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Great Workplace?
Learning From The Best Place To Work Companies
White Paper
DEFININGAWELL-DESIGNEDWORKPLACE
A well-designed workplace means different things to different
organizations. The definition is dependent on the business, its
objectives and its culture. One company may have a clear need
for distraction free work 90% of each day, which may result in an
office comprised of almost entirely private offices. In contrast,
a company whose
chief business requires
teamwork and extensive
collaboration may desire
more open work areas.
The definition then, of a
well-designed, workplace
is subjective and relative.
For our purposes, we have defined a welldesigned workplace as one that supports a
companys strategic business initiatives, allows
employees to perform their work efficiently
and productively, reflects and embodies the
values and culture of the company, and is
environmentally healthy. This is the essence
of the physical attributes that our study
attemptes to measure.
THE PHYSICAL
ATTRIBUTES OF A WELLDESIGNED WORKPLACE
The work of today is drastically different than the
work processes supporting the industrial revolution. Todays products knowledge and
creativity, require a different environment in which they are to be
produced, nurtured and shared. Historically the white collar office reflected the mechanistic mind-set of the factory with work
designed as a linear series of individual tasks2. New work processes can be better described as a network, often collaborative
and non-linear, where fewer and fewer workers create physical
things. Knowledge is the product of the contemporary office and
information is the primary raw material. A knowledge worker is
a person whose primary function is analyzing, creating, deciding,
collaborating and acting on information3. How does a workplace
support this process of creating knowledge? Stan Kaczmarczk,
Director of the Innovative Workplace Division of the US General
Services Administration, contends that your workplace should
not be considered simply overhead, but an everyday tool to support work practices and organizations culture. The space should
be capable of adapting to fit the mission, rather than the mission
fitting the space4.
94%
seated privacy
partition panels
94%
ample number
conference rooms
68
standing privacy
partion panels
68%
non-assigned
private spaces
48%
white noise
37%
temporary
privacy devices
28%
other, unspecified
98
68%
63%
54%
easily moved,
mobile tables
44%
mobile worksurfaces
that accomodate a
small meeting
5%
other, unspecified
dedicated team
or project rooms
10 %
12%
Flexible
Loosely
enforced
22
56 %
Tightly
enforced
Task lighting
No policy
94%
anti-glare devices
for monitors
85%
ability to relocate
computer equipment
57
access to light
switches and window
shading - with group
consensus
45%
individual window
shading devices
61%
by hierarchy or title
54%
by function
15%
by availability
12%
Low partitions
63%
37%
Technology Accomodation
Options in the Workplace
100%
access to power
and data above
worksurfaces
88
59%
wireless technology
83%
provide ergronomics
solutions on request
66%
34
formal ergonomics
training for employees
17%
annual employee
ergonomics audit
eye
head/neck
monitor
back
mouse
keyboard
chair
SUMMARY
The physical workplace can be a critical factor in the success
of an organization. It is an important factor in supporting an
organizations business initiatives and it can be proven to be an
effective tool to improve performance, rather than being seen only
as a cost of doing business. The physical workplace is often the
second largest asset of an organization and this asset can be used
to effectively attract and retain talent, which is typically the largest
and most expensive asset
of any organization19. In todays world, the role of the workplace
is about:
REFERENCES
1
Robert Levering, Milton Moskowitz, How We Pick the Top 100 Best,
Fortune Magazine January 24, 2005: 97
Laura Morsch, Why Youre Always Cold (or Hot) at Work, CNN, May 20,
2005, http://www.CNN.com
10
11
Ibid
12
Judy Voss, The Recent History of the Open Office, Haworth, February
26, 1996, http://www.haworth-asia.com/resource/ad/openoff.htm
13
Ibid
14
15
16
17
18
19
What Makes a
Great Workplace?
Learning From The Best Place To Work Companies