workplace design

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GUEST OBSERVER
While some recent office construction plans have focused entirely on open-plan layouts and stand-up desks, one particular feature of the modern workplace has shot up the priority list of many companies – interactive technology.
Ten years ago, technology costs represented about seven percent of a company’s interior construction budget. Now, they can consume 25 percent or more of a total build-out cost.
Companies are much more focused on digitization and connectivity, with common examples including more sophisticated conference rooms featuring interactive audio/visual technology and smart TVs, as well as cloud-based solutions for employee mobility.
The focus on technology has influenced workplace design as well. 
“Spaces are being designed to accommodate what the technology can offer now,” says David Roberts, international director at JLL.
“Pioneering workplaces consist of tech-enabled meeting and huddle areas, and employees can work seamlessly whether they’re in an office, cubical, meeting room – or even at home. The physical personal space matters less now while tech-focused spaces matter more.”
Of less importance to many of today’s offices are material finishes. 
“Materials, fixtures and finishes are getting less attention as the technological components of the workplace grow in prominence,” says Christian Beaudoin, national director, Research &amp; Strategy at JLL. “Offices are becoming more minimalist and decreasing expenses on millwork and granite, for example, so they can allocate more of the budget for technology.”
<h2>What a tech-enabled workplace looks like</h2>
One example of this is UI LABS, a first-of-its-kind research and development facility in Chicago dedicated to advancing high-tech commercial innovation. 
“It’s minimal in design but maximized in technology,” Roberts says.
Zurich Insurance‘s North American Headquarters in Schaumburg, Illinois, has also created a tech-enabled workspace. The simple task of setting up a video conference call used to require at least a week’s worth of notice and several steps. Now, employees simply agree to a meeting time, walk into the conference room and touch a screen to begin the meeting.
However, what works for one company may not necessarily be a good fit for another: Companies which are successful in using technology to maximize both a workspace and an employee base start by thoroughly researching how their own employees work.
This prevents the use of technology tools that don’t have the end user in mind. Companies embracing technology can use quantifiable data like seat sensors to show how much time people are at their desk or, for example, working in co-working spaces in an office. With that objective data, they then develop solutions built around the end users – a company’s employees.
A successful IT build-out also doesn’t put much stock in brands, manufacturers and providers until the planners have a clear understanding of the technology needs of each team. Once that is established, the appropriate components can be selected.
<h2>Change comes from within</h2>
Often IT teams work in a reactive capacity, but that should change in a tech-enabled workplace. A technology system should be intuitive and user-friendly so IT experts can dedicate time to solve actual problems rather than troubleshooting and re-booting computers. The design and support team should be an integral part of the IT build-out process from ideation to implementation, and they should continue to be involved even after.
“Companies may have to be prepared for more frequent updating of the systems in their space than people have been used to,” Beaudoin says. 
“During a 15-year lease, for example, they may need to upgrade technology as the business and the solutions evolve. It’s a much more continuous cycle of advancement.”
Finally, the budgets of companies that successfully embed technology in the workplace go beyond the rough cost-per-square-foot metric. They include cost allocations for pre-design research, envisioning sessions and data analysis, change management communications, adoption training and post-installation analysis and modification.
“With new technology frequently coming to market, the modern office is changing rapidly,” Roberts says. “Companies that take a holistic approach to IT can get the most out of their employees, their workspace and their technology.”
This article was by William Polk as featured in <a href="https://www.jllrealviews.com" target="_blank">JLL Real Views</a>
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Why the tech-enabled workplace tops the corporate wish list

