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Rapid review: By S Edwards May 2017 What is the future of Work Environments? Read below for an academic review from Rapid Context on global trends and the benefits of workplace environment innovation. Re-inventing the work space Innovative workspaces are born out of several generations of business stimulation efforts [1], with literature stretching back to the 1940’s indicating that businesses have always been searching for ways to create the optimum work environment that produces and retains highly productive employees [2]. Companies such as Google, Microsoft and Westpac continue to incorporate these approaches as a way to stay relevant and attractive in an age of redefined workspaces [2, 3]. Office space is not just an asset, but needs to be viewed as a strategic tool for growth [5]. Literature has shown that work environments that are uncomfortable and induce stress directly impact on employee’s sense of well-being, productivity and quality of work [6,7]. Research by Empirica and Hassell found that workplace design is a significant factor in attraction and retention. It impacts on the extent to which employees connect and identify with their colleagues and the greater organisation. It suggests that investing in workplace design and organisational culture is a more cost effective strategy for talent acquisition than offering higher salaries. Global trends in the development of innovative environments are varied, with approaches differing for urban versus regional, and large organisations versus small [6]. As the term “innovation” implies, there is no one answer to the perfect work place and thus it is important that companies take the time to understand what they are trying to achieve by changing the space [3, 8, 9]. Hills and Levy suggest criteria for reflection include workability, comfort, occupational density, the need for privacy, control over the environment, adjacency to colleagues and functionality [8]. With further literature suggesting all optimum work environments need a balance of spaces specifically designed for collaboration, modifiability, intellectual work and solitude [10-12]. Research has shown that flexible work arrangements and the work-life balance they produce are inextricably linked to employee attraction and retention [9, 10, 13, 14]. The use of flexible work options within an organisation means an increase in the need for appropriate technology, with the ability to be able to collaborate and communicate with colleagues regardless of location a key element to a FWA’s success [15-17]. Projecting the needs of future employees can be daunting. An International survey conducted by the Society for human Resource Management (SHRM) found that the majority of over 480 executives believed the top challenges for the year 2022 would be attracting, retaining and rewarding the best workers [18]. By the year 2025 it is anticipated that the contingent of workers known as ‘Millenials’ and born between 1980 and 2000 will make up 75% of the workforce [19]. Their career aspirations, attitudes about work and knowledge of new technologies are vastly different than those who are on the verge of leaving the workforce [20, 21]. Employers need to be alert and agile and respond to the changes or face being left behind by their competitors [22]. Recommendations: - Complete survey to ascertain what employees value most in their workplace, regardless of position. Want to know more about what to do next to build a workplace of the future? Contact us at info@collagis.com.au. We'd love to hear from you.
References:
1 Foertsch, A.P. (2014). Workplace Innovation Today. http://www.naiop.org/en/Research/Our- Research/Reports/Workplace-Innovation-Today-The-Coworking-Center.aspx 2 Brookes, M. J., & Kaplan, A. (1972). The office environment: Space planning and affective behavior. Human factors, 14(5), 373-391. 3 Oksanen, K., & Ståhle, P. (2013). Physical environment as a source for innovation: investigating the attributes of innovative space. Journal of knowledge management, 17(6), 815-827. 4 Cummins, C. Westpac raises the bar at new Barangaroo digs. January 29 2016 The Sydney Morning Herald http://www.smh.com.au/business/property/westpac-raises-the-bar-at-new-barangaroo-digs- 20160118-gm8g4d.html 5 Waber, B., Magnolfi, J., & Lindsay, G. (2014). Workspaces that move people. Harvard Business Review, October 2014. https://hbr.org/2014/10/workspaces-that-move-people 6 Vischer, J. C., & Wifi, M. (2017). The Effect of Workplace Design on Quality of Life at Work. In Handbook of Environmental Psychology and Quality of Life Research (pp. 387-400). Springer International Publishing. 7 Hassell & Empirica, 2014. Research findings: Does workplace design affect employee attraction? http://hassell.efront-flare.com.au/docs/20141218_research_workplaceattaction_webversion_lr.pdf 8 Hills, R., & Levy, D. (2014). Workspace design and fit-out: what knowledge workers value. Property Management, 32(5), 415-432. 9 Kossek, E. E., & Thompson, R. J. (2016). Workplace Flexibility: Integrating Employer and Employee Perspectives to Close the Research–Practice Implementation Gap. The Oxford Handbook of Work and Family, 255. 10 Perlow, L. A., & Kelly, E. L. (2014). Toward a model of work redesign for better work and better life. Work and Occupations, 41(1), 111-134. 11 Joseph, J. (2016). Do Open/Collaborative Work Environments Increase, Decrease or Tend To Keep Employee Satisfaction Neutral? 12 Congdon, C., Flynn, D., Redman, M. (2014). Balancing “We” and “Me”: The best collaborative spaces also support solitude. Harvard Business Review October 2014. https://hbr.org/2014/10/balancing-we-and-me-the-best-collaborative-spaces-also-support-solitude 13 Ernst and Young 2015. Work-Life Challenges across generations. http://www.ey.com/us/en/about-us/our-people-and-culture/ey-work-life-challenges-across- generations-global-study 14 Timms, C., Brough, P., O'Driscoll, M., Kalliath, T., Siu, O. L., Sit, C., & Lo, D. (2015). Flexible work arrangements, work engagement, turnover intentions and psychological health. Asia Pacific Journal of Human Resources, 53(1), 83-103. 15 Blok, M., Groenesteijn, L., Formanoy, M., De Korte, E., & Vink, P. (2010). Innovative ways of working: A comparison of a traditional and a flexible office environment on office space use, performance, privacy and satisfaction. na. 16 McNall, L. A., Masuda, A. D., & Nicklin, J. M. (2009). Flexible work arrangements, job satisfaction, and turnover intentions: The mediating role of work-to-family enrichment. The Journal of psychology, 144(1), 61-81. 17 Johns, T., & Gratton, L. (2013). The third wave of virtual work. Harvard Business Review, 91(1), 66-73. 18 Leonard, B., SHRM Poll: HR’s Top Challenges in 10 Years Have a Familiar Ring, in Society for Human Resource Management. . 2012. 19 Donston-Miller, D. (2016). Workforce 2020: What you need to know Now. https://www.forbes.com/sites/workday/2016/05/05/workforce-2020-what-you-need-to-know- now/#7e46a6db2d63 20 Kosoff, M. (2015). Millennials have a clear favourite when asked which tech company is their ‘ideal employer’. Business Insider, May 24, 2015. https://www.businessinsider.com.au/millennials- want-to-work-at-google-2015-5?r=US&IR=T 21 PWC, A. (2011). Millennials at work. Reshaping the workplace. 22 Canon (2015). Work in Evolution: A Canon Research Report https://www.canon.com.au/fastbusiness/the-evolution-of-the-australian-workplace-research-report Additional suggested Resources: The 4th Annual Next Generation Workplace Summit 2017 https://next-generation- workplace.iqpc.com.au/agenda- ff?MAC=24239.004INF_GPPC&gclid=CNWQvanc8dMCFZeSvQodcecBew Comments are closed.
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