wrkx measures the impact of workplace design on an organisation. These proprietary evaluation tools provide empirical insights that both drive and measure the impact of workplace design strategy. Revolutionising the way decisions are made, and investments are evaluated, wrkx signifies a more strategic approach for effective workplace design.
Axiom has been creating thriving workplaces for over 25 years and like the rest of the world, we are evolving.
With the so-called Silent Generation and Baby Boomers delaying retirement, Gen Z workers just starting to enter the workforce, and Gen X-ers and Millennials also in the mix, today’s workplaces are more diverse than ever before. But a diverse workforce also means that there are often conflicting preferences.
Millennials, for example, prefer to blur the lines behind home and work, favouring residential looks for their office spaces that evoke the comforts of their living spaces. Baby Boomers, however, have reported feeling uncomfortable about this trend, preferring more delineated lines between home and work.
This difference in preferences of course has important implications for your next office fitout. After all, the last thing you want is to have invested all that time, money and energy into an office relocation, only to find productivity and employee satisfaction plummeting as a result.
But how exactly do you keep everyone happy and achieve maximum ROI from the new office fitout?
Here are our top 5 tips for designing for a multigenerational workforce.
Forget the ping-pong table and beanbag chairs for a second, and ask yourself, ‘What is it that employees actually need to be able to do over the course of the working day?’
Is it a creative agency that needs a space dedicated to brainstorming? Is it a finance organisation where people need quiet, private booths for deep concentration?
The tasks your employees need to perform, as well as your company culture, will have a marked effect on the types of zones and features your new office needs.
A large formal conference room with water views, for example, may look terribly impressive – but if most of your employees prefer to collaborate informally and in small groups, this space is going to be underutilised. And an underutilised space is simply a waste of money.
That’s why, at Axiom, we are big proponents of evidence-based design, which configures the design around actual evidence regarding the culture of the organisation and the ways in which your employees prefer to work (as opposed to assumption-based design, where you impose a design that you think will work, and expect your employees to adapt to it).
It can be easy to get hung up on the seemingly irreconcilable differences between generations – for example, younger generations might want more spaces to socialise, while older workers might want private offices that reflect organisational hierarchy.
But there are also many similarities, and these similarities can be the key to designing a workplace that makes everyone comfortable and productive.
Both Baby Boomers and Millennials, for example, want to feel they are doing meaningful work, so finding ways to reflect the company’s mission and its positive initiatives through a workplace redesign can help boost employee satisfaction.
This is precisely what we did when we overhauled our own head office. Our new design showcases our vision and innovation, with our mission statement, ‘Creating thriving workplaces’, visibly emblazoned on the wall as you enter the space.
Most generations also value mentorship and personal connections with their employees, which could be fostered by including more informal socialising spaces or introducing collaborative technologies, to help bring disparate generations together and encourage knowledge sharing and mentorship.
You can bridge the gap between generations even further by being clever with how you utilise spaces and what types of furnishings you use in order to make the space as flexible as possible. Indeed, flexibility is a key consideration when it comes to attracting A-grade talent.
Having a variety of spaces, for example, such as quiet spaces; small, informal meeting rooms; collaborative areas; and large gathering areas for town-hall meetings, will ensure that workers of all generations can find the conditions they need to operate at their peak.
You could also use flexible desks that can be configured to standing desks, or movable desks that can be easily wheeled into a variety of configurations to easily transform spaces as needed.
It doesn’t have to be fancy – at Blue Chilli, for example, we used simple stools and stackable crates that could be easily moved around, allowing people to gather informally, socialise or take a coffee break wherever and whenever they saw fit.
A successful multigenerational workplace depends largely on employee buy-in, which is why it’s important to communicate regularly with employees not just before an office fitout, but also after, to help make the integration into a new space as smooth as possible.
Having clarity around how new spaces should be used, for example, can help ensure that employees understand their purpose and use them appropriately, and that there is no anxiety or conflict arising from misunderstandings or different expectations.
Training is also important – after all, there’s no point investing money in the latest cutting-edge technologies if employees don’t know how to use it.
All these measures can help staff adapt quickly to their new environment, to ensure you start reaping the goals of the fitout as soon as possible.
When contemplating an office fitout, it can be difficult to wade through all the data, as well as people’s many opinions, all on your own. It can be helpful, therefore, to have an outside perspective from an expert to provide a neutral, evidence-based view.
At Axiom, we have extensive experience designing for multigenerational workforces, so if you want an office fitout that has everyone – no matter what age they are – looking forward to going to work, we can help! Contact us today for a free consultation.
In a workplace, ‘ownership’ can mean different things: taking responsibility of your work, physically owning a space in decorating your workspace, and the power you have in making decisions. For us, ownership is about all of these things. It’s about feeling valued in the work environment and like an integral part of the team.
