NEWS & ANALYSIS FMJ.CO.UK
WORKPLACE TRENDS
PEOPLE’S CHOICE
People not place is the mantra
that gained credence as a result
of the pandemic, so as organisations
attempt to woo sta back into
the o ice, the Workplace Trends
spring event presented a range of
evidence-based research on how the
post-pandemic workplace should
look, feel and even smell.
The event, which was introduced
and co-curated by Nigel Oseland of
Workplace Unlimited began with a
session from HR guru Perry Timms
who argued that employers can create
better connections with their people
by taking more of a strategic workplace
planning approach. First define the
real value of a place, which he notes,
is not just about comfort. We need
to determine just why people value
coming into the workplace and what
can be done to enrich their experience.
It’s vital we “get HR and FM in the room
plotting this together,” he said.
As Ian Baker, Head of Workplace at
EMCOR remarked, there has been a lot
of speculation on the future of the oˆ ice
10 APRIL 2022
but little clarity. Together with Sian
Taylor, Head of Property from United
Utilities he related the results of a study
at their campus in Warrington where
an empty building was transformed
into a hybrid workplace. Taylor had
a limited budget, but by borrowing
furniture and massively reducing the
number of desks the new space delivers
three main modes of work: ‘heads up’
for conversational working, ‘heads
down’ for quiet space and finally ‘heads
together’ for team collaboration. The
results of the experiment, which began
in May 2021 has meant a reduction in
remote working and an increase in staˆ
mobility. As Taylor concluded, “we are
able to create great spaces without
huge costs.”
WORKPLACE EXPERIENCE
Taking a global perspective, Cara
Sugrue and Anisha Patel of Steelcase
presented a review of a series of
Steelcase studies conducted with
over 57,000 employees and business
leaders to understand the impact the
pandemic has had on how and where
people and organisations will work in
the future. Along with the revelation
that the UK and Canada are most in
favour of home working were reasons
why globally, home working remains so
popular; namely that it aˆ ords a greater
sense of control of your surroundings.
The conclusion is, there should be
a lot more thinking around creating
choice and control within the oˆ ice
environment.
In his presentation on a new
framework for assessing workplace
experience holistically, with respect
to people, spaces, technology and
business impacts, Ian Ellison of 3edges
Workplace made the important point
that data on workplace satisfaction can
be gathered in many ways, from QR
codes in a new building to a yammer
feed amongst staˆ . When you’re talking
a workplace experience you need to
hear from the users he urged.
PERSONALITY PROFILES
The most innovative research of the
day had to go to Rob Wright, Co-
Founder, Spaceology whose study into
conversational meetings yielded some
fascinating results. Utilising overhead
sensors to infer gaze direction and the
point of focus of participants involved
in a meeting, richly demonstrates how
personality traits eˆ ect communication.
Our diˆ erent personalities influence
our reaction to environments, even if
we’re neurotypical said Kay Sargent of
HOK and Leslie Thompson of Tarkett.
Given that one in seven people are
considered neurodiverse and fewer
than 50 per cent are aware of it, we
need to accommodate diversity and
behaviours in the workplace. Based
on their latest research on the specific
needs of this group of people - the key
takeaways for the built environment
was again, aˆ ording people an element
of control. We need to realise that
each individual has diˆ erent needs
and all areas of design, from layout to
noise levels and even the introduction
of smell sensory stimulation into the
workplace can enhance the workplace
experience.
In a real life before and aœ er
experiment, Anna Scally and Phil
Mobley, Directors at Avison Young
recounted the results of two pilot
spaces; one floor transformed into
a flexible space and another where
the layout remained as it was prepandemic.
Using a combination of
data sources, including a Leesman
survey carried out in November 2021
the results showed that the highest
eˆ ectiveness score rating came from
the users in the transformed space.
Again, the key message was that
employees prefer more variety and will
take advantage of choice. Agile working
was already increasing prior to 2020,
and its appeal has only grown, so the
results of an agile working pilot project
at Kingston University was a useful
reminder that flexibility and choice is
an essential element for knowledge
workers.
Neil Usher, one of a group of
workplace authors who took part in a
post-lunch discussion and Q&A session,
summed up the day. How can we
ensure our workplaces compete with
working from home? he asked. Giving
people choices, without necessarily
breaking the budget is a useful place
to begin.
https://workplacetrends.co
A key message from Workplace Trends’ March 31st conference on the latest
research into work and the workplace, is that people crave more choice and
control of their surroundings and it’s up to Workplace Managers to deliver
/workplacetrends.co
