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Communicating Change (Radical Changes to Workplace (Open office plan,…
Communicating Change
Radical Changes to Workplace
Open office plan
Lower workstation panels
Smaller workstations
No more private offices
Transition away from assigned seating
Diverse work spaces that accommodate differing activities
Increased collaborative spaces
Increased employee mobility
Increased opportunities to reflect company brand and culture
Additional amenities
Psychological Impact of Changes
Privacy Concerns
Psychological privacy is commonly connected with architectural privacy (Kopec, 242)
Spaces must be included to allow private conversation as employees may not want to distribute information in a group setting (Kopec, 242)
Open office spaces can be inadequate to meet privacy needs and provide visual and auditory distractions thereby limiting worker productivity and increasing employee error (Kopec, 242)
Personalization
Workplace personalization perpetuates identity, denotes spatial territories, promote positive workplace culture, increases employee morale, and decreases employee turnover (Kopec, 242)
Group Identity
Lack of walls can allow shared feelings to be perpetuated negatively or positively as employees feed off other’s emotions (Kopec, 242)
Security Concerns
Managers and Executives can frequently become targets of violence (Kopec, 244)
Perceived lack of territorial control for employees due to collaborative workspace which provides increased opportunities for intriguing on one's personal space (Kopec, 243)
Respite
Views to nature have been show to increase human satisfaction and well-being by providing opportunities to fight mental and physical fatigue commonly associated with office environments (Kopec, 251)
Possible Solutions to Addressing Changing Workplace Environment
Privacy
Include spaces that allow for private conversation such as conference rooms and break rooms (Kopec, 242)
Provides a personal space for an individual to store their belongings such as a locker (Kopec, 244)
Incorporate spaces of privacy that allow employees to temporarily get away from the more public work environment (Kopec, 243)
Personalization
If unassigned desk are used by a variety of people allow opportunities for individuals to make their spaces for the day known
A desk naming plate system which allows individuals to easily switch out name plates when they are using a desk for a day
Incorporate a variety of desk shapes and chair types in order to provide unique working opportunities for employees and designate the activity the desk affords given the diverse nature of activities employees could perform
Individual desk can utilize flexible furniture arrangements that allow an easy quick way of forming the workspace according to the individual needs of the employee using them
Within the larger work environment opportunities for group personalization are possible in regards to brand identity and culture
Include employees in the process of branding the space and promoting work culture through a series of charettes
Promote mobile working as opportunity to create one's own work environment
Security
Place those in a position of leadership towards the middle of the workspace to restrict access to and from their workspace and allow them to better oversee operations (Kopec, 244)
Group Identity
Perpetuate a positive work environment by promoting positive shared feelings amongst employees
Incorporate social events that provide opportunities for team building and promote a strong team spirit
Value employee's individual job satisfaction and well being
Respite
Design should take advantage of less urban environment which can provide opportunities for more window views to natural scenes
New Amenities can also provide non-work areas for employees to relax in-between task
Consider inclusion garden spaces or outdoor work areas
Possible Solutions to Communicating Changing Workplace Environment
Information Sessions in which employees learn and provide feedback on their new work environment
Tactile activity which allows employees to organize their ideal "work environment" (internal locus of control regarding new enviroment)
Virtual reality experience of proposed workspace (familiarity with the new environment)
Presentation highlighting the positive aspects of the move as it relates to the employees (associate positive feelings with the new environment)