The most successful workplace solutions are bespoke ones where the engagement process has allowed the exploration and development of an appropriate workplace model for an organisation, said Stephen Minnett, founder and director of Futurespace.

“The process takes time and commitment and we see companies trying to ‘shortcut’ the process and apply a solution they have seen elsewhere,” he said.

“This can result in a workplace that doesn’t fully address people’s needs and realise the potential of a properly developed agile environment.”

Shifting to ABW and a more productive workplace depends on the alignment of people’s behaviours, the physical space and their technology, Minnett added.

“We use the analogy of a ‘tripod’ for an effective agile workplace solution – if one of the 3 legs is much shorter than the other 2 it falls over and doesn’t work,” he said.

Another failing of the implementation of ABW in some workplaces is that the space is overloaded to the point where one of the fundamental promises made to people moving to ABW is broken.

“That is the promise that if they forsake their ‘ownership’ of a desk they will be given greater choice,” said Minnett.

“But if the business pushes too many people into the space that promised choice isn’t available.

“Instead people make do with their second or third choice of space or in some extreme cases can’t even be accommodated at all at peak periods.”

“HR has a critical role in helping people transition to new ways of working – and the starting point for this is education”

To properly implement an ABW, Minnett said the conversation has to start with a good understanding of how people work now, what their patterns of behaviour are and the role of technology in their work.

People need to be then taken through an education process as to the opportunities that new ways of working can open up to make work more enjoyable and productive.

“HR has a critical role in helping people transition to new ways of working – and the starting point for this is education,” he said.

“As companies increasingly focus on the attraction and retention of talent HR can have a key role in helping define what the workplace experience should be for people and what types of new team structures may best support teams in the future.”

Minnett also said there are many trends impacting on the workplace and the rate of change is increasing.

“Organisations find it very difficult to predict their future space requirements and we will see the increasing ‘uberisation’ of space so that you only occupy and pay for what you need,” he said.

“In the past organisations were able to predict with confidence their future staffing numbers and what their workplace needs would be, often up to five to 10 years ahead.

“However, this is no longer the case.

“With lease agreements of 10, 15, 20 years or more and the rate of change we’re experiencing, making decisions around how your organisation will work and your employees’ needs is becoming more challenging.”

“Organisations find it very difficult to predict their future space requirements and we will see the increasing ‘uberisation’ of space so that you only occupy and pay for what you need”

Big data will also make fundamental changes in how information is used and people interact with their physical environment.

“The downside of this is the end of what we currently think of as privacy and that will be a hotly debated aspect of the future world of work,” he said.

Similarly, technology will play an important role in closing gaps between connections physically and connecting disparate teams.

Research by companies including Cisco and Steelcase has shown that many workers regularly collaborate across time zones and geographies.

“Rather than just infrequent use of telepresence or videoconferencing rooms we are seeing more desktop videoconferencing as an integral part of daily work,” said Minnett, who added that “the way we visualise and connect in the workplace will be impacted by technology like VR (virtual reality) and AR (augmented reality).”

Minnett also pointed to research which links lifestyle choices with health and an increased focus on how the workplace impacts the health of employees.

“The realisation that extended sedentary office work is detrimental to our health is leading to much greater focus on health and wellbeing in the workplace with the provision of desks that allow standing work, encouraging people to use stairs between floors, providing healthier food choices and improving the overall environment,” he said.

“We also could see the focus on health and wellbeing transforming into an entitlement focus – once we know through evidence what makes a workplace healthy we can see scenarios where employers are increasingly legal responsible for their employees health.”

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Lifestyle perks and wellbeing are taken seriously in technology companies, and everything from in-house chefs, diving trips in Bermuda and poker tournaments are considered a baseline offer by most staff – not a differentiator.

A second key driver is innovation and engagement, and the report found that individuals and teams of technology talent are competitive and driven to create the “brand new world”.

“They want to work in teams on ground breaking technology, alongside inspiring founders,” said the report, which was conducted by leading architectural practice Bates Smart.

A third driver is team culture, otherwise known as a “TKG” or tight knit group.

“People who have a best friend at work are twice as likely to be highly engaged and more likely to stay with a company,” the report said.

“Tech staff prioritise working with talented and passionate people, whose company they enjoy.”

The ability to make an impact was the fourth most important factor for technology talent, who are looking for meaningful work and opportunities to develop their knowledge.

“TED talk arenas for presenting back to the team, broadcast walls and whiteboards all assist in developing a culture of sharing and appreciating knowledge,” said the report, The Technology Workplace.

Technology and the “hackable” work environment was the fifth most important non-financial factor.

In this, staff are looking for a dream hardware setup and the ability to reconfigure furniture and write on the walls.

“Surprisingly often tech businesses find this a challenge. In these cases, technology becomes a number one priority,” said the report, which is based on a seven-year study into the tech industry and what makes it different to other industries in terms of performance in the workplace.

Access to leadership was the final factor, and the firms with the most highly engaged employees also have the most inspirational leaders.

“Staff love that they are accessible and share their ideas – what they are doing and why they are doing it,” said the report.

“People who have a best friend at work are twice as likely to be highly engaged and more likely to stay with a company”

Tech companies also have a very different approach to workforce management and the working environment for talented employees, according to the report.

It found that tech teams are in the workplace 12 per cent more often than teams in other industries and also at their desks 14 per cent more often.

Tech companies are also flipping the traditional office model due to their unique way of working, according to the report, which found there are a number of ways in which technology firms allocate space differently.

For one, only 30 per cent of space is assigned to individual desks (compared to 40-45 per cent for non-tech companies).

There is also greater allocation of team space, and up to 12 per cent of the total floor area in tech companies is set aside to enable immediate team meetings and collaboration in the open floor area.

There are also more enclosed meeting rooms, and the report found that up to 8 per cent more space is given to enclosed rooms to counter the ‘noise’ in the collaborative office.

Spaces for ‘hanging out’ are also prioritised, and up to a quarter of the available floor space is given over to wellbeing and social spaces.

Another characteristic of tech companies is that minimal space is allocated to reception and visitor hospitality.

“Tech companies have ‘flipped’ the traditional layout. Instead of impressive reception lobbies, the best spaces are given over to the staff breakout,” the report said.

“Start by thinking about how the workplace can help your best people perform at their best, rather than being put off by change aversion from the vocal minority”

Bates Smart associate director Kellie Payne, observed that there are two key differences in how businesses are generally structured now.

“Firstly, flexibility is all important,” she said.

“There are very few businesses willing to make long term headcount predictions.

“Instead, workplaces need to enable different parts of the company to expand and contract simultaneously whilst allowing for up to 30 per cent headcount variation in the life of the fitout.”

Secondly, Payne said there has been a dramatic rise in the number of technology teams using a collaborative workflow called “agile development”.

“We are also seeing this workstyle permeate into other teams that are project based – including marketing,” she said.

“For these teams, proximity is important to them – they need to sit next to each other.”

For HR professionals looking to redesign the workspace and maximise returns, Payne said a simple but important step is for business needs to align the workplace with priorities and strategic drivers.

“A good workplace strategist will work with you to translate your strategy into priorities for workplace design,” she said.

“This should include talking to your teams and understanding how the workplace supports them as they focus, collaborate, learn and socialise.

“It is also important to set measures for success of any initiatives so you can track if they are making the impact you were looking for,” said Payne.

“Finally, if you are considering large scale change, start by thinking about how the workplace can help your best people perform at their best, rather than being put off by change aversion from the vocal minority.”

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