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<img src="https://counter.theconversation.edu.au/content/77104/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-advanced" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1">
GUEST OBSERVER
The purpose of the “agile” working style is to help businesses adapt to turbulent markets by adopting a fast and flexible approach to work.
In one sense, it should come as no surprise that ANZ’s chief executive Shayne Elliot recently announced that ANZ will be shifting parts of its workforce to this style.
With the bank’s recent withdrawal from Asia and subsequent lower than expected revenues, this is part of ANZ refocus on its core business. In fact, each of Australia’s big four banks might be looking to become more efficient and responsive in the face of a tightly regulated market and slowly building retail banking competition from newer financial technology companies.
In another sense though, it’s surprising that one of Australia’s largest banks should signal such a profound change in work style. Finance is certainly not where agile got its start.
The origins of agile
The forerunners of agile stretch back as far as the Plan-Do-Study-Act method developed by Walter Shewart at Bell Labs in the 1930s and the Toyota Production System, based, in part, on the quality and systems thinking of Shewart’s student, William Edwards Deming.
However, agile as we understand it today is seen as emerging from software programming communities. It crystallised when 17 software developers gathered at the Snowbird ski resort in Utah in 2001 to share and refine their approaches to software development.
One of the participants had been reading a book on major companies coping with turbulent markets, called Agile Competitors and Virtual Organizations: Strategies for Enriching the Customer. Drawn to the agile’s connotations of speed and responsiveness, the group eventually adopted it as the moniker for their movement.
They published their views in The Manifesto for Agile Software Development, intending to help accelerate developers’ efforts to reliably produce software of the highest quality. Agile has since spread beyond the confines of IT to the other types of work and other organisations.
How to work in an agile style
As academics Rigby, Sutherland, and Takeuchi explain, agile now covers a broad range of methods, each varying according to their guiding principles and work rules. The three most well-known methods are scrum, lean, and kanban.
Scrum focuses on structuring teams to work across functions in a business, using creative and adaptive teamwork, daily stand-up meetings, and project reviews to quickly invent solutions and improve team performance.
Lean focuses on eliminating waste in systems and does not prescribe work rules to achieve this in the same way as scrum.
Kanban aims to shorten the time between the initiation and completion of work by visualising workflows, restricting the work being done at each stage in development, and measuring work cycle times to detect improvement.
ANZ seems to be most interested in the scrum method. ANZ’s Head of Product Katherine Bray stated:
There are vestiges of roles that we recognise, but with the underpinnings of hierarchy totally blown apart…[A scrum coach] is not your boss, that’s a coach, who is a peer. That product owner is not your boss, they’re a product owner who defines the how, and you galvanise around that.
Going back to the origins of agile and system thinking, it seems clear the agile approach is most likely to succeed where the organisation adopting it possesses structural modularity. Modularity proposes that organisations structure themselves in a way that allows teams to produce work that is layered, discrete, and testable.
This is what Bray is talking about - a radically new approach to roles and work styles at ANZ.
We might dismiss this whole reorganisation as marketing theatre, but intensifying competition and rapid change are all too real. This means many Australian businesses will have to come to terms with agile approaches if they are to remain responsive and competitive.
By taking up agile’s shift from top-down management to teams that organise themselves, and from a focus on compliance to a focus on innovation, ANZ is making its intent clear. It wants to achieve different results by doing things differently – surely a sane approach to change.
Yet this idea challenges the conventional structure and ethos of banks and similarly run businesses. These organisations are built to be secure and centralised in service of efficiency; modularity pushes them to be integrated and decentralised in service of innovation.
Modularity and agility are not easy to achieve. But they are fast becoming necessary if large companies, like ANZ, are to move with the times and adapt well to market turbulence.
<a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/massimo-garbuio-369039" target="_blank"></a>
<a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/massimo-garbuio-369039" target="_blank">Massimo Garbuio</a> is senior lecturer, University of Sydney.
<a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/massimo-garbuio-369039" target="_blank"></a>
<a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/dreu-harrison-369349" target="_blank">Dreu Harrison</a> is research assistant, University of Sydney.
<a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/massimo-garbuio-369039" target="_blank"></a>
Both are authors for The Conversation.
<a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/massimo-garbuio-369039" target="_blank"> </a>
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The agile working style started in tech but it could work for banks

