The “Why Of The Workplace” – Important Office Design Features

Leesman, a data services and research insights company into the workplace and how to “give employees an outstanding experience, wherever they work” have published “The Workplace Reset” report which looks to establish the “Why of the Workplace” and provide answers as to what staff feel are the most important office design features of workplaces that “work” for employees. The report looked at employee workplace experience data collected from 1315 workplaces, 114 organisations, in 62 countries and gathered 157,880 responses. 

The research “establishes 23 physical and service features in 6 distinct groups (Furniture, Enclosed Spaces, Technology, Indoor Environmental Quality (IEQ), Facilities and Services and Food and Beverages) which are seen as mission critical in delivering a minimum viable office” and provides insights into those office design features that employees feel are “the non-negotiable elements needed to create an appealing, supportive and efficient corporate workplace”  and which Leesman term “ the new minimum viable office.” Below we outline Leesman’s key findings.

Furniture

Having a good quality office desk (84%) and chair (82%) is vital to staff.

The report’s key takeaway is “Investing in high-quality furniture throughout the workplace environment may bring some of the widest benefits. Statistically they map to key organisational purposes like Productivity, Pride & enjoyment, Community & culture, and Meeting & collaboration. Detailed consideration should be given to the size, materials, orientation, acoustic treatment, proximity to circulation areas, etc.”

When it comes to office furniture ergonomics and comfort is key. Poor workstation ergonomics can cause musculoskeletal disorders leading to lost working days. Being able to concentrate at work rather than being distracted by poor office furniture can have a major influence on staff health and wellbeing as well as work productivity.

Enclosed Spaces

Meeting rooms both small (72%) and large (58%), desk/room booking systems (53%) and quiet rooms (57%) for working alone or in pairs also score highly.

The report’s key takeaway is “Meeting rooms are a critical component in the new minimum viable office. Designing meeting rooms and quiet rooms in the hybrid workplace needs to start from what the space is being used for — not just meetings, and not just considering those in-person. Meeting rooms must provide good acoustic privacy and ergonomics as basic requirements. Both small and large meeting rooms are high-importance features and the top use for both is ‘Planned meetings’.”

“A ‘one size fits all’ approach to the design of meeting spaces would fail to address the new ways of working developed in recent years. In the hybrid workplace, meeting rooms of all sizes are routinely used to connect and collaborate with people who are not physically present: that’s why ‘Video conferences’ is one of the four activities that predict whether someone will use meeting rooms in their workplace… The inclusive design of meeting rooms is rightly becoming a non-negotiable demand.”

Finding the balance between collaboration and privacy is vital for all businesses. Numerous surveys have shown that having open office space needs to be balanced with individual spaces, meeting rooms and breakout areas to enable staff to be able to work together and apart.  

Technology

Office technology is also deemed to be crucial to staff within the office with remote access to work files or network (46%), Wi-Fi network connectivity in the office (65%), computing equipment and mobile (59%); printing/copying/scanning equipment (53%) and an IT Help desk (68%) being important features.

The report’s key takeaway is “Understanding the central role that technology is playing in most employees’ working life and designing the workplace around these needs will help support outcomes such as Productivity, Meeting & collaboration, Community & culture, and also Pride & enjoyment.”

Tech enabled office spaces are becoming a more valuable commodity. With increased hybrid working practices in many office environments enabling remote (and mobile) working both in and outside the office is becoming more and more essential.

Indoor Environmental Quality (IEQ)

Natural light (66%), office lighting (57%), air quality (62%), noise levels (68%) and temperature control (72%) are critical to staff comfort.

The report’s key takeaway is “Workplace IEQ parameters implications go far deeper into the work life of employees and social fabric of an organisation. Through their role in supporting six out of the eight high-importance activities examined in this study, they can impact all four purpose outcomes: Productivity, Meeting & collaboration, Community & culture, and Pride & enjoyment. But that’s not all. Employees can fully control the IEQ parameters of their home working environment, as opposed to the workplace where they are hard to adjust. As such, keeping IEQ to optimum levels throughout the entire workplace has now become truly non-negotiable.”

Workplace environmental factors such as natural light, air quality, temperature and noise levels have taken on new levels of importance over the last few years as it’s become clear that these factors are no longer something to be endured but to be controlled to provide a comfortable working environment. By increasing the natural light within an office space and regulating the temperature, air quality and noise, businesses can provide a healthier working environment which can make for a happier and healthier office.

Facilities and Services

Security (51%), general tidiness (65%), toilets/W.C. (70%), general cleanliness (73%) and parking (53%) all play a crucial role in the workplace and the study shows that there is a “statistical link to collaboration and connection, wellbeing and enjoyment, and furthering organisational and workplace culture.”

The report’s key takeaway is “Facilities and services are an understated component of the workplace infrastructure, but our analysis revealed they are in many ways the backbone of employee experience. Failing to provide high-quality facilities and services is likely to attract a great number of negative consequences, with sense of pride in the workplace likely to be affected the most.”

Businesses that invest in their office’s facilities and services and see it as the building blocks of their office fit out are more likely to find staff take pride in and are more invested in their workplace.

Food and Beverages

Staff say tea, coffee and other refreshment facilities (74%) and a restaurant/canteen (63%) are important to them.

The report’s key takeaway is “Food and beverage facilities help employees to maintain energy and productivity throughout the day, but their biggest impact may be on the social dimensions of work and workplace. Our study has revealed that ‘Restaurant/canteen’ settings and ‘Tea, coffee & other refreshment facilities’ are primarily associated with ‘Relaxing/taking a break’ and ‘Informal social interaction’ and more could be done to ensure that these activities are better supported. It is clear that currently, the central role of these functions is in maintaining the social fabric of the organisation, and a drop in the quality of food and beverage facilities could damage workplace Community & culture, but also Pride & enjoyment.”

Being able to take a break in a breakout space specially designed to allow staff to unwind or being able to have lunch “on site” rather than having to go elsewhere can prove to be a major perk for employees. It can also help in the retention of staff and in the recruitment of new staff.

JBH Refurbishments, Experts In Office Design, Fit Out and Refurbishment

JBH Refurbishments are a cat a and cat b fit out contractor and have over 30+ years experience in Kent and London office design, office refurbishments and fit outs. We understand what’s required to carry out an office refurbishment and can provide the right expertise for your Kent or London office refurbishment. From your brief, to putting together a project plan, to developing your office design and layout to delivering your office fit out JBH Refurbishments will provide the right expertise for your project and peace of mind. You can contact us on 0333 207 0339 or via our contact page or by calling us on 0333 207 0339 today for a free on-site consultation.


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The “Why Of The Workplace” – Important Office Design Features

A report by Leesman the “Why of the Workplace” provides insights into those office design features that employees feel are “non-negotiable".