Employers may want to squeeze more work out of their employees into a small space. Roger Trapp suggests ways companies can keep their workers happy and their bottom line healthy
Employers will have a look at workers; needs and aspirations to avoid failure in the longer term
All organisations these days are intent on achieving ever-improving performance without allowing themselves the luxury of taking on too many extra staff or too much extra space. The problem, though, is that because employees are people and not machines they do not always welcome the opportunity to work at an ever more furious pace without the benefit of space in which to stretch or relax.
Much has been heard lately about the importance of 'people issues' and the fact the 'people are the greatest asset' - often by companies intent on forcing through changes in working patterns and methods. Not all of these new approaches are intrinsically had, but- as a new report from PA Consulting Group points out - even those that are good can be undermined if insufficient care is taken over dealing with employees' concerns and interests.
If the design of a workplace is managed with care and sensitivity, says the study 'Balancing the Bargain', it can 'incubate new organisational cultures and help achieve desired adaptation through new working practices'.
But attempt to achieve change without managing the people issues and you are doomed to failure, it adds, pointing out: 'Accounting for the aspirations of employees is critical to avoiding this failure.'
This is not to say that employers should ignore new technologies and working practices. The pressure of the market means that they must inevitably put heavier demands on their workforces. But - with an earlier PA report 'Offices for the Millennium' adding to the conviction that changing demographics will give greater power to employees 'meeting employees' aspirations for the workplace will become a far high priority'.
Having investigated such aspirations in greater detail, the latest report identifies seven key challenges that will need to be managed for businesses to see benefits.
First, the computer is king. Laptops are becoming a key business tool, although while 55 per cent of respondents have use of them, 70 per cent still use them mainly in the office. Reliability and speed of the network and the speed of the hardware are seen as major hurdles of performance, with IT support still see as a 'bugbear' for nearly three-quarters of those taking part in the survey.
Second, the paperless office. The fact that this widely shared dream has become something of a bad joke is seen in the finding that, while 63 per cent of people claim to file electronically, 89 per cent print as well. With the reasons for taking the 'belt and braces' approach ranging from wanting to be able to see the whole page to needing to read material away from the office, organisations will only seriously reduce paper consumption if the address where and how people want to read and file.
Third, interaction is the critical issue for remote working. Though 89 per cent of employees believe that informal face-to-face contact with colleagues is essential for performance, just over half see the videophone as significantly reducing this need. And while deterioration of relationships stemming from this method of working is also seen as a key issue, it is felt to be less of a problem for those already working that way. Consequently, organisations need to help people to learn how to manage relationships remotely.
Fourth, home working is not universally popular. For all the talk of blurring of home and work lives, 57 per cent of those surveyed and 29 per cent claim the home is unsuitable for work. However, for nearly half, working at home some of the time as attractions and there is potential for growth in this area if employees provide the necessary support.
Fifth, 'hotelling' is gathering force. This concept of a workplace provided by others is becoming more common. The top three requirements for 'hotelliers' to provide are links to the company phone system, direct links to the company's local area network and IT support. Organisations that are successful in this area integrate IT services with the provision of space.
Sixth, provision of quiet space is a priority for the allocation of space in the office. This is a key issue for the future. People typically spend 35 per cent of their time in meetings and a further 40 per cent on quiet work. While open-plan space is not generally suitable for such activities, there is little demand for a return to old-fashioned cellular offices. The important thing is to provide a variety of spaces, including out of the office, where different types of activity can be carried out.
Seventh, the workplace should be seen as an integrated environment. PA sees its survey as a way of helping managers to identify priorities, assess how the workplace meets users' aspirations and focus on improving the bargain between employer and employee in ways that will release key benefit for organisations.
PA claims to have a technique for creating a 'workplace strategy' out of such factor as the future of work in general and that of the business in particular, the future of technology and of property as well as staff aspirations.
Not every organisation will necessarily feel that such a rigorous approach suits them. But - with more and more staff reacting to organisations' ending of the 'psychological contract' and its implied job for life in return for loyalty and hard work with a readiness to job-hop in search of what they see as the ideal job environment - those that fail to see the effect of these changes are risking increasing their costs through having demotivated staff, extra turnover of employees and attendant recruitment difficulties.
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