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<img src="https://counter.theconversation.edu.au/content/75612/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-advanced" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1">
GUEST OBSERVER
A recent survey of 400 multinational corporations found that two-thirds plan to implement shared-desk workplaces by 2020. But research shows these arrangements have a range of outcomes, many of which are negative. 
A recently published study of 1,000 Australian employees found that shared-desk environments had a number of problems. These included increased distrust, distractions, uncooperative behaviour and negative relationships. On top of this, there was a decreased perception of support from supervisors. 
Another study showed that shared-desk environments can lead to employee marginalisation, indifference and inattention to co-workers, loss of identity and decreased organisational commitment.
These studies and more should sound a cautionary note against the uptake of shared-desk arrangements.
<h2>Changing workspaces</h2>
Office spaces are changing rapidly thanks to remote work, technology and the need to innovate. But cost is also a big factor. 
Office space is typically the second-biggest cost for organisations. And some research suggests that up to 40% of office space is vacant at any one time. 
The cost of offices is one of the drivers of shared-desk work arrangements, which fall into two categories: hot-desking and activity-based working. By using these arrangements, an employer can fit more workers into an existing space and more efficiently use the available space.
Hot-desking is where employees either share a desk with others or are not assigned a permanent desk and must find one when needed. Hot-desking arose as a strategy to save on space and to cater to the needs of employees who largely worked outside the office.
Activity-based work, by contrast, assumes all employees work flexibly and will seek out a range of different spaces to undertake different tasks. As such, these workspaces provide a range of work settings for different types of activities such as meetings, collaboration, private work, creativity and concentration. Employees are expected to switch between these settings as necessary.
Proponents of activity-based work claim that cost is not a major driver of its uptake. Rather, companies have implemented it to attract and retain talent, and increase collaboration and innovation, employee well-being and sustainability.
But plenty of research shows negative effects of shared-desk workplaces. These negatives potentially outweigh the benefits.
<h2>Diving into the research</h2>
Some studies have suggested that having a permanent desk may not be as important as the overall layout of the office, or the freedom to personalise that space. 
But employees without an assigned desk complain of desk shortages, difficulty finding colleagues, wasted time and limited ability to personalise their space. And, as I noted earlier, hot-desking has been found to result in higher levels of distrust, fewer co-worker friendships and decreased perceptions of supervisory support.
Meanwhile, research on activity-based work has shown that it is likely to work best for employees who see themselves as mobile and independent, and who have largely self-contained work processes. For those who work well in these environments, the ability to select a workstation or area based on individual needs and preferences is seen as a positive. Another positive is the ability to avoid unwanted social interaction when necessary, by working in a quiet space, for example.
However, the flipside of activity-based work is workers who have troublefinding privacy or concentrating. Further research shows that employees rarely, if ever, switch between different work settings. While those who did switch workstations were found to be more satisfied, there were strong objections among those who didn’t.
Activity-based work can also have an impact on the social dynamic in the workplace, creating tensions between those who come into the office and use certain spaces regularly, and those who don’t. Lastly, it can create additional work, as workers must find and set up a workspace, move between locations, and then remove everything at the end of the day. 
So while hot-desking and activity-based work are touted as increasing communication, collaboration and efficiency, research shows there are other outcomes as well. While these environments can work well for some employees – those who are highly mobile and autonomous, for instance – the research shows that many employees do not work well in these environments. 
A one-size-fits-all solution is unlikely to succeed. Implementing one may have negative impacts on the organisation as well as workers. Employers need to accommodate differences in individual employees and in the type of work they undertake. Additionally, research has shown that management style, as well as social and cultural factors will have a significant impact on whether activity-based work is successful. 
Workplaces should be designed to support both well-being and productivity. This requires a more nuanced approach.
Libby Sander is lecturer, Bond Business School, Bond University and author for The Conversation. She can be contacted <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/libby-sander-143232" target="_blank">here</a>.
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The research on hot-desking and activity-based work isn’t so positive

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Nearly all respondents to JLL’s Future of Work survey believe the ability to co-work with other businesses and entrepreneurs as the most important factor in the design of the future workplace.
According to the survey, creating a high-end ‘trophy’ workplace is the least important element of workplace design, with only 13 percent of participants interested in working in such an environment.
Some 81 percent of participants said in the future, people would work, live and play within ‘eco campuses’. 
Releasing the survey at yesterday’s TEDx Sydney event at the Opera House, JLL’s Australian head of property &amp; asset management, Richard Fennell, said the survey results show clearly that people want more from their cities, the built environment and their office interiors.
“We tend to think of cities as collections of buildings and roads, but they are, first and foremost, collections of people. Successful cities are cities that not only meet our material human needs, but promote the social connectedness and relationships that are critical to our well-being,” he said.
“From the city perspective, the desire is for more seating and shared spaces to connect people, more landscaping and greening of buildings and more ways to work and be open to the natural elements.  We see this translating to buildings having access to natural elements and fresh air.  And exploring ways to have more intermittent space halfway between inside and out.
“Other ways to achieve more of a work/life balance would be to incorporate ‘nature paths’ within built structures to relax and encourage interaction. 
"It could even include having ‘walking meetings’ and using walking tracks throughout buildings. 
“The importance of well-being and the role that active placemaking plays in fostering and realising its success is a phenomenon that has transitioned from fringe to mainstream in only a few short years.
“Placemaking is now actively embraced throughout the property industry. The role of tall buildings in creating and sustaining environments which foster community engagement, social interaction, personal and professional collaboration, and lifestyle choices, is the new standard expected by occupants, be they office workers, residents or the general public.
“The recognition that this is an imperative for tall buildings is becoming entrenched and mainstream.”
<div>In an industry first, JLL partnered with TEDxSydney to tap into the ideas, creativity and diversity of  what has become a highly enlightened, engaged community that attended the event at the Sydney Opera House this year.</div>
<div> </div>
<div>Participants also gave a view about the technology of the workplace of the future:</div>
<div>●     85% said 40% of the workforce in 2050 would be made up of robots;</div>
<div>●     83% said 4D/5D printing would have replaced all manufacturing needs by 2050;</div>
<div>●     66% said Boards of Directors and Governments would be made up of both humans and Artificial Intelligence.</div>
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Future staff to disregard high-end ‘trophy’ workplaces: JLL

