Why Managers Are Encouraging Employees To Work Outside

Forbes December 18, 2018

College campuses, such as Harvard University's, have long been seen as encouraging outdoor study.... [+] (Photograph: Getty)

By Roger Trapp

There are still many managers lamenting the demise of the corner office and all the privileges and prestige associated with it. Such are the economics of commercial real estate, though, this style of office is unlikely to make a comeback soon. But, with research suggesting that open-plan offices are not as good at promoting collaboration and innovation as had been surmised, organizations are looking to introduce self-adjustable privacy screens, phone booths and the like in an effort to have the best of both worlds.

In a recent interview, Jonathan Webb, vice-president of workplace strategy at Green Bay, Wisconsin-based furniture maker KI, explained that, while cost concerns drove a lot of the decisions about packing as many people into as little space as possible, there were signs of a trend towards “hackable”, or “hybrid”, offices, with employees being encouraged to express themselves through the provision of casters on every piece of furniture. “Screens can be moved, panels can be moved. They can reconfigure their spaces,” he said.

This is just one of several aspects of the changing shape of office life Webb has identified through extensive research and interviews with leading architects and designers. Among the others are:

Outdoor workspaces. Universities, with their buildings typically dotted about attractive campuses, have long provided a model for how outside space can enhance and complement what goes on inside the buildings. In the warmer months it is not uncommon to see university classes taking place outdoors and increasingly companies are seeing the advantages in terms of reduced stress levels and improved mood of holding meetings outside. In convincing employees that it is acceptable to work outside, simply naming outside spaces as if they were conventional meeting rooms can be enough.

Health. In the battle to improve the health and well-being of employees, it is increasingly acknowledged that conventional programmes - such as the provision of gyms and standing desks - are not enough. Indeed, there is much evidence that workplace gyms tend to be used by people who would use them anyway and that they are offputting to people who do not already lead active lives. Webb advocates introducing programs that, for example, celebrate employees’ attempts to adopt better lifestyles - such as through losing weight. He also says that more can be done to make being active part of the work day. Using outdoor spaces for meetings is part of that because it requires people to move. Similarly, encouraging walking around by having collaborative work areas down the hall can help. In addition, research suggests that people are more likely to use the stairs than elevators if the staircase is visually striking and part of the design of the building, rather than hidden away, as is the case in many office buildings.

Face-to-face contact. One of the biggest challenges for organizations is prising employees away from their computer screens. Even the technology companies are putting huge efforts into encouraging human interaction over electronic communication. According to Webb’s research, 60% of technology companies’ office spaces are devoted to collaborative meeting spaces rather than individual work stations. Within this, Webb sees the development of booths as the number one trend for the coming months. This is because they allow employees to have one-to-one meetings or to make private phone calls without having to use a conference room, which is often the only option and is too big and can be hard to book.