HRTech Interview with Paul Statham, CEO, and founder of Condeco

Paul Statham highlights how organizations can build the digital backbone of their business to power hybrid work when health and safety is top of mind

1. Can you give us a brief of your career before Condeco?
Prior to founding Condeco in 2005, I established several other successful and innovative businesses, including FX Player, the online fantasy trading game which was sold in 2005 to IFX; and Masco Security, one of the UK’s largest electronic security companies, which was sold in 1999 to Protection 1 Security in the US.

I’ve always had an entrepreneurial spirit – entrepreneurship was ingrained in my upbringing. In the early 1980’s, my family and I create a security business, Masco Security, in our garage. So, I’m an entrepreneur at my core, and I’m inspired by the lessons I learned starting that business with my family. I approach business strategy with a people-first mentality. I’m growth-oriented and passionate about putting people at the center.

2. How was the initial phase of setting up Condeco? What does a regular day at work look like now?
As you can imagine, the early days at Condeco were largely spent 9:00am – 5:00pm in the office. When I founded the company in 2005, the role of the office was quite different than it is today. However, the workplace has been moving toward hybrid work for some time. Much like many other trends, the pandemic only accelerated the move toward more flexibility.

At Condeco, we’ve adopted a flexible outlook in terms of how its employees work going forward. Ultimately, all employees are given the opportunity to “Work Anywhere” – but would agree with the number and pattern of days working outside the office in advance with their manager. This arrangement allows employees to work away from the office but also allows managers to call their teams together in the office when required, with the hope being managers and their teams find “stable and predictable” flexible working arrangements that work for everyone involved. Of course, there are some roles at Condeco that do require full-time, office-based workers, but they also have the opportunity to request ad hoc work from home.

3. What is your perspective on how organizations can build the digital backbone of their business to power hybrid work when health and safety is top of mind?
While the need to adapt to hybrid is undeniable, many employees do not feel equipped to do so. In fact, though Condeco’s report found that having the right digital tools is a top need to ensuring effective hybrid work, only 51% agree their company is using the right tools to support this model. The role of technology in hybrid work is not only to provide flexibility and streamline things like scheduling and desk booking. Technology is critical to bringing people together and encouraging collaboration and innovation. With the right tools, organizations can break down silos and build relationships, which is so critical to helping employees stay engaged and fulfilled at work.

In today’s world where health and safety is top of mind, bringing people together in a way that provides employees with certainty and control is imperative. In direct response to the outcomes of the pandemic and to help companies welcome employee back to the office, Condeco acquired ProxyClick, the market-leading visitor management platform. Now, through proximity-based technology and QR codes, our customers can seamlessly communicate local health guidelines, customize digital health questionnaires, and receive notifications for guest and visitor arrivals.

4. What tips do you have for implementing technology that will bring teams together, while empowering them to deliver meaningful work?
Technology can make the difference between a positive and negative employee experience and it has an extremely important role in how teams communicate, collaborate, and connect. Technology as a platform can also help achieve digital equity for those in and out of the office, which leads to breaking down organizational siloes and strengthening relationships.

When implementing the digital tools for hybrid work, the first step is assessing the needs of your employees. It’s important to understand why employees choose to come to the office, how they use their space, and what they need to be productive. Communication is also key – ensuring your staff knows what is available to them and how to use the tools will help teams adopt processes that work for them. Most importantly, leaders must continue to analyze and adapt as needed. Taking a “set it and forget it” approach will be detrimental, but examining how employees react to the new tools, gathering feedback, and adjusting accordingly will result in meaningful outcomes for the employees as well as the organization.

5. Condeco has now become the fastest-growing global player in workspace scheduling and office utilization. What’s your say on this?
Since the pandemic, there has been more demand for hybrid work, and I strongly believe it is here to stay. As a result, the role of workplace technology has become critical and Condeco is uniquely positioned to deliver the tools employees need to work wherever they are located.

Now, we’re seeing this cultural shift impact our business. This past year, the cultural demand for Condeco products grew substantially across all regions, especially in Q1 and Q2 of 2021. SaaS booking was up 100% YoY and total bookings were up 66% YoY. Total revenue also increased by 31% YoY and SaaS revenue grew 45% YoY.

6. What unique features of your solutions set you apart from the competition?
Condeco’s proprietary scheduling software is designed to equip employees with the right tools to help them best manage their flexible workday, while allowing organizations to manage capacity, health and safety concerns, and space allocation based on the needs of their people, not their real estate. Hybrid models are non-negotiable, but effectively transitioning hybrid means leaders need to prioritize their workplace tech stack.

Not only does Condeco’s platform provide companies with the ability to schedule their day to meet the employees’ individual needs, Condeco’s data analytics helps leaders better understand space utilization. Earlier this year, Condeco acquired ProxyClick, the market-leading visitor management platform, to enable companies to welcome back employees and visitors into the workplace without compromising health, security, or compliance objectives. This takes our solution to the next level – streamlining the scheduling of office access and health screenings on one all-encompassing platform. The integration with ProxyClick allows for seamless communication of local health guidelines, customizable digital health questionnaires, and real-time reporting of who has arrived on-site enabled by proximity-based technology and QR codes.

Since the pandemic, we’ve also introduced innovations that empower employees to manage their own schedules and collaborate with teams. Tools like Condeco’s Mobile App, Smart Calendar, and contactless meeting room screens give employees complete control over their day so they spend more time adding value.

7. What are the common pain points that customers approach you with?
With companies now bringing employees back to the office, we’re helping our customers welcome staff back without compromising employee health or well-being. And we’re doing that in a way that promotes flexibility and is scalable across multiple offices and regions. Employees no longer want to be working from the office full-time, and hybrid models are key to ensuring a healthy work-life balance while keeping teams engaged, productive and collaborative. Condeco’s recent data shows that 34% of respondents feel that hybrid working has had positive impact on their mental and physical health and nearly half of those working in their office full-time would like to be more hybrid. We’re seeing our customers respond to those cultural shifts by leaning on technology to power a flexible work model.

8. How have workplace analytics changed the perspective of employee engagement?
To ensure employees remain productive and engaged at work, businesses must consider workplace tech as the backbone to their culture. Having the right tool, such as a intelligent analytics, is critical to empowering employees to do their best work and deliver value to their teams and their organization.

Condeco’s platform gives employees insight into who will be in the office, and when. To truly build a collaborative space, should have the visibility to know when their team will be on-site, and where they plan to work, giving them the confidence that their workday will be productive, and the certainty that they will be safe and comfortable at the office. Intelligent data analytics also helps measure how the office really works, providing valuable insights into why employees use specific spaces so organizations can understand what their teams need to be engaged.

9. What is the passion that drives you to keep going? Any book, series, or podcast suggestions that you have for our readers?
I am inspired by so many things – including books, podcasts, and my peers – but I am constantly on the go, and it is important to me to create a work-life balance that allows me the time to unplug and disconnect. It is an approach that we have ingrained in the Condeco culture, and I aim to lead by example. You would be surprised how spending time doing the things you enjoy most can bring about the most creative moments.

10. What is your take on the flexible future of work?
The world of work has changed forever.

Work is now something you do, an outcome, not a place or a time.

Employees want the flexibility to work from anywhere and they are increasingly looking to be recognized by and measured on their output, rather than their input. Condeco is empowering employers to do exactly that.

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