validation in a near-risk-free environment.
Feedback on intervention flows
(through actuators with varying levels of automation)
Raw or unprocessed information
(to build digital replicas)
Real, near-real time or
on-demand generation
of information
Processing of
information for
selected applications
IOT Platform Data Analytics
Drones
Sensors
Cameras
Actuators
Intelligent Building Management

• Security and access control
• Automatic facial recognition
• Meeting and desk booking applications
• Interactive wayfinding applications
• Employee tracking system
• Personalized ambiance control
• Enhanced occupant experience
• Automated tactical & operational decisions
• Minimize carbon usage
• Reduce operating expenditure
• Advanced cause and effect modelling
• Dynamic response to change in usage
• Performance monitoring of individual device
• Automatically schedule maintenance
• Building performance insight
• Live data on data occupancy and amenity
demand
• Data on wellness and physical activity of
employees
• Monitoring organisational health to reduce
absenteeism
• Digital dashboards of organisational
performance and building operation.
Some of the highest expectations around digital twins come from having the ability to use a high precision version of an asset to simulate, evaluate, and predict the future. For the
digital twin to symbolize this, the inclusion of GIS data about the asset and GIS framework around the asset becomes essential. The Geospatial network connects various types of
data and systems to form a unified perception that can be obtained throughout the project's life cycle. As new applications of smart building systems and IoT technologies are
developed, the advantages that smart buildings offer over conventional ones are growing in number
14
UNDERSTANDING THE SMART DIGITAL TWIN
ASSET LAYER
BIM / AIM
Digital Asset Register
Geolocation
Asset Lifecycle
Static & dynamic data
BUILDING SYSTEMS LAYER
Building Sub-Systems
Systems integration
Integrated service platform
Automation
PEOPLE LAYER
People flow
Behavior Modelling
Wellness
Productivity
Experience Management
ENTERPRISE LAYER
Operational flow
Business model flow
Portfolio management
Building data management
Financial models
SEAMLESSLY
INTEGRATED LAYERS
OF A DIGITAL TWIN
DIGITAL TWIN
BUILDING
MANAGEMENT
BUILDING
USERS
HEADS OF
REAL ESTATE

To Meta Or Not To Meta?
“The metaverse has endless capabilities. Especially in this post pandemic setting
where everyone is looking to find flexibility through remote work while still craving
the bump-into experiences one gets at a physical office. This realm of advanced
digital transformation will be the flag bearer of future workplace experience.”
Sachin Krishnan | Head - Digital Experience - ZYETA
The internet is being reimagined and over
the next decade, there will be a complete
transformation in the way businesses
operate and the way we do work.
The whole world is witnessing a major shift
from the real economy to the digital
economy, and the integration of these two
has been accelerated drastically since the
global pandemic. This is where the
metaverse comes into play, by performing as
a digital twin to our universe and our reality.
This digital realm is further an intricate
agglomeration of digital twins of tangible
things that will eventually be used for
transactions and optimizing business
processes.
The metaverse began emerging into
everyday life as entertainment, but it took a
global pandemic to speed up its embrace by
work culture. As the metaverse is gaining
widespread popularization many
organisations have already started exploring
the possibilities to secure their place in the
virtual world. Whether they're building virtual
headquarters, factories, retail stores or
products, companies are beginning to invest
in the digital twins of their entities in
anticipation of the metaverse continuing to
gain traction across the business landscape.
With the influx of newer technologies and
design tools, the metaverse has evolved into
animations, immersive 360° renderings and
even live simulations that help users
navigate the metaspace.
15
Get smart and versatile in the meta workplace!

THE EVOLUTION OF THE METAVERSE
1975
VIDEOPLACE is released
and is considered the first
interactive VR experience.
1992
Author Neal Stephenson
coined the term
“metaverse” in his novel
Snow Crash
1999
The Matrix, a movie
imagining humanity inside
a virtual reality
2003
Second Life is formed.
More than one million
active users currently.
2006
Roblox, a multiplayer
game platform is released.
More than 55 million daily
active users currently.
2009
Bitcoin is released.
2014
Gavin Wood – co founder
of Ethereum – defines
Web3.
2016
Microsoft releases
HoloLens, its augmented
reality headset
2017
Microsoft acquires
AltspaceVR.
2021
Introduction of Microsoft
Azure. Facebook becomes
Meta.
Touchcast launched MCity an enterprise metaverse
platform where companies can construct a virtual hub
where employees can have meetings and collaborate
~ $250 million
daily trading volume of
NFTs at peak
~ $500 million
Metaverse real estate
sales
~ $11 million
XR headsets shipped
worldwide
2022

