SPACE PLANNING & INTERIORS
WORKING 9 TO... WHENEVER REALLY
The fundamental principles that have historically influenced workplace design
have shifted significantly over the past 10 years. Changes in society, how we live, work and use technology have driven these changes. Hannah Nardini, workplace strategist and psychologist for Office Principles explains the importance of happiness is in the workplace.
The traditional way of working, Monday to Friday from 9am until 5pm has evolved into what now appears to be an ‘always connected’ society with working hours extending up to 10 per day – perhaps challenging the idea that we should be working smarter. While we attribute much of this to the evolution of technology and its ability to enable us to link in no matter where we are, it is also worth considering that demands and expectations from business leaders are forcing employees to go above and beyond the standard requirements or risk their job security.
Yes, there is a democratisation of the workplace and desire to bring your own device to work (BYOD), but equally the corporate world demands more from people – just because we can (in theory) deliver more with the resources available.
Research from sociologists, psychological behaviourist as well as the humble HR team has highlighted that the workplace has become an extension of our identities and social lives. The lines between work and play have become somewhat blurred.
These changes have happened at pace and so the design of the workplace has to catch up to support this new working profile. Added to this shift, we also see stronger emphasis placed on employee wellbeing. For the first time we are noting the value placed on staff welfare through the introduction of health initiatives. It is not uncommon to find gyms within the workplace as well as massage rooms, yoga and reflection spaces (mindfulness
54 | TOMORROW’S FM
Metropolitan Borough Council (named as one of the BCO’s offices of 2015).
The zones within these workplaces are now centred around focus working, collaboration, learning and social spaces. Each plays an important part in supporting task working. The natural benefits of encouraging staff to move around is the ability for an organisation to reduce the amount of fixed, owned space.
being intrinsic to wellbeing). Fruit days and staff issued pedometers aid in making staff more aware of their health and wellbeing while at work.
The modern office is now designed around multiple zones which are designed to support the specific tasks of the occupants. No longer do we want staff to be tied down to one space or desk when we know they are highly unlikely to be personally productive there. Therefore, each person is encouraged to be empowered and take control over how and where they work i.e. democratisation of the workplace.
This could be working in cafes for the Millenials through to library spaces for Generation X and booking hot offices for the Baby Boomers. Multi- generational working creates many challenges for the modern office and the designer must find ways to balance the needs and demands of each of these groups with the intention of improving productivity, morale yet reducing attrition and absenteeism. This is the type of space favoured by companies such as Google, major banks, the Guardian and Rochdale
A more strategic analysis on how the current workplace is utilised can identify opportunities for organisations to create a shared model and reduce space requirements by up to 35% in some circumstances. However, before embarking on this type of shift in working model we strongly recommend that the people impacted by the change are an integral part of the process. The best ideas on how to improve your workplace often come from the staff within and these prove to be the most successful projects.
Without doubt though, the technology we use in the workplace is the backbone to true agility. While the pace of technological advancement is unstoppable, we endeavour to design the workplace in such a way that embraces change in the future even though we may not know where that may come from. This results in offices with less built spaces and more fluid and flexible spaces that can be reconfigured within a few hours. This method of design offers a sensible use of valuable resources but supports the workplace evolution for the next 10 years.
www.officeprinciples.com
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