Canadian HR Reporter

CANADIAN HR REPORTER AUGUST 2019 6 NEWS Feds launch coworking pilot project Two-year government plan hopes to encourage collaboration, innovation BY JOHN DUJAY THE CONCEPT of coworking has been around since the early 2000s and the federal govern- ment now wants to take a dip into that pool — albeit in a small way. The GCcoworking initiative will see 385 new office spaces opened for workers in the Na- tional Capital Region (NCR) that will provide a "temporary touch- down point for employees travel- ling between meetings or a tem- porary workspace for employees who telework and need access to boardrooms or other office ame- nities," according to a release. e two-year pilot project will "create hubs that will enable col- laboration between like-minded departments and individuals," says Marc-André Charbonneau, media relations officer at Public Services and Procurement Can- ada (PSPC) in Ottawa. "GCcoworking sites are shared office spaces serving multiple de- partments, offering employees of participating departments in- creased flexibility while promot- ing collaboration and a sense of community as part of the federal public service." e government wants to dem- onstrate that employees from mul- tiple departments can successfully work in shared office space. "PSPC hopes that this pilot will build a sense of community throughout the government of Canada by offering spaces where employees are encouraged to make connections, collaborate and co-create." Each site will have Wi-Fi, vid- eoconference and teleconference capabilities, with various types of desks available for the employees who check in, including electric adjustable tables, power doors and tactile signs for workers with visual and physical disabilities. e federal project is part of the greater Blueprint 2020, ac- cording to PSPC. "The GCworkplace imple- mentation goes beyond space, towards an integrated project delivery model that includes functional area experts in in- formation technology (IT), in- formation management (IM), human resources (HR), security and facilities. Our approach also includes design leadership as well as comprehensive support for employees to be successful in their new workplace through ro- bust change management." e GCcoworking strategy has five sites in the National Capital Region and three sites in Toron- to, Vancouver and Edmonton. As well, Laval, Que. and Dartmouth, N.S. will see two new workplaces open in December. The other locations outside Ottawa will provide 180 spaces for the government employees. Fourteen federal departments — ranging from the Canada Bor- der Services Agency to Women and Gender Equality Canada and Health Canada — will be participating. Each of the departments will identify employees who will be- come involved, says Charbonneau. Defining the concept While it's a "great first step and it's an absolute benefit," it's not a true coworking space, accord- ing to Ashley Proctor, founder of Creative Blueprint, a coworking consultancy. "I'm thrilled to see the govern- ment of Canada acknowledging that there are so many benefits of coworking and collaborative workspaces," she says. "And I didn't really expect that this was going to come down any time soon, so it's really good to see them acknowledging the benefits." "But, at the same time, I am a little skeptical of some of the claims that they're making about it being a collaborative space or community that they're developing." There's a big difference be- tween a shared workspace, flex- ible or open-concept workspace and coworking, and a lot of people don't know the differ- ence, says Proctor, who works in Toronto and Seattle and is also executive producer of GCUC (Global Coworking Unconfer- ence Conference) Canada. "It's really about cultivating community, accelerating seren- dipity and it's a very intentional nurturing within the space," she says. e physical makeup of entre- preneurial coworking spaces is what truly brings on collabora- tion and innovation, says Proctor. "It's a bit tricky when employ- ees are all associated with one or- ganization, because you're not re- ally getting the diversity that you would in a traditional coworking space, where you might be sitting next to someone from a complete- ly different organization [or] back- ground; [you might have] creative folks and tech folks, independent entrepreneurs and non-profit or- ganizations, for-profit enterpris- es, remote workers and nomadic workers — it's really that diversity that is the strength of coworking communities, because everyone brings something so different to the table." But even if everyone is a gov- ernment worker, the opportunity remains, she says. "If they're coming from differ- ent sectors or sections, with dif- ferent portfolios, it's really helpful to cross paths with each other to overhear conversation, and to communicate in a more casual setting as human beings, not nec- essarily in your office behind your desk, with your title. And that can be really beneficial for the govern- ment, for sure." It's not just small entrepreneurs who can benefit from coworking, according to Chris Crowell, vice- president of corporate innovation at innovation hub Volta. "For larger organizations… having a satellite office in our space, it gets them perceived dif- ferently when they're coming to recruit talent," he says. Work is changing People enjoy the concept, he says. "We see people have their area where they're working away in groups. People seem to be excit- ed to come in and work… on a ca- sual or on a day-to-day basis. And we see a lot of the same people back here almost every day. And then we see other people that are in from time to time — it's a really dynamic mix." e sense of community and support means people don't feel alone, says Proctor. "What we're seeing is an ex- panded professional network, as well as a personal network; their productivity is definitely increased and some of that just comes from proximity." And many of the coworking