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Skedda for Higher Ed - Rethinking Faculty Space Management
Challenge: A New Office, A New Way of Working
When Lighthouse Credit Union decided to consolidate three aging and overcrowded offices into one modern HQ, the move wasn’t just about space — it was about culture. The organization saw the new office as a turning point: an opportunity to redefine how their teams work, collaborate, and use shared resources.
With the previous three offices operating near full capacity, Lighthouse team members frequently found themselves sharing workspaces.
“Sometimes you had four desks in an area that was really only suited for one desk.” — Sean LaBrie, VP of IT Infrastructure at Lighthouse Credit Union
Despite many employees working hybrid schedules, everyone still had permanently assigned desks. This led to underused spaces, unnecessary equipment spend, and inefficient resource planning. Desks sat idle while teams struggled to find resources that suited their needs.
Adding to the challenge facing Lighthouse was the fact that they used a static PDF to track desk assignments. This list was often outdated, inaccurate, and accidentally duplicated. It wasn’t uncommon for employees to be double-assigned to the same workstation or for people no longer with the organization to still appear as occupying desks.
Managing meeting rooms wasn’t much easier. With their old reservation system, there was no way to view space availability or enforce booking rules. Any team member could reserve a room at any time, often without regard for who needed it most.
Lighthouse quickly realized they needed more than a new address. They needed a modern workplace management platform that would support their new plans for a flexible workforce and promote smarter use of space – all while continuing to reflect their people-first culture.
Solution: Building a Smarter, More Flexible Workplace
As Lighthouse transitioned into their new headquarters, they partnered with Skedda to bring their vision of a modern and efficient workplace to life.
From the beginning, Lighthouse knew they needed to offer flexibility for hybrid staff without sacrificing structure or clarity. The answer was to offer both assigned spaces and flexible ones, all in one dynamic system for improved office wayfinding and space management.
“Skedda was always part of the plan… We knew we were going to be doing desk hoteling in our new building, and we needed a tool to help us with that.” — Sean
With Skedda, Lighthouse implemented a flexible desk hoteling system, allowing hybrid employees to reserve desks only on the days they work onsite. This shift enabled efficient desk sharing throughout the week and significantly reduced the amount of office equipment they needed to purchase. As for employees who regularly work in-office five days a week, they received assigned desks that never need to be booked.
“Skedda helped us understand where fixed desks were and who they were assigned to. It also solved our desk sharing needs which is obviously a huge savings.” – Sean
To make navigation easier in their new 100,000-square-foot building, Lighthouse uploaded detailed floorplans into Skedda. Employees now benefit from an intuitive, interactive map that shows who is sitting where, which desks are available, what equipment is included, and where meeting rooms and amenities are located.
“Silence is data. The fact that we rolled [Skedda] out to everyone and we don't get phone calls and tickets proves how easy it is for our community to use.” – Tom Mersereau, Director of IT Service & Delivery
Results: A Better Space for People and Purpose
$10,000 in equipment savings
With a workforce evenly split between hybrid and fully in-office staff, Lighthouse recognized that assigning every employee a fully equipped, dedicated desk wasn’t practical or cost-effective. By leveraging Skedda’s desk-booking capabilities, they were able to only outfit desks used on a daily basis – avoiding unnecessary equipment purchases and unlocking immediate, meaningful savings.
“We probably saved easily $10,000 worth of IT equipment by not having to provision all these extra desks.” – Sean
Fewer IT support tickets
Since launching Skedda, management saw fast adoption and minimal issues or questions about reserving spaces and managing profiles. The intuitive interface means less confusion about bookings and fewer distractions for the IT team.
“No news is good news, right? The volume of support tickets we receive concerning reservations and bookings has dropped to nearly zero since we started using Skedda.” – Sean
Stress-free wayfinding
The interactive office map in Skedda helps both new and returning staff navigate the workplace with ease and confidence. Assigned desks and offices make it simple to locate in-person teammates, while hybrid employees can quickly find and book available workspaces.
“When people change floors or departments are restructured, having a live, up-to-date map of where everyone is really helps keep things organized and reduces anxiety.” – Sean
The interactive map has also streamlined support for the IT team, making it quick and effortless to locate employees when a request comes through.
Smarter shared resource management
Shared resource availability is at a premium in most workplaces, especially when there are no guidelines for fair use.
To keep these high-demand resources readily accessible and efficiently managed, the Lighthouse team set up twelve different booking rules in Skedda.
“Everyone wants the boardroom, right? Well, we have to reserve that for the actual board and the executives. We've created some common sense restrictions that control who can book what.” - Sean
Lighthouse also has Office Neighborhoods set up in Skedda, making it easy to restrict desk access by department and maintain an organized workspace. They’ve even implemented four-hour time limits on EV charging stations to prevent vehicles from occupying spots all day.
Seamless visitor check-in
Skedda’s Visitor Management solution has transformed the guest check-in experience—making it faster, more secure, and completely paperless. Visitors simply scan a QR code and check in via tablet, instantly notifying their host and providing the security team with a reliable digital record. The result is a smoother, more professional experience for both guests and staff.
“It moves us into the 21st century… now we know exactly who’s in the building and when.” — Tom
Best in-class support
Lighthouse enjoys responsive, personable support from Skedda’s customer success and implementation teams. Together, they resolve questions quickly and roll out impactful solutions with ease.
“Implementation was great and the support staff is super engaged and very pleasant. The responses come back fast. They don’t feel like pre-canned answers. It's really excellent.” – Sean
Conclusion: A Workplace That Makes an Impact
At Lighthouse Credit Union, investing in modern technology like Skedda is about more than smooth operations – it’s about people. Their mission is to enrich the lives of their employees, members, and the broader community. Creating a hybrid workplace that supports flexibility, autonomy, and ease of use is a natural extension of that mission.
“We modernized how our team members work.” — Sean
Lighthouse uses Skedda to reduce unnecessary overhead and improve day-to-day experiences for employees, regardless of whether they are on-site full time or just coming in a few days a week. Employees now arrive with clarity, sit near the colleagues they collaborate with, and feel empowered to make the most of their time in the office.
Beyond internal improvements, Lighthouse Credit Union continues to serve the community through a Foundation that targets initiatives in affordable housing, food security, and education. Their new headquarters includes a community assembly space, bookable via Skedda, that local nonprofits can use for events, outreach, and organizing. All bookings are pre-approved by the event team to ensure alignment.
“We want to be measured on impact. That’s what sets us apart — making a difference by enriching and nourishing the lives of others.” — Diane Carragher, Director at Lighthouse Credit Union
Please click here and here to learn more about how Lighthouse Credit Union and its Foundation are building a brighter future.
From smarter space management to stronger community connections, Lighthouse is leading the way in what the modern workplace should look like.
Ready to tell your own story? Book a live demo and take the first step toward modernizing your workplace.