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The BVN designed Minter Ellison workplace is the winner of the 2016 John Verge Award for Interior Architecture in the NSW Architecture Awards conducted by the Australian Institute of Architects.
According to the jury the project “provided a new benchmark for the design of legal workplaces”.
They found that “through a rigorous challenging of the traditional hierarchical legal office structure, the architects have developed a new model blending office based work with the principles of Activity Based Workplace (ABW)."
The outcome was a "collaborative and connected working environment.”
The jury also noted that choosing to minimise material use by exposing concrete floors and ceilings was bold for a legal workspace and reflects the progressive nature of the project and the client.
<img src="/images/2016/07/04/minister.jpg" alt="">
Ms Domino Risch, Workplace Director, BVN, noted that “a desire for visual connectivity has created a series of overlapping and cascading voids with a ribbon-like winding oak stair connecting the floors, minimising lift use and encouraging less sedentary behaviour.”
She also pointed out that there are a range of work settings, “with minimally sized multi-functional offices for partners and sit-to-stand benches, with the number of partners choosing to sit with their teams steadily increasing.”
The Minter Ellison workplace is eligible to receive a national architecture award that will be announced in November. 
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Interiors award for Minter Ellison Sydney office

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SPONSORED POST
It’s one of the first questions you will ask when setting up a new business or moving into a new building: how much office space do I need?
When it comes to office workers, the Building Code of Australia requires a minimum of 10 sqm per person.
But this is simply based on the total floor area – and this might include corridors, furniture etc – divided by the number of employees.
For office workers, the Building Code of Australia requires a minimum of 10 sqm per person.
It is vital that when planning your own office space, you take into account other key issues as well.
Colliers International Manager of Office Leasing Adam Davy says that while the needs of every business are different, there are some common factors when working out how much floor space you need.
“Before you get caught up with the search for a new office – or perhaps before you get too far down the line with those refurbishment plans – it is important to assess the future of your business,” Davy says.
“Commercial leasing decisions should be considered with a medium to long-term mindset, with most leases running for three years or more. Property decisions should take into account your company’s future requirements as well as today’s needs.”
Davy says there are some key factors to consider.
How much space do you need?
<ul>
<li>Is your business growing or shrinking?</li>
<li>How many, and what type of, employees will you have in the future?</li>
<li>What will your technology requirements be in three, five, 10 years’ time?</li>
<li>Should your data centre be located off site or in a co-location facility?</li>
<li>Are you considering acquiring, or merging with, other firms?</li>
<li>What are your brand values?</li>
<li>What are your preferred work settings?</li>
<li>Should alternative work settings, such as non-assigned seating and activity based working, be considered?</li>
<li>What effect will moving have on your customers and staff?</li>
</ul>
Davy says the type of business will help dictate the amount of floor space needed.
 “For example, for a call centre, as a general rule of thumb you can tentatively work from a floor space ratio of 1 person per 10 sqm or less, whereas in a general office set-up, this ratio is generally estimated at around 1 person per 12-14 sqm.” 
Colliers International National Director of Tenant Representation Simon Crouch says law firms usually estimate 14-20 sqm per person.
“However, this trend is gradually reducing and becoming more efficient as law firms move to a regular office size or do away with offices all together,” Crouch says. 
Law firms usually estimate 14-20 sqm per person but this is reducing as law firms do away with individual offices.
He also points out that all buildings differ when it comes to floor plates and efficiencies, and one size does not always fit all.
“For example, you may require 500 sqm to accommodate your staff in one building whilst another may be able to house them comfortably in only 400 sqm,” Davy says. 
Charter Build design director Jane Bright says there is not a per-square-metre-fits-all solution when it comes to office space.
She says while it’s possible to work out a “guesstimate”, there are many variables at play.
“A good designer should be asking ‘what type of work is performed at their desks’, ‘what materials will they use at their desks’, ‘how often will they be at their desks’, ‘how much storage will they need at their desks’ before determining how much space you actually need,” Bright says. 
For more information, <a href="https://bs.serving-sys.com/BurstingPipe/adServer.bs?cn=tf&amp;c=20&amp;mc=click&amp;pli=18755997&amp;PluID=0&amp;ord=%5Btimestamp%5D" target="_blank">click here</a>.
ABOUT REALCOMMERCIAL.COM.AU: realcommercial.com.au is the leading website in Australia for commercial property, attracting an average of 1.7 million visitors a month (Source: Nielsen Online Market Intelligence, Total Traffic, average calculation May-July 2015, includes app traffic from Omniture Site Catalyst as Nielsen doesn’t report on app). It is owned and operated by realestate.com.au Pty Ltd, a subsidiary of ASX-listed REA Group Limited ACN 068 349 066 (ASX:REA).
 