organizations she has seen have a "community animator" at the front, instead of a receptionist. "eir job is to introduce them to others who may be working on something similar, who may have something to benefit or learn from each other, who might have common interests, or who would never talk to each other otherwise." Targeted events and program- ming are also a big part of what makes a coworking space shine, she says. "Some of the events are edu- cational or informative. And it could be someone coming in to help manage your taxes or some- one coming in to show you how to do marketing better, and so they're learning as well; when they're in the space, they aren't just working." For the government's pilot plan to bear fruit, the results must be measured, says Charbonneau. "PSPC will evaluate the success of this pilot based on usage rates of the space and user satisfaction with the GCcoworking experi- ence. is information will be gathered through various surveys and results from technologies such as space-reservation system and sensors." Afterwards, the "results will be monitored throughout the pilot program, with a review of all col- lected feedback on an ongoing basis once all five NCR sites are opened," he says. providing workers with informa- tion and reminders, says Weiss. "[It's about] 'Hey, did you know your employer offers this?' and 'Here's how you get access to it' ... And so, it just becomes a much easier way for people to access and lowering those barriers. And we don't really have to blanket-target the whole population, we can go up to people that really need it most and make sure they're en- gaged," he says. "It's a simple technology that ties all these pieces together, be- cause before, the member had to navigate this on their own." If plan members self-select or consent to receive additional in- formation, insurance companies can better reach people in need, says Bonnett. "I don't know how widespread it is. And I think it's a caution- ary exercise; you walk before you run there. And you start in a very targeted and thoughtful way to get the information out. And, of course, if you're in a collectively bargained environment, where you've got a union partner around benefits and health, and occupa- tional health and safety, you want to be engaging your union col- leagues on how to do this appro- priately as well." Benefits communication is critical and often overlooked, says Crowder. "People think about benefits when they need them; they don't think about benefits when they don't need them. So, communi- cation is something that's extraor- dinarily difficult when it comes to benefits, regardless of where it comes from." While targeted, personalized communications can help in- crease engagement in wellness programs and benefits for chronic disease management, more than one-third of plan members are still not confident that their priva- cy will be protected and that per- sonal information may be shared with employers, says Frankel. "Plan sponsors can more ef- fectively communicate how pri- vacy will be protected and help plan members to control the use of data and how the importance of those personalized communi- cations can help plan members manage their health and the health of their families." People are becoming more comfortable sharing information with trusted organizations, says Weiss. "ey're starting to see the value in doing so." And having people opt in for this communication helps allevi- ate sponsor concerns, he says. "ey know that all their mem- bers have been displayed the right disclaimers and understanding of information and they positively opted in versus 'Well, now I'm on the hook as a sponsor if some- thing happens.'" Personalized wellness As for other possible solutions, there is strong support for per- sonalized medicine, according to Sanofi. Seventy-four per cent of plan members would consent to giving a sample of their DNA so their physician could prescribe a medication that is most likely to work well for them. And 65 per cent of plan spon- sors are interested in providing coverage for pharmacogenetic testing, says the survey. It's extremely promising tech- nology, says Weiss, and it's also about reducing waste by making sure people have the right solu- tions right out of the gate. If someone, for example, starts a claim for a mental-health issue on the drug side, the insurance company could send a prompt asking if they'd like to take a test, he says. "It just cuts out the pain and suffering for these individuals as they go in and have to find the right types of medications. And it's way less waste for the sponsor, because they're not paying for drugs that aren't as effective." Genetic testing costs money, but it's worth it, says Bonnett. "If pharmacogenetic testing or biomarkers can help predict a bet- ter response by this patient over another patient — this drug over another drug — we ought to be doing that," he says. "That seems to be not only a very cost-effective way to spend money but a very patient- sensitive way to help them get the right treatment as quickly as pos- sible and not go through unnec- essary trials with drugs that are unlikely to work for them." In addition, 64 per cent of em- ployees think medical cannabis should be covered by a workplace benefit plan, while 45 per cent of plan sponsors feel the same — up from 34 per cent a year ago. Twelve per cent say their health benefit plan covers medical cannabis, up from eight per cent in 2018. Also popular are pharmacist- led assessments and prescrib- ing for minor common ailments (according to 51 per cent of plan members), along with access to 24-hour virtual care or telemedi- cine for medical opinions, includ- ing diagnoses and prescriptions (45 per cent). Strong support for personalized medicine HEALTH CARE < pg. 3 "It's a bit tricky when employees are all associated with one organization because you're not getting the diversity."

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