Activity-based working: Designing a flexible, functional office space
Activity-based working could be the change your office needs.
Office design is undergoing a radical transformation. Think about your current workspace. Is it a cubicle? Do you have an assigned desk in an open floorplan? Or do you have a door that closes?
Unless you work at one of the many co-working spaces that have popped up recently, your work situation is probably one of those three options. Office design has been pretty standard for decades, especially since the invention of the cubicle. Businesses have traditionally prioritized cost-savings over the potential negative health effects of the modern office.
But there has been a shift in recent years in thinking about how more of the places and objects we interact with every day can be more human-centric. Activity-based working is an office design structure based on these shifting attitudes.
Activity-based working allows employees to choose where and how to work depending on their mood, job needs and functions on any given day. Different areas of the office can be dedicated to collaboration, quiet spaces for focusing, break-out meeting rooms, social areas and more. Rather than having an assigned desk, employees can choose which working environment will be best for them throughout the workday and week.
Activity-based working is still being studied, but it could have potential benefits including improved employee health, better employee engagement and increase worker retention.
Health
One of the main reasons that modern workspaces are seen as unhealthy is the fact that workers spend so much time sitting. Sedentary behavior increases risks for heart disease, diabetes and other negative health outcomes.
Research has shown that the best way to mitigate these risks is to break up sedentary behavior as much as possible. Getting up and moving around every 30 minutes is said to be the most effective way to do so.
Activity-based working inherently involves more moving around than traditional offices. Employees will ideally be moving from one working environment to another based on what tasks they need to accomplish. This means more time up and moving and less time sitting in one place.
Engagement
Employees are engaged when they are truly immersed in work that they find meaningful. Engaging employees can be difficult but activity-based working may help. If employees work better in an environment other than the standard office or cubicle, you could be keeping them from maximum productivity.
However, one key component of engagement is the ability to focus deeply on a task. Make sure that your activity-based working spaces include a quiet area for deep concentration. While collaboration is great for some job functions, a quiet atmosphere that promotes focus is also necessary.
One way to do this is to turn existing offices with doors into quiet spaces. These spaces can still be shared by several employees but the noise, and distraction, levels will be much more manageable.
Retention
Millennials want flexibility in their jobs and they now make up the largest percentage of the U.S. workforce. Retaining employees means retaining millennials. One way you can up the flex factor in your office is to introduce activity-based working. This office structure aligns well with employees who want more say in how, when and where they work.
Beyond the impact of increased flexibility, having a well-designed, attractive and functional office space can make your business more attractive for current and prospective employees. Creating an office atmosphere that appeals to millennials’ desire for collaboration with open areas for socializing, collaborative meeting spaces and also providing quiet spaces for intense focus can help you attract and retain better talent.
Designing or redesigning your office takes a lot of careful thought and consideration. But taking a look at non-traditional techniques, like activity-based working, could have a huge impact on your business’s future.