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How much office space does your business need? realcommercial.com.au

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Informal, family-like and professional are words that would describe the new offices of Richard Crookes Constructions in Sydney’s Gore Hill, which has been designed by architectural design firm, Futurespace.
The new workplace spans 2,300 sqm over one floor and caters for more than 140 staff.
Design director of Futurespace, Gavin Harris, said that Richard Crookes’ family-based culture is able to thrive in the new space that has an informal vibe to it where employees can socialise, eat together and collaborate.
“So often our work colleagues become close friends who feel like family and it’s no wonder when you’re spending more than 40 hours a week with the same people. It makes sense to create a more comfortable workplace that feels like home,” said Harris.
“Before we started designing the office, we asked the employees to choose words that would best describe what they wanted in a new workplace. They came back with ‘home’, ‘high tech’ and ‘flexible’, so this has been the focus and outcome of the new office.”
<img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dz9xllyip/image/fetch/c_scale,w_580,q_auto:good/https://s3-ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/po.images/2017/10/27/Future3.jpg" alt="">
The choice of materials was less about “aesthetic and more about creating an experience” aligned with the objectives of the project, he added.
“We used textured weaves, raw timber, patina metals and naturally aged materials to reflect the core of the company’s operation in construction. The colours we used further reveal the truth of the company with references to cement, terracotta, steel and timber.”
<img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dz9xllyip/image/fetch/c_scale,w_580,q_auto:good/https://s3-ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/po.images/2017/10/27/Future2.jpg" alt="">
Managing director of Richard Crookes Constructions, Jamie Crookes, said the new office space was a total overhaul from its previous, ad-hoc space. 
The office has been designed to “create a home for our employees, creating a domestic feel that promotes collaboration and productivity for our growing team,” he said.
“There has been noticeable shift in the way our teams having been working together since the move.  The high-tech element and collaborative nature of the workplace also fosters innovation, producing better outcomes for projects and clients.”
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Family-owned Richard Crookes Constructions gets a homely workspace

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GUEST OBSERVER
Companies spend tens of billions of dollars each year on wellness programs - on gyms, health funds, yoga classes, and the like. But research shows only mixed success, with low take-up rates among employees and a poor return on investment for companies.
People attending work while sick costs the Australian economy about A$34.1 billion each year through lost productivity.
Rather than promoting these wellness programs, companies should instead design the workplace itself to support wellness. Sleep pods, air filtered by green walls, and selectively placed healthy food are already realities in some workplaces.
Through this kind of design, employees are “opted-in” to an environment that supports their health and well-being during the day. They don’t have to choose to take a walk at lunchtime or think about taking the stairs. The design of the workplace is engineered around creating these positive choices.
It isn’t just “presenteeism” (showing up to work in spite of medical problems such as back pain, headaches, or mental health issues) that is a problem. The cost of absenteeism in Australia is estimated at A$7 billion a year.
Meanwhile, the prevalence of chronic disease including obesity, diabetes and heart disease continues to rise among the workforce.
Modern work practices contribute to these diseases through the largely sedentary nature of modern office work. Increased sitting, for example, has been associated with higher risk of chronic disease.
 
