Accenture Chicago

Accenture Chicago had already started the renovation work, when the COVID pandemic brought the new reality of a hybrid workforce. To enable hybrid working, Accenture found in Vecos a trusted partner to provide a world class smart locker system for Accenture Tower, an iconic 40-story, 1.46-million square-foot tower located in in the heart of Chicago. 

A frictionless employee experience

Accenture wanted to make sure that as their people return to the workplace, they were safe and secure in a non-invasive way. Offices are evolving from more traditional enclosed office space to more collaborative and purposeful spaces, which provides Accenture’s employees with the right environment to collaborate. 

Managing unpredictable flows of occupancy

While accurately understanding occupancy is arguably one of the most immediate post-covid challenges for landlords, it’s easily solved by the use of smart building technology to gain insights. “Technology is woven into the fabric of the space design as we shape the new workplace experience,” says Jason Warnke, senior managing director – Global IT, Digital Experiences Lead.  “We leverage our existing technology and tools and are continually innovating and enhancing our solutions to meet evolving business needs and improve the office experience.”  

Accenture chose to partner with Vecos, who had already proven themselves by successfully integrating their employee identification technology in other Accenture offices throughout the US and Europe. 

A method and a mindset

Accenture’s Workplace team – comprising of all relevant and related workplace disciplines such as Facilities, IT, Real Estate, Workplace Innovation, Digital Workspace Strategy, Construction Management, Business Operations, and Hospitality and Employee Experience – joined forces with the Vecos Workplace Team.  

“As a first step, we needed to fully understand how the building is used before we remove pain points and improve employee experience,” says Tina Smith, Director Business Development US. “About 6,800 employees consider Chicago their home office. However, Accenture’s consultants are assigned to clients and do not always work at Accenture’s own offices. But they are free to show up whenever they want: to make use of a flex desk, meeting room, or other open seating arrangements. In contrast, staff functions such as IT, Research, HR, and Administration are tied to the Chicago office but have also embraced the flexibility afforded by a home office.” 

With the advice of Vecos, Accenture decided to install 194 lockers, supporting 400 desks divided over 6 floors. To help Accenture manage square footage with these unpredictable flows of occupancy, the Vecos Smart Locker System unlocks the data needed to make informed decisions. The Vecos dashboard gives the status of Accenture’s use of lockers and real estate. These metrics are key to gaining a technology-based, comprehensive assessment of utilization, enabling office management to make real estate decisions that maximize return on investment.