IN a recent workplace survey by Gensler, the international architecture practice – they were astonished to see that workplace effectiveness has dropped since 2008. This is an overall decline in staff being able to get their work done.
The world has changed in recent years – there are a lot more distractions to contend with. Social media has crept into our lives, and the line between work and personal time has blurred.
IN a recent workplace survey by Gensler, the international architecture practice – they were astonished to see that workplace effectiveness has dropped since 2008. This is an overall decline in staff being able to get their work done.
The world has changed in recent years – there are a lot more distractions to contend with. Social media has crept into our lives, and the line between work and personal time has blurred. And the inability to focus, can really affect our work.
The ability to focus is paramount, and this is closely followed by the ability to collaborate effectively with colleagues. In a competitive knowledge economy such as the UK, where service and information is the mainstay – we need to make sure that teams can collaborate and move ideas quickly between them.
The research found that there were several factors needed to create the ‘balanced workplace’ that seemed to produce the most productive staff. These included improving functionality of a primary workspace, and noise reduction – while also providing alternative workspaces for groups of one to four people to seamlessly make the transition from individual work, to group work.
Or so a person can simply go into an enclosed room and shut the door to concentrate, or take a call.
A huge factor was also creating an office where staff actually want to be. A pleasing space that minimises distractions and allows staff to get on. The idea of a ‘second workplace’ may seem challenging in most UK offices, where space is at a premium – but it is still perfectly possible in even smaller spaces.
An effective office design should look at making space flexible, so that staff can perform a variety of activities. Moving noisy and distraction-creating activities away from desks and into more appropriate spaces makes a huge difference.
Being able to encourage staff to work in a way that embraces flexibility in terms of space, and assists team working – but not group distraction – will pay dividends. And making the environment pleasant will only encourage staff to be more involved, and not desperate to run for the door at 5pm. Environment, collaboration, and the ability to multitask flexibly is the way to go.
For further information, contact Steve Allan on 01604 217879. Reference to Gensler 2013 Workplace Survey. Email – or visit the website at www.verveworkspace.co.uk