DESIGN & INTERIORS NG OFFICE LANDSCAPE
e and encourage a conversation about what people need and want from their workplace, t Active Workplace Solutions.
But how can employers meet these needs? After all, when faced with a staff who all have their own preferences and requirements, how can you keep everyone happy, motivated and ultimately productive? To design and create an environment that is going to work for your staff, you have to include them in the process. By opening a dialogue and encouraging a conversation about what people need and want from their workplace, you’re helping your workforce become part of the process and increasing the likelihood of their support when change happens.
The first thing to recognise is that one size really doesn’t fit all. It is no longer enough to put a group of staff in an open plan space, with all of the same tools and resources, and expect them to work at their best. The modern office, or ‘landscape’ needs to recognise the requirements of the multiple roles sharing a space, and even the need each individual has for different working styles, depending in the task at hand.
For example, there will be occasions when you need to share information and collaborate, and others when you need to shut yourself away and do some deep thinking. So really the secret is to have a variety of spaces that allow for the heads down, private work and group based collaborative tasks, and enable staff to move between spaces as needed. Each square foot of your office needs to ‘work’ so that staff can work productively.
These spaces may also require different kinds of furniture to support productivity. For example, staff may need a
www.tomorrowsfm.com
desk and chair, to sit and make calls or to answer emails, but they may need a different space for creative work, perhaps a comfortable, more relaxed environment to brainstorm in a group. There may be a need for private phone booths for confidential calls or a boardroom requirement for client meetings. There are a whole range of design and fit-out options available - sit-stand desks, private pods, breakout areas, natural light, separate eating areas, to name just a few – but the key is to deliver options for agile working and create an environment that fosters productivity.
The link between choice and agility in workplaces goes much further than simply being on trend. It is a vital necessity to get the best results out of your staff. Providing a space that allows and encourages movement is paramount. Recent data from Leesman, the workplace experts, shows that 85% of surveyed employees believe the design and practicality of their workplace was important to them. It is clearly not a topic to be taken lightly if you are serious about keeping staff happy.
I believe in the mantra that if you treat your staff well, they will treat you well. Provide varied, agile and accommodating workplaces for your staff, and you will be rewarded with higher productivity, increased motivation, lower employee turnover and happier working environments. It’s as simple as that. At least, that is what we believe at Active Workplace Solutions.
www.activeworkplacesolutions.co.uk/ TOMORROW’S FM | 39
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64