But why is feeling like you own your job important?
When we go to work, we don’t want to feel like we are imposters in an unfamiliar environment. Studies have shown that employees who feel estranged from the work environment can feel the need to “surface act”, leading to attention diverted from their tasks and responsibilities.
This affects the organisation negatively as it reduces employee engagement and productivity levels – therefore, the mental wellbeing of the employee is impacted because they feel a lack of connection to their workplace. However, there are some employee engagement strategies to rectify this. On a wider scale, combating this could be as simple as changing the floor plan of your office to encourage wellbeing at work. There are methods to create a more connected workplace by doing away with the traditional cubicle-style office and implementing a more modern open plan office.
On a smaller scale, employers should make conscious effort to allow their employees a sense of control. For instance, allowing freedom within an owned space to help boost employee engagement.
Each employee may have a designated station where they carry out the brunt of their work. Allowing employees to decorate and use this space as they want – displaying family pictures, colour-coordinated office supplies and even incorporating plant life – gives them a separate and comfortable space they can feel at ease in and productively carry out their work.
Read more: Marking your territory: why personalisation is important
Alternatively, for offices that employ hot-desking, employees should be encouraged to use their chosen space how they want and when they want. A part of this new concept is Activity Based Working, which allows employees to work on what they want, where they want, when they want.
If employees feel completely responsible for the work they are undertaking, they are more likely to perform excellent-quality work because they have taken more time to research and perfect it, employee satisfaction levels will be higher, and they will demonstrate more initiative concerning tasks.
A study by IFMW Sweden and Leesman surveyed 70,000 employees in 575 workplaces and saw a marked difference in employee engagement when working in an ABW-style office environment compared to those within a traditional one. There was a 22% increase in satisfaction in creative thinking for individuals in a more open work environment, as well as a 27% difference in satisfaction for individual work focused away from the desk.
While ABW might not be the perfect work solution, it certainly allows employees a level of ownership they might not feel within a traditional office layout.
Where these traditional office layouts – cubicles, less natural interaction with colleagues – make communication difficult, modernised offices enhance communication channels and allow for input from team members.
If employees have a say in strategy, projects and other processes that impact on their work, even giving feedback to their managers and bosses, they are more likely to want to own bigger roles and responsibilities in future. Additionally, staff retention is likely to increase as employees feel more valued. A survey by the O.C. Tanner Institute showed that employees who feel undervalued and disempowered by their employers are less likely to be productive and satisfied at work.
With staff turnover rates at an approximate 18%, costing about $1 million per year for companies with 100 employees, the financial situation for organisations is serious for those ignoring employee wellbeing.
If employees feel as if they are unable to communicate with their colleagues and managers freely, this affects the overall satisfaction of the employee because they feel they do not own their job role or projects, despite the effort they spend on them.
Employees should be feeling as if they own their jobs, their space and themselves in the work environment and employers should look at physical design to help implement these behavioural changes.
Axiom designs office workspaces to increase a sense of employee engagement, ownership and productivity. Find out how by contacting us today.
“We shape our buildings; thereafter they shape us.”
– Winston Churchill
There are many things we may assume when it comes to workplace or office design. For instance, we might believe an open plan layout suggests a modern mindset, or incorporating a ping-pong table into the office demonstrates we are edgy and dynamic to young people, or that piping chill-out music through the workplace will help your team relax.
But what if the nature of your business requires heavy concentration with minimal distraction? And what if nobody is going to use the ping-pong table, whether they are young or not? And what if some of your people find chill-out music incredibly irritating? This is where your workplace design and company culture are more important than you think.
Instead of assuming what is best for your workplace and following a template of ‘cool things’ as dictated by other businesses around the world, your office or workplace design should be grounded in evidence that is specific to you and – even more specifically – specific to the nature of your particular site, if your organisation is spread across multiple locations.
This is the difference between evidence-based design and assumption-based design and it can be the difference between having a new design that works for you or is merely a waste of time and dollars.
Evidence-based design is the process of configuring your office around the culture of your organisation and the way you work, rather than forcing your team to work around an imposed design scheme.
When evidence-based workplace design is correctly actioned, your office redesign or relocation project has the ability to enhance productivity and help your people achieve more. According to Envoplan in the UK, implementing evidence-based office design can even result in real-estate savings, often saving space by up to 30 percent.
The process of collecting then evaluating the evidence to inform your design is a process that needs to be enacted by professionals. By choosing a professional workplace partner, you ensure the appropriate evidence is collected and then applied in the best manner. However, you can start by asking yourself some of the questions a workplace design partner will be asking to move you into the next phase in your company’s evolution.
Now really think about this question. In fact, you might need to ask yourself a series of mini-questions in order to paint a proper portrait of your company’s culture. For example:
What does your brand represent and how are these qualities reflected in your workplace culture? Show practical examples of how these qualities are reflected in your business, rather vague platitudes; such as how you’re an eco-friendly business and, therefore, you only use sustainable materials in the office, etc.