Wellness programs that work
Wellness programs have become increasingly popular as companies and researchers have realised that productivity lies in the health of individual workers. The focus has also shifted to prevention of health problems rather than treating them after the fact.
Traditionally, this was accomplished by offering a range of services, from discounted health fund and gym memberships, and medical screening services, to activity-based programs such as in-house massages and yoga classes.
But simply giving employees lots of information about their health and telling them what to do doesn’t work. Research has shown that these programs don’t often change behaviour or help us to build new habits. If we are faced with too many choices, for example, our self control is quickly depleted.
So instead of simply presenting employees with options that are good for us, companies can borrow from behavioural economics and “nudge” us to change our behaviour.
Many workplaces are already using this design, covering a range of factors including lighting, air quality, materials, furniture, physical activity, and food.
Take the stairs, for example. In traditional offices lifts are generally positioned centrally, making them the easiest option. If you wanted to take the stairs that often means using the fire stairs, with the added risk that you might be locked out when you try to re-enter on another floor.
By simply moving the staircase into a central position you can make them the most convenient option for quickly moving between floors. This is common practice now at a wide variety of companies such as the Boston Consulting Group’s New York offices.
But let’s not stop there. By using experience design, employees can be incentivised in other ways to take the stairs.
Timber walls, natural lighting, art and music can be used to align with our natural preferences for attractive and calming environments, and nudge employees to take the stairs. At the offices of Delos in New York, sensors in the stairs record the number of trips employees take during the day.
Every time an employee uses the stairs, a drop of water is added to an electronic “waterfall” display. The more times you take the stairs, the bigger the waterfall gets.
This use of technology represents a bit of gamification within the workplace. It’s like a scorecard for stair use, and every trip comes with a visual reward that gradually adds up.
 
<img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/207226/original/file-20180221-132670-yg9rzj.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;fit=clip" alt="">
Communal areas and greenery in the Delos New York HQ. Author provided
By creating well-designed, centrally located eating areas and providing healthy food choices, organisations can also encourage employees to make better food choices.
In one study researchers from Yale teamed up with Google to try and nudge employees towards healthy choices. Simple changes in the office cafe had huge results. Replacing loose M&amp;Ms with small packages reduced serving sizes by 58%, and putting up prominent signs increased the number of employees eating certain vegetable dishes by 74%.
Research also shows that air quality and lighting at work can have significant effects on brain function and productivity. Poor oxygen levels, toxic gases from furniture, and toxic chemicals are commonplace in modern workplaces, while poor lighting can cause headaches, eye strain, and tiredness.
Workplaces can be designed to counter some of these problems, by using circadian lighting systems for instance. Circadian lighting follows the patterns of natural light over the course of a day. Sleepy in the morning? The system will provide the right amount of light to wake you up. Circadian lighting results in your body releasing melatonin at the right times, helping employees unwind after work and improving sleep quality.
Using air filtration systems, as well as materials and furniture that don’t contain chemicals like formaldehyde, can significantly contribute to employees’ well-being and productivity. Providing natural ventilation, views of nature, and greenery in the workplace have also been shown to improve employee’s wellbeing and productivity.
Investing in office design has been seen as a “nice to have”, but the research shows it can also be seen as an investment. The costs of employee illness and lost productivity are high and even simple changes can have huge impact.
And while employees may be concerned about companies designing environments to engineer behavioural choices, this inclusion of behavioural insights is widespread, and can be seen in areas as diverse as city planning and retail.
<img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/91983/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1">By providing environments that support and encourage employee well-being organisations can ensure that well-being is not something that people have to make a choice to opt-in on.
Libby Sander, Assistant Professor of Organisational Behaviour, Bond Business School
This article was originally published on <a href="http://theconversation.com" target="_blank">The Conversation</a>. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/how-employers-can-design-workplaces-to-promote-wellness-91983" target="_blank">original article</a>.
Main photo: Putting staircases in the middle of offices can encourage more use. Author provided
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How employers can design workplaces to promote wellness: Libby Sander 

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EXPERT OBSERVER
Who can concentrate under these conditions?
<img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/228128/original/file-20180717-44103-1ms7ein.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;fit=clip" alt="File 20180717 44103 1ms7ein.jpg?ixlib=rb 1.1"> 
Open-plan offices have taken off because of a <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0272494413000340">desire</a> to increase interaction and collaboration among workers. But an innovative <a href="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/http://rstb.royalsocietypublishing.org/content/373/1753/20170239" target="_blank">new study</a> has found that employees in open-plan offices spend 73% less time in face-to-face interactions. Email and messaging use shot up by over 67%.
The study is the first to track the impacts of open-plan offices using objective measures of communication. It used electronic badges and microphones to monitor interactions among employees and tracked changes in email use.
The findings build on previous research, which has found, for instance, open-plan work environments <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0272494413000340" target="_blank">compromise employees’ ability</a> to focus and concentrate on their work.
Why go open plan?
Theoretically there are good reasons to move to an open-plan office. Our social environment <a href="http://psycnet.apa.org/record/2000-13324-007" target="_blank">plays a big role</a> in our ability to be proactive and motivated.
And success in modern workplaces is often driven by how well individuals <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/joms.12024" target="_blank">interact</a> with each other and with the organisation.
Research has shown that the time employees spend on “collaborative activities” has “<a href="https://dialnet.unirioja.es/servlet/articulo?codigo=5543898" target="_blank">ballooned by 50% or more</a>” in the past two decades.
Workplaces that facilitate more frequent and higher-quality contact with others have been shown to have improved <a href="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/https://www.jstor.org/stable/2392545?casa_token=TA0oRq0WNiEAAAAA:hXZ9j6DPo2nz3vJb1aS5W2SQR39YdMnMdtuFAm9INVhZ01etTstg6PcwFOX9MZUh0ieX8ZUwtK0Uhw_LM6jwN-CLP_MEB8jI_JBzUWSl5p6hnNOW4VA&amp;seq=1#page_scan_tab_contents" target="_blank">communication and collaboration on tasks</a>, <a href="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/0146167201278002" target="_blank">job satisfaction</a> and <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0272494414001182" target="_blank">social support</a>.
The design of the workplace significantly influences this, by supporting or detracting from interdependent work.
Building a strong sense of community <a href="http://www.wired.co.uk/article/we-work-startup-valuation-adam-neumann-interview" target="_blank">has been</a> a key factor in the success of the coworking space provider WeWork. This has been largely achieved through the physical work environment – clean spaces, narrow hallways, communal kitchens and the like.
Privacy and concentration are critical
But despite the pursuit of collaboration in workplaces, the need for concentration and focused individual work is also increasing.
And <a href="https://www.emeraldinsight.com/doi/abs/10.1108/978-1-78714-577-120171011" target="_blank">research</a> shows that when employees can’t concentrate, they tend to communicate less. They may even become indifferent to their coworkers.
Knowledge work <a href="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/0018726701547004" target="_blank">requires</a> employees to attend to specific tasks by gathering, analysing and making decisions using multiple sources of information. When any of these cognitive processes are interrupted, inefficiency and mistakes <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0003687011000986" target="_blank">increase</a>.
Being able to focus on a task without interruption or distraction is an essential <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0003687011000986" target="_blank">foundation</a> for effective work.
But <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0090261617302000" target="_blank">research</a> suggests that poor design can have unintended consequences – increasing the cognitive load on workers through high density or low privacy, both of which increase distraction.
Why open plan doesn’t necessarily lead to collaboration
In many open-plan offices, the drive for increased interaction and collaboration comes at the expense of the ability to focus and concentrate.
When distraction makes it hard for employees to focus, cognitive and emotional resources are <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0090261617302000" target="_blank">depleted</a>. The result is <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/hrm.20004" target="_blank">increasing</a> stress and errors, undermining performance.
When employees can’t concentrate on their work, their <a href="https://www.anzam.org/wp-content/uploads/pdf-manager/1687_ANZAM-2014-293.PDF" target="_blank">desire</a> to interact and collaborate with others is reduced.
In addition, <a href="https://journals.aom.org/doi/abs/10.5465/amr.2016.0240" target="_blank">new research</a> suggests that increased crowding in the workplace and low levels of privacy lead to defensive behaviours and strain workplace relationships.
Other aspects of workplace design, such as views of nature or access to daylight, can replenish <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0090261617302000" target="_blank">cognitive resources</a> even in the presence of distractions.
An aesthetically pleasing environment may provide an experience that is <a href="https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-1-4757-4425-5_5" target="_blank">restorative</a>.
Additionally, <a href="https://journals.aom.org/doi/abs/10.5465/amj.2016.0248?casa_token=1B194dHoBzEAAAAA:Z32URe5SJO3Q_t34iM77xEhxgj7i9Mrs8X60fdnzQAiJc96YN70bKxH1uY9aCOL5LC_HfHEbT3Dh" target="_blank">research</a> has shown that aesthetically pleasing workplaces can help create trust within organisations.
Getting the balance right
Emerging <a href="https://www.anzam.org/wp-content/uploads/pdf-manager/1687_ANZAM-2014-293.PDF" target="_blank">research</a> has shown that individuals view similar work environments differently. Rather than a one-size-fits-all approach, as is traditional in open-plan design, work environments should provide various options that support employees working effectively.
Evolving <a href="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/https://www.emeraldinsight.com/doi/abs/10.1108/14630011111136830" target="_blank">models</a> of workplace design are seeking to achieve this, by providing different zones for different types of work and different needs.
However, the effect of shared desk arrangements in these types of environments requires further <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0003687016302514" target="_blank">investigation</a>.
Many employers are heavily <a href="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/09613210412331313025" target="_blank">focused</a> on driving collaboration and interaction at the expense of privacy and concentration. This has negative outcomes for both productivity and work relationships.
Organisations should focus on providing workplaces that support the requirements for privacy and focus, as well as interaction and collaboration.
<img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/99756/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1">To achieve this, greater emphasis needs to be placed on both visual and auditory privacy, particularly the use of acoustic treatments, as well as the layout and appearance of the workplace as a whole.
Libby Sander is the Assistant Professor of Organisational Behaviour at the Bond Business School
This article was originally published on The Conversation.
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A new study should be the final nail for open plan offices

