Employees today are searching for more flexible and customized working experiences. To cultivate a more productive and positive work environment for employees, companies are implementing activity-based workplaces. This is a work style that allows employees to choose from various settings to work in according to the activity at hand. Combined with a workplace experience that encourages employees to use these spaces throughout the day, activity-based workplaces are meant to motivate productivity in a stress-free environment.
It's only logical that a team member's workspace affects their work ethic and mood. This phenomenon occurs in all of us. Consider for yourself, would you prefer to work in a dark, windowless room or an open area with windows and natural lighting? Whatever your preference, it’s safe to say that it will not be the same for everyone. It’s crucial to recognize that not everyone will have the same idea of what a productive workplace looks like. Cultivating your workspace to cater to various employees and their activities will result in higher productivity and morale, and we’ll tell you how to accomplish this.
Work Space
Designing your workspace into an activity-based environment is the first step. This involves more than adding a plant in the office. You should create several workspace areas with different activities in mind. The average team member loses an average of 86 minutes a day to distractions in a busy workplace. For team members that prefer complete silence when working, offer a quiet and secluded area that cultivates focus to avoid these distractions. Alternatively, some may select a collaborative environment, which may look like an open floor plan with desks facing one another so that team members can interact while working. It's also beneficial to consider your conference room workspaces. You may want a large meeting room with a table, while for others, you may want a small and informal room. Offering a variety of workspaces will allow your team members to work in an environment most beneficial to them and the activities they are performing. Providing them a workspace that they feel most productive in will be reflected in their work and attitudes, creating a fruitful and positive work experience.
You may also want to consider the details of your workspace beyond the layout of the room. Features such as windows offering natural lighting, plants, water fixtures, and calming color schemes can set a more productive and optimistic mood in the office. Some team members may enjoy a lively environment with soft music and social energy, while others may prefer a serene and peaceful ambiance. Designing rooms with different moods will cater to all team members, no matter their workspace preferences. Providing cues in these areas will serve as behavioral reinforcement and inherently demonstrate to personnel what the room is designated for, so they behave accordingly.
Hot Desking
To create the flexibility needed for an activity-based workspace, you will need a lot of seating accommodations. Buying a desk in every area for each team member is not a feasible solution - but what is possible is hot desking. Hot desking is an office organization system that involves multiple employees using a physical workstation or desk during different periods of time. This allows employees to move around the office, switching to various workspaces according to the activity at hand and the environment best suited for it. Hot desking is an excellent solution for offices attempting to achieve an activity-based workplace with mixed seating and room options. With hot desking, team members can book desks and rooms in advance, catering their work environment to the activities they need to accomplish on a given day. This is vital in a shared office space. Should someone have a high-focus project or an important client call, they will be able to book a quiet room or phone booth before coming into the office. This ensures that they will have the space they desire to perform work that day. Alternatively, suppose a team is working on a highly-collaborative project where they need to bounce ideas and discuss. In that case, they can book a large room with the necessary tools to be productive and collaborative.
Hot desking is managed through a desk booking solution software. This enables employees to book a seat from a shared pool of desks, in addition to booking entire rooms or even parking spaces. With an interactive floor plan of your workplace uploaded, you can easily navigate floors through space and time for an overview of instant availability. Even better, this software will reveal the specific features of each desk, such as dual monitors or window seats. This allows team members to book a desk with the exact tools and attributes required to be as productive as possible each day. Not only does this enable team members to cater their workplace to their activities, but it is also highly beneficial in managing shared desks between a large workforce. Especially today, where social distancing in the office is a must, you will have complete capacity control of your office to ensure safe business practices.
Technology
Once you design your office with various workspaces for team members of all preferences, it is time to optimize your technology. Today, most work is done online, whether through a remote server, use of the internet, or software. As a result, high-speed WIFI is a must. Ensuring that your team members can seamlessly move around the office and remain connected to the WIFI is a necessity to providing them with a flexible workplace. Furthermore, adding fixed-line broadband connections where greater bandwidth is needed is beneficial for team members working on complex software. Additionally, quality audio-visual technology is equally as important. With the rising popularity of hybrid offices, team members must be able to communicate with one another from any location. Enhancing your network connection and communication technology will allow for team members to work together with ease and avoid frustrating lags in connection.
Universal docking stations around the office will also aid team members in their work, ensuring that they have access to chargers at all times. Many organizations provide team members with company laptops, and these require a charge. To avoid team members aimlessly wandering around the office searching for an outlet, docking stations will save time and frustration. It is also important to consider technology such as printers, data hard-drives, and security systems to ensure a seamless workplace. Furthermore, reliable IT support will save your team members stress if a technical error or malfunction should occur so that they can retrieve lost data and avoid wasting time.
It is your responsibility to provide your organization with a positive and productive workplace. By cultivating a working environment with a variety of desks and rooms, carefully designed to inspire and encourage team members, you will see an increase in the productivity and attitudes of those in your office. Optimizing your office environment with positive design and capable technology will ensure that activities can be performed efficiently and with ease. Your company relies on your team members, so it is vital to treat them as such. Creating an activity-based workplace is an excellent strategy for cultivating productivity and delivering results. With this strategy, you will meet your team members' needs and boost your company's performance – it's a win-win.
