Following on from our last blog, we return to the research paperThe Enticing Workplace: Attracting People Back to the Office (see https://bit.ly/46q8Iyk ) and the supplementary discussion article(see https://bit.ly/3YleNdz ).
These excellent resources delve into the comparative merits and challenges of homeworking and office working, using research into what factors influence employees’ preferences to answer the question, ‘How can we create offices that entice workers to spend more time there?’
Please read the previous blog to learn more about this research's approach and results. Here, we explore some of the key conclusions.
Insights and thinking points
Guy Osmond, MD of Osmond Ergonomics, says: “This is an exciting piece of work that seeks to define and codify what can be a bewildering set of considerations for most people. It picks out useful concepts, encapsulates important ideas, and clearly summarises the key factors employers should consider. It benefits from all those involved being people with real experience working in or with big corporations.
“One of the key things to note is there is no one solution – people have different needs and different reasons for those needs. It also clearly illustrates that this is far more nuanced than the duality of ‘collaboration in the office’ vs ‘concentration at home’ as has often been presented.
“Distraction is a topic that has kept cropping up. A sense of control is very important, and people report feeling a greater sense of control over the working environment in their homes. There is the psychology around feeling empowered to make choices – not just around controlling noise, but also air quality and temperature – all of which are automated and centrally controlled in large corporate offices. It might be something as simple as being able to open a window in your own home. Nigel points out in the discussion that the best example of air quality he’d come across was in an office where people could open the window – not a huge surprise there!”
Adds Guy: “I was also particularly struck by the phrase ‘line of sight management’ in the panel discussion. It’s a term I haven’t come across before, but it neatly encapsulates the idea of middle managers managing employees’ output by ‘seeing’ what they are doing. It’s been seen as a rather ‘lazy’ reason to require people to return to the office. But, as pointed out in the discussion piece, line of sight management is also important for determining wellbeing and performance – managers ‘see’ how employees are doing, how they’re coping with workloads, the team dynamics and so on.
“There is so much relevant material here that neatly summarises much of my experience and the experience of others with an interest in workplace wellbeing. Since Covid, I have been talking about the ‘magnetic office’ and the need to create workplaces that draw people in, maximising the advantages and supplementing them with further benefits that work for individuals, as well as ultimately serving the needs of the business. Together, this report and panel discussion are a great step towards unpickinghow you might do that – the factors at play, their influence, and the levers that employers can pull.”
Ways to entice people back into the office
The Enticing Office not only explores what influences whether people prefer home over the office or vice versa, but it also highlights the key areas employers can focus on to make the office more attractive and appealing and suggests actions they could take.
Again, this is well worth a read in full – but a precis is below:
Focus and Concentration, Noise and Privacy
Reduce desk density to allow control of environmental conditions.
Reduce distraction and noise and provide both visual and acoustic privacy—e.g. use screens, bookshelves, plants and pods to break up open-plan spaces.
Provide spaces for focus and concentration – e.g. rooms, pods and booths.
Collaboration and Socialising
Provide spaces for interaction, collaboration, teamwork, socialising, and connecting. These have all been identified as key reasons for coming to the office.
Travel and Flexibility
Offer more options for travel, work hours, exercