Work is no longer somewhere people go; It has to be something they feel.

Work is no longer somewhere people go; It has to be something they feel.

While the work from home trend is catching up across most sectors, there seems to be a positive news for the office as well.

Across the world the real estate costs for residential communities have been steadily growing high and people are moving to the outskirts along with the increase of urbanization. Simultaneously, the need for office as a physical location for employees to gather is continuously being questioned. What was a ‘far-off’ location isn’t really that far, and companies are pressurized to extending their transport operations net to wider areas. In an interesting study¹ conducted on job satisfaction of employees in different commute times, “Twenty extra minutes each day has the equivalent impact on satisfaction as a 19 per cent reduction in income.” There is a consistent increase (by over 115%, YoY)² in the number of people adopting to work from home at least once or twice a week. Like the analogy of shrinking world, the workplaces are shrinking too, the change is happening in the physical workplaces as well as in the minds of employees about their perception of workplace.

However, one can’t undermine the importance of engagement, networking and insights that the quintessential watercoolers and cafeteria provide. Having an intrinsic need for social association people still drive to a place they would call as work at least occasionally for various engagements and the primary of them is validation. A workplace which can foster collaboration, bring together different sub-groups (communities of work / practices), will thrive as against a typical cubicle –cabin office space. Another important concept that is catching up is that of work places as social glue of the company culture.

Besides, the working-from-home trend might not be one-pill for all office space problems. Yahoo Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Marissa Mayer famously banned the practice, writing: “Some of the best decisions and insights come from hallway and cafeteria discussions and impromptu team meetings.”

IBM followed suit, a remarkable move in a company where 40 per cent of staff worked remotely. The information technology giant upgraded its offices accordingly, installing an ‘immersion room’ (complete with 360-degree screens), in its Manhattan building, while its Software Executive Briefing Center in Rome has been renovated to foster more collaboration amongst users.

Research suggests that organizations are turning to inspirational work environments as retention tools for their top talent. Nearly a quarter (23 per cent) of US employees say the way an office is designed affects their retention, according to a recent report from Continental Office, with 85 per cent wanting a more collaborative work environment.

Finally, as facilities managers we realize each day through our interactions that work is such a big proportion of people’s lives that the environment they do it in has to be enjoyable, work can no longer be somewhere people just ‘go’ to. It has to be something they feel.”

Citation

1.     Dr Kiron Chatterjee, associate professor in travel behavior in the University of West England.

2.     https://www.cnbc.com/2018/05/30/70-percent-of-people-globally-work-remotely-at-least-once-a-week-iwg-study.html