Is there an overall personality to your workforce? Do you employ a certain type of person – introverts or extroverts or a mix of both? Is your office a multi-generational one? All of these questions help build a profile of your people and how their different personalities can be incorporated into the design.
In this new technological climate of flexible workspaces, the office is no longer the place where everyone works. In fact, it’s highly likely your official company office is only inhabited 50 percent of the time. In this regard, the habits of your workforce will have a great impact on your workplace fitout or design.
As Annelie Xenofontos, Senior Workplace Strategist at Axiom, states, “There’s no use putting Google-style beanbags in the office if your team wear pencil skirts.”
So, once again, ask yourself some further questions:
Do you have a workforce that is united in the way it works and the tasks that need to be fulfilled, or is everyone functioning in a unique fashion? You might have salespeople on phone calls and conducting meetings everyday while there are other members of your team trying to write legal briefs and tenders. This is a case where an open plan office layout could be detrimental to the productivity of your workspace, especially for those who need quiet zones.
Does your workforce move around the workplace across the course of the day? If not, could they benefit from such mobility? Could they – and do they want to – work from home? Maybe you’ve had team members complain about where they are expected to work or other elements of the office?
No business is a static entity, or one that should remain fossilised the same way forever. All companies are organic and can move in whatever direction they wish – with a little bit of careful planning, of course. Therefore, you need to think about your company’s aspirations before introducing a new office design:
What changes would you like to make to the way your business operates on a daily basis? What currently irks you and your team members about your workplace? And – it’s an oldie but a goodie – where would you like to see your organisation in five years’ time? What would your future and the future of your workplace culture look like?
These are just some points of view to get your head around for an evidence-based approach to office design. Once it’s put into action, rest assured, you’ll never rely on assumptions again.
Ask Axiom today about our latest advances in evidence-based workplace design.
The simple answer is ‘yes’.
As the war to attract, retain and develop top industry talent heats up, staying that extra step ahead of your competition has never been more important. And one powerful means of creating a compelling and highly attractive employee experience is in the workplace design itself. Namely, creating an inviting company culture to improve employee engagement and staff retention.
Susan Peters, Senior Vice President of Human Resources at General Electric, told Forbes she believes employee experience is taking the time to see the world through the eyes of the employees. She said, “In the last year, we have appointed a Head of Employee Experience and we are developing a strategy to create an employee experience which takes into account the physical environment our employees work in, the tools and the technologies that enable their productivity and learning to achieve their best at work.”
A 2016 study by Workplace Trends found, of the HR leaders who participated, 51 percent were dedicating more resources to improving their physical workspace. That percentage is sure to increase as workplaces engage more in employee engagement strategies like building loyalty through a prominent company culture.
A great example of how the physical environment helps drive employee satisfaction and engagement can be found at Medibank. Kylie Bishop, Executive General Manager, People and Culture at Medibank, told guests at the 2015 AHRI National Convention, 79 percent of staff at their state-of-the-art Medibank Place in Melbourne’s Docklands precinct reported working more collaboratively in just four months of moving into their new building. A staggering 70 percent of staff even purported to feel healthier.
Similarly at Qantas, Jon Scriven, Group Executive HR and Office of the CEO, said staff at the Flying Kangaroo’s new Mascot office stated 10 percent higher employee engagement levels compared to the Qantas average.
It’s important to adopt a philosophy that a workplace where people want to work is preferable to creating a space where people have to work. This philosophy also has a crucial role to play in how workspace design can help HR professionals in doing their job in sourcing and retaining talent. These objectives can be achieved by encouraging your organisation to develop a company culture for the benefit of its employees.
The modern workplace needs to enhance moods and make it easier for personnel to carry out the duties they are employed to perform. Consequently, effective workplace design helps improve productivity and reduce turnover by presenting design solutions that are exciting, enjoyable and practical. For example, incorporating spaces that facilitate group discussion and collaboration but, at the same time, provide options for staff who prefer ‘quiet time’ to concentrate help accommodate different personalities and the varying needs of a multigenerational workforce.
With employees working in more and more flexible ways, it’s increasingly important that the work environment helps to enforce brand and company values. The office is not just a place where work duties take place but one in which personnel should derive their identity and feel a sense of belonging. The physical landscape of the workplace is one factor that can contribute heavily to the identity of an employee and what it means to be part of a particular organisation.
As Jeanne Meister of Future Workplace noted when speaking to Forbes, “The workspace is not just a building but part of the HR agenda to extend the company’s culture and engage employees.” Creating a space that supports this will only have positive impacts on employee satisfaction, your organisation’s bottom-line and, ultimately, make everyone’s job a whole lot easier.