<html><body>
The future of office workspaces is evolving as more businesses move from generic offices to more customised, worker-focused spaces.

This morning Woods Bagot Principal Bronwyn McColl gave a talk about what she believes the future holds for workplace design.

<blockquote>
“Never before have we seen so many generations sharing a workplace. Nor have we previously had the ability to collect and understand the data available in such detail. These factors contribute to making today an exciting point in time, where workplaces are developing into transformational spaces driven by user experience and workplace culture.”

- Bronwyn McColl, Woods Bagot Principal
</blockquote>

In 2016, Woods Bagot completed the largest government integration project at 1 William Street in Brisbane. The project involved co-locating nearly 5000 government employees from 16 sites. Following the transition, over 80% of employees shared that they were satisfied with their workplace. The design focused on maximising light flow into the office space, capitalising on the stunning 360° views, and creating open-plan social and collaborative spaces for workers. The office also has a 6 Star Green Star rating and 5.5 Star NABERS energy rating. 

<figure><a class="colorbox colorbox-insert-image" href="https://res.cloudinary.com/dz9xllyip/image/fetch/q_auto:good/https://s3-ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/pictures/article-images/mini_magick20190130-24890-6vd0m620190130-24890-elw8ud.png" rel="gallery-all" title="1 William Street, Brisbane. Image: Woods Bagot"><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-580px" height="387" src="/sites/urban.melbourne/files/styles/article_full_width_580px/public/pictures/article-images/mini_magick20190130-24890-6vd0m620190130-24890-elw8ud.png?itok=jJJRDrC4" title="1 William Street, Brisbane. Image: Woods Bagot" width="580"></a>

<figcaption>1 William Street, Brisbane. Image: Woods Bagot</figcaption></figure><blockquote>
“Workplaces of the future are heading towards a transformative collision point between the best part of all sectors,” said McColl. “Sectors are blurring and inspiring one another, and user experience and expectation are increasingly influential to design outcomes.”
</blockquote>

The Woods Bagot technique of approaching workplace design is to focus on the holistic business strategy rather than a simplistic accomodation brief. This can include collecting available data to inform designs for productivity, comfort and versatility. 

<blockquote>
“Businesses are far more innovative with the way they engage with their employees and deliver their services. In response, designers have become more knowledgeable about the psychology of space and how to use data collection to meaningfully inform our designs.” 
</blockquote>

After almost a decade with Woods Bagot in Brisbane, McColl has relocated to Melbourne to head up the studio’s workplace design team. McColl’s design experience spans across any sector where user experience is the focus.

<blockquote>
“Bronwyn’s experience is a tremendous asset and we will see that infuse through the Melbourne studio.”

- Rosina di Maria, Woods Bagot’s workplace design leader (Australia region)
</blockquote>

McColl has already begun work with the Melbourne team to deliver new accommodation for retail, property, government and legal clients.

Lead image: Bronwyn McColl, courtesy of Woods Bagot
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