Case Study

Accelerating the Return to Office for Our Client During COVID-19

Client: A company in the public transportation industry

Challenge

In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, our client faced a critical challenge: safely and efficiently bringing 1,500 employees back to the office as part of their Return to Office initiative. Initially projected to take six months, they needed a faster solution to meet the growing demand for operational continuity, all while adhering to strict public health guidelines.

Solution

Soleil Conseiller, in conjunction with our trusted business partner, was brought in to accelerate the project and reduce the timeline. Leveraging our expertise in rapid project implementation, we conducted a thorough assessment of the situation and immediately mobilized cross-functional teams to design a streamlined, actionable plan.

Key Actions

Strategic Planning: Created a compressed project timeline that detailed every phase of the Return to Office initiative, from workspace reconfiguration to health and safety measures.
Resource Optimization: Optimized the use of available resources by coordinating closely with our client’s internal teams, ensuring that necessary equipment, technology, and workspace layouts were swiftly put in place.
Cross-Functional Collaboration: Worked in close partnership with our client’s internal teams and health experts to integrate protocols and expedite decision-making. Clear communication channels were established to provide real-time updates and resolve any challenges.
Agile Execution: We got creative to meet the timeline. Hoteling spaces were made available to all employees on one floor within the first two months, allowing them to return while the rest of the headquarters underwent reconfiguration and renovation. Over the next three months, we gradually deployed the hoteling system across the entire headquarters as the remaining floors were updated.

Outcome

Soleil Conseiller successfully reduced the project timeline from six months to just two months, enabling our client to bring back all 1,500 employees swiftly and safely. This rapid implementation ensured that critical operations were not delayed, and employees were able to return to a fully operational, compliant workspace.

Key Metrics

Target Timeline: 6 months
Actual Timeline: 2 months for initial phase, with full rollout completed in an additional 3 months
Employees Returned: 1,500
Productivity Gains: By accelerating the return to office by 4 months, the MBTA gained an estimated 96,000 additional productive hours. This reflects a 10% increase in productivity, a figure based on industry data that shows employees tend to work more efficiently in-office compared to remote settings, with each employee contributing an additional 16 productive hours per month.
Satisfaction: The Executive team expressed complete satisfaction with the project’s speed, flexibility, and creativity, praising our ability to pivot and meet the organization’s revised aggressive timeline. They considered us a true partner in the process, not just a vendor, who recognized the deep collaboration and commitment to their success.

Take the First Step Toward Timely Project Success

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