FEATURE WORKING ALTERNATIVES
Tomorrow’s FM interviewed Chris Hood, Co-author of the ‘The Once Alternative Workplace Strategies’ report and Director at AWA, to get an overview of the study and a sneak peek of what we can expect from AWA’s Workplace Week London.
“The Once Alternative Workplace Strategies” report, co-authored by Advanced Workplace Associates (AWA), Global Workplace Analytics and Haworth Inc., and supported by IFMA Workplace Evolutionaries, looks at the biggest trends within today’s workplaces and compares the findings to the initial research from more than a decade ago.
Insights from the 10-year study will be shared during AWA’s Workplace Week London, which will grace our capital this November. The event shines a spotlight on some of the most innovative, creative and people-centric offices in city, all while raising money for BBC’s Children in Need.
“Hearts can only be won over by
employees internalizing the changes at a personal level: “How do they impact me?”
Q
What can you tell us about the ‘Alternative Ways of Working’ report?
We wanted to look at the drivers and perceived benefits of alternative workplace programmes, hoping to uncover the leadership and workplace strategy implications for organisational leaders. To do this, we leveraged a survey that began more than 10 years ago (New WOW survey had subsequently discontinued, but we kept all the previous year’s data), to explore the shifting trends as they have emerged over time.
The New WOW survey is a true longitudinal survey that has asked more-or-less the same questions over the five surveys and 10+ years of its existence. Of course, a lot has changed since we started the research 2008 – to the point where what were once considered ‘alternative’ workplaces are now becoming commonplace. In this year’s study, 130 organisations, representing over 2.3 million employees globally, took part.
Q
Can you summarise the top line results for us?
The report highlights several key trends, all of which have emerged in recent years as a result of the changing work environment. Perhaps the most alarming is that, despite the increased focus on designing and delivering employee-centric workplaces, employee involvement is decreasing. This seems odd, especially when you consider that there is a wealth of research to suggest the more
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people are involved in the process, the more likely they will embrace the change.
Q
Why do you think that employee involvement
is decreasing? Historically, the whole programme of workplace implementation across larger organisations usually started with a major project. Major projects attract big investment, lots of resources, focus, energy and typically high levels of employee engagement. This last item is important and the right thing to do because it builds a sense of ownership and understanding.
Most companies, however, are now moving towards system-wide implementation, which means mass roll outs across multiple sites and different geographies. When you look at doing that across multiple sites over multiple years, there is understandably an “uh oh” moment. Maintaining the appetite and energy required to continue an ongoing dialogue at each site is quite a feat. It is also costly and requires a lot of resources. So, organisations tend to implement through the creation of consistent standards, which could be seen to eliminate much of the necessary debate and dialogue.
We don’t happen to agree with this approach, believing that dialogue is important to drive local solutions, but suspect that this is what is happening. Yes, they may communicate with employees – but that’s not the same as embracing them in the process and seeking their active participation. Sadly, that seems to be happening a lot. The best programmes with the best results are those that expect and deliver high levels of interaction with the employee base.
“Workplace transformation projects won’t work if the workforce doesn’t also transform their behaviours and work practices.”
Q
Why should organisations involve their employees when it comes to embarking on
a workplace transformation project? Workplace transformation projects won’t work if the workforce doesn’t also transform their behaviours and work practices to bring about the desired shift in outcomes. The effectiveness of a physical workplace depends on the
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