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Offices that promote productivity
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Employers are spending more time and money developing attractive office fitouts, with new research showing the design of workplaces not only helps attract and maintain staff, but increases productivity.
The Workplaces of the Future report, compiled by property and constrution consultants Davis Langdon, found office space was progressively being developed to meet the changing expectations and work-life balance demanded by today's workforce.
The research found some corporations were spending up to $1600/sq m to develop a workplace that helped attract and keep top quality employees.
Davis Langdon national research manager Rachel Kelloway said employers were going above and beyond traditional workplace expectations and considering every detail, from lay-out and design to lighting, aromas and sound.
"This shift in thinking has come at a time when many companies are paying increased attention to the triple bottom line: the financial, social and environmental aspects of their business," she said.
"From this, a new generation of office designs are evolving that recognise the need for improved environmental performance and respond to emerging workplace and organisational behaviour."
Ms Kelloway said lighting was being recognised as an important issue.
"Light at the blue end of the spectrum increases activity and stimulation, while colours at the warmer end of the spectrum increase concentration, relaxation and help soothe workers." she said.
"Aroma and sound are also being used internationally to enliven, invigorate and reduce stress."
Ms Kelloway said smart employers were increasingly recognising the need to adapt and meet the needs of their employees.
"Providing workplace creches as a part of office fit-outs can set employers apart in attracting working mothers to remain in the workforce." she said.
"In workplaces where long hours are the norm, employers are recognising a rest space where employees can intermittently nap can make productivity sense.
Offices are being designed to limit the "sick-building syndrome" by, for example, including double-glazed skin facades to encourage natural ventilation and a cleaner flow of air.
Open-plan offices have also been found to encourage more collaborative environments.
Davis Langdon cost management associate Ben Wise said while the costs of developing such designs may seem exhaustive, employers were reaping the benefits from increased staff performance.
"Typically the cost of providing a workplace is the second-largest business cost after employees, so it makes commercial sense to link office design to an organisation's performance," he said.
"Improved working efficiencies are being costed to justify increases in fit-out budgets."
Technology has made employees less dependent on the office itself, allowing people to work in a less structured way become increasingly mobile.
Ms Kelloway said the role of the office space itself was undergoing its own evolution.
"Futurologists, looking into the nature of employment in 2018, are still predicting an exodus from the traditional workplace," she said.
"However, with offices in most cases being occupied more intensely for longer periods than ever before, it remains to be seen if this is a utopian dream or the future of our workspaces." |
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