FOCUS INTERVIEW
with areas for teamwork, collaboration and
focused workspaces.”
He doesn’t predict any kind of return
to the private oŽ ice but the adoption of
small pods and meeting booths which
don’t have to be fully enclosed – like the
carrels you see in libraries. It’s all a part
of an acknowledgment that people have
diŽ erent requirements not just between
individuals but even within a typical
knowledge workers day.
“We’ve got to oŽ er the choice and the
flexibility,” says Oseland. “The skill is in
working out the right balance, but we know
that high density desking doesn’t work
and nor does the private oŽ ice. We need
to provide a range of settings and let the
occupants choose.
“So as hybrid working takes oŽ it’s a
good time to reconfigure the workplace,
take out some of the desks, and introduce
more flexible working as people are not
so precious about individual set desks.
For every desk you take away, reduce the
30 DECEMBER/JANUARY 2022
density, don’t reduce the space but add in
areas people will need.”
HOME WORK
There is growing realisation among
workplace designers and managers that the
oŽ ice must now compete with the benefits
of working from home. Research published
by Leesman found that 82 per cent of
employees felt their home environment
enabled them to work productively; while
just 63 per cent of employees believed that
their workplace enabled them to do the
same. But are reports of the demise of the
oŽ ice being overplayed? Oseland certainly
thinks so.
“I think the oŽ ice gives you a centre of
gravity, where you can come together in
a place that reinforces the culture, the
branding, the vision, and the ethics of the
organisation,” he says. “You can’t physically
represent that at home or remotely. When
you look at many of the more recent
surveys, people are missing the social and
collaborative aspect of working together as
a team. That’s why you need a space where
you can go into the oŽ ice on certain days
- for that whole unplanned mingling and
serendipity aspect.”
He also argues that while people may say
they’re more productive at home, working
without distraction from colleagues, getting
focused work done etc., this takes a rather
short-sighted view. What could happen
in the long run, in terms of creativity and
innovation?
“Your long productivity and sustainability
as an organisation require people to
come together to generate ideas for new
products or services or whatever your
culture demands. That’s the bit we’re
missing out on, not being part of a body
and working in tandem on the objectives of
the organisation.”
However, an additional complication
is in working out which days people
come into the oŽ ice, as Oseland believes
implementing a rota grates against the
whole idea of the flexibility of agile
working. This is where good data comes
into play.
He explains: “If you collect the evidence
and get the data right you can prepare for
this and you don’t have to demand staŽ
come in every day. I always tell clients that
they should have one day a week when
all their team is in and arrange this for a
Monday or Friday, which helps balance the
use of the space out over the week.
“Part of the principles of agile working
means that people will start to work out
for themselves when they’ve got to come
into the oŽ ice, for instance if they’ve got to
finish a report and need to work without
the distractions of home, or if they just
want to be seen and want to connect.
Working from home too o— en is tiring as it’s
too full on, with no natural breaks built into
the day.”
ROLE OF FM
Now that the centre of gravity has moved
away from the oŽ ice, the FM sector has to
acknowledge that the scale of a workplace
should no longer be represented by a
number of desks it can contain.
“The desk is a small part of the workplace
now, it’s still essential for some roles but for
a lot of the high-end corporates the desk
is a small part of what makes the oŽ ice
attractive, which includes the services and
facilities. For FMs, it’s also about how they
can support people at home and on the
move, and their organisation’s hybrid work
pattern could be a mixture of a dedicated
oŽ ice and membership of a co-working
space.
“FMs also have to recognise that their
remit is now much broader than it ever was
and to accept that they can’t do it on their
own, they’ll need to work with HR and IT.
My advice would be not to be passive about
this, it’s not about FM responding to the
corporate need, it’s more about advising
and leading the way. Look at the research,
go to the conferences, find out what other
organisations are doing, and start to devise
a strategy. Too o— en FMs take a passive
responder’s mode not an active leader’s,
yet they’re in a unique position to lead.
“FMs also need to break free from an
obsession with cost and reducing space.
This is not the FM main remit – it shouldn’t
be about managing space in order to
reduce it but about managing space to
help improve the performance of the
organisation and its people. That’s how
you get on the top table, from moving from
being a supplier to being an adviser and a
leader.”
FURTHER INFORMATION
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https://bit.ly/3r5qCUp
https://workplaceunlimited.com
Part of the principles of agile working means that people will start to
work out for themselves when theyƉve got to come into the oƝ ce, for
instance if theyƉve got to ƛ nish a report and need to work without the distractions
of home, or if they just want to be seen and want to connect. Working from home
too often is tiring as it’s too full on, with no natural breaks built into the day.”
/3r5qCUp
/workplaceunlimited.com
