Office Space for the Mobile Work Force
There are many documented benefits to Telecommuting. One of the key ones is that employers can realize significant infrastructure costs savings from reduced office floor space, as a result of fewer workers in the office on any given day. Cisco realized that their workforce was becoming increasingly mobile, which resulted in cubicles going unused about 1/3 of the time.
Thinking out of the box, Cisco tore out the cubicles and converted the office into a flexible, multifunctional space where employees can plop down their laptops to work wherever they want. They also used desks, chairs, and dividers on wheels to give employees the freedom to arrange their workspace according to their needs. This not only saved dollars by reducing overall floor space, but also increased the ability to “collaborate” and move quickly between flexible work groups.
Certainly it seems that different types of activities have different requirements for privacy, desk space, and even permanent surroundings.
Someone who works in contracts or finance, requiring cabinets of paper copies files, and who primarily works as individuals on sensitive company information, may need a permanent, closed area.
Others, who develop software, may also need a quiet area while writing code, but then needs to collaborate with others team mates to integrate their individual software modules together as one program. Finally, there may be sales people who perform much of their business over the phone, and may be able to move seamlessly throughout office using mobile communications, while hopping from one open cubicle to another. All of these people can perform some portion of their work from home as part of the telecommuting program, but while in the office, have different office needs.
If businesses are going to realize the savings available to them from telecommuting, they must also carefully evaluate how they are going to still meet their employee’s needs while working with less space. Cisco’s solution will not work for everyone, but does give us an example of how to evaluate what are the requirements of the different activities that people perform, and be creative in how they can meet those using non-traditional office arrangements.
It's important to verify whether the employee works alone all the time, or if interaction with others is critical to their success. How much privacy is needed, and can a simple change in the “trust” model help to remove cubicle walls and turn computer screens to the view of bosses.
Whether in a cubicle, or at my desk at home, I would hope that my work is measured by my output, and not by the few minutes I spend playing solitaire in between spurts of productivity. Creating virtual realities with the use of headphones, can quickly turn an open space into a private office.
In planning an office renovation then, there will be some space that is permanently assigned. Most of the space, however, will probably end up either as reconvertible, such as mobile walls that quickly lock together to create virtual meeting areas with white boards and semi-privacy for a brainstorming session, or as mini-conference rooms with sign-up sheets that accommodate 6-10 people at one time.
Today's office can live with much less space which can be way more responsive to the ebb-and-flow of the mobile work force, solong as the nature of the business, and the needs of the different employees, are fully understood and productive work spaces are cleverly designed.
Thinking out of the box, Cisco tore out the cubicles and converted the office into a flexible, multifunctional space where employees can plop down their laptops to work wherever they want. They also used desks, chairs, and dividers on wheels to give employees the freedom to arrange their workspace according to their needs. This not only saved dollars by reducing overall floor space, but also increased the ability to “collaborate” and move quickly between flexible work groups.
Certainly it seems that different types of activities have different requirements for privacy, desk space, and even permanent surroundings.
Someone who works in contracts or finance, requiring cabinets of paper copies files, and who primarily works as individuals on sensitive company information, may need a permanent, closed area.
Others, who develop software, may also need a quiet area while writing code, but then needs to collaborate with others team mates to integrate their individual software modules together as one program. Finally, there may be sales people who perform much of their business over the phone, and may be able to move seamlessly throughout office using mobile communications, while hopping from one open cubicle to another. All of these people can perform some portion of their work from home as part of the telecommuting program, but while in the office, have different office needs.
If businesses are going to realize the savings available to them from telecommuting, they must also carefully evaluate how they are going to still meet their employee’s needs while working with less space. Cisco’s solution will not work for everyone, but does give us an example of how to evaluate what are the requirements of the different activities that people perform, and be creative in how they can meet those using non-traditional office arrangements.
It's important to verify whether the employee works alone all the time, or if interaction with others is critical to their success. How much privacy is needed, and can a simple change in the “trust” model help to remove cubicle walls and turn computer screens to the view of bosses.
Whether in a cubicle, or at my desk at home, I would hope that my work is measured by my output, and not by the few minutes I spend playing solitaire in between spurts of productivity. Creating virtual realities with the use of headphones, can quickly turn an open space into a private office.
In planning an office renovation then, there will be some space that is permanently assigned. Most of the space, however, will probably end up either as reconvertible, such as mobile walls that quickly lock together to create virtual meeting areas with white boards and semi-privacy for a brainstorming session, or as mini-conference rooms with sign-up sheets that accommodate 6-10 people at one time.
Today's office can live with much less space which can be way more responsive to the ebb-and-flow of the mobile work force, solong as the nature of the business, and the needs of the different employees, are fully understood and productive work spaces are cleverly designed.
Labels: flexspace, mobile workforce
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