Content:
First-party content, developer content, creator content & user generated content.
Applications:
Tied to specific metaverse use cases—learning, collaboration, events, industry
specific applications.
Virtual worlds:
Environments where large number of users can gather, interact, create, and move
in and out different experiences.
Access and discovery:
Browsers, search/visual search, app stores, in-app storefronts.
Creators/3D development platforms:
Design, game engines, AI services, creator tools.
Devices, OS and accessories:
Device hardware, components, accessories/peripherals and OS layers that are
part of the human interface layer.
Infrastructure:
Underlying infrastructure across cloud, semiconductors, networks, etc that powers
the metaverse.
Security, privacy, and governance:
Security, identity and data governance, privacy, and content moderation platforms.
Identity:
Platforms that manage digital identity, avatars and social graphs.
Payments and monetization:
Platforms and tools (advertising, asset stores) to enable the metaverse economy.
Today’s metaverse is made up of ten layers 4, which fall into four categories.
17
DECODING THE METAVERSE

While still nascent in many respects,
the metaverse has a very promising
future with regard to work. The
emergent metaverse provides an
opportunity for organisations to reset
and transform the balance in hybrid
and remote work while promising to
bring new levels of social connection,
mobility, and collaboration to a world
of virtual work. According to recent
research on future work trends 5
NEW JOB
OPPORTUNITIES
THE META
WORKSPACE
REIMAGINED TRAINING
& UPSKILLING
ENHANCED REMOTE COLLABORATION
TALENT
RETENTION
INCREASED
FLEXIBILITY
LET’S GET META!
47%
52%
of employees are open to using digital
immersive spaces in the metaverse for
meetings or team activities
of employees are open to representing
themselves as an avatar in meetings in the
next year.
51%
of Gen Z and 48% of Millennials envision
doing some of their work in the metaverse
in the next two years.

The answer to all these questions - a resounding YES!
The economic theory known as ”creative destruction” assumes that long-standing
arrangements and assumptions must be destroyed to free up resources and energy to be
deployed for innovation. With the disruption the global pandemic had caused, forward- thinking
organizations need to adapt to technological advancements and adopt re-evaluated policies that
are employee- centric, to not just survive but thrive.
The current workplace already looks vastly different from what we could have imagined just a
couple of years ago. The world is steadily progressing towards a humane and tech- enabled
future and there is no turning back. The only way to keep up is to
19
CONCLUSION
CHOICE MATTER?
ENVIRONMENTS BE HEALTHY ?
WORKPLACES GET SMART?
YOU META?

Primary reference sources:
1. Born to Choose: The Origins and Value of the Need for Control.
Retrieved from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2944661/
2. Job Demand-Control-Support Latent Profiles and Their Relationships with Interpersonal
Stressors, Job Burnout, and Intrinsic Work Motivation
Retrieved from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7765581/
3. Study: Analytics and Data Science Jobs in India: June 2021
Retrieved from: https://analyticsindiamag.com/study-analytics-and-data-science-jobs-in-
india-april-2021/
4. Value creation in the metaverse
Retrieved from: https://www.mckinsey.com/business-functions/growth-marketing-and-
sales/our-insights/value-creation-in-the-metaverse
5. Great Expectations: Making Hybrid Work
Retrieved from: https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/worklab/work-trend-index/great-
expectations-making-hybrid-work-work
Image references:
A. Welcome To The Era Of Choice*
All images courtesy and graphics © ZYETA
B. Is Your Building “Healthy”?
All images and graphics © ZYETA
C. How To “Get Smart”
All images and graphics © ZYETA
D. To Meta Or Not To Meta?
Graphics © ZYETA
Image courtesy – Google.
REFERENCES AND CITATIONS
20

About ZYETA
Zyeta is an integrated workspace design and build services firm that specializes in delivering exceptional
workspace interiors that leverage the latest thinking in design, workforce optimization, and the environment.
With our unique combination of people, process, and technology, we strive to provide our clientele with
unparalleled value. Zyeta provides its turn-key services for leading organizations across a spectrum of
industries.
We transform raw space into award-winning, next-generation offices, clean rooms, data centers and more. We
focus on large-scale and mid-size office design and build company projects for a diverse international clientele
that includes both global enterprises as well as early-stage companies, having successfully completed
hundreds of projects across India and beyond. The company is privately held by executive management.
Website URL: https://www.zyeta.com/
Copyright © ZYETA
Information contained in this publication has been obtained by Zyeta from sources believed to be reliable.
However, neither Zyeta nor its authors guarantee the accuracy or completeness of any information published
herein, and neither Zyeta nor its authors shall be responsible for any errors, omissions, or claims for damages
including exemplary damages, arising out of use, inability to use, or regarding the accuracy or sufficiency of the
information contain in this or any Zyeta publication.
This publication is intended to be used for general information only.
All products and company names referenced herein are trademarks™ or registered trademarks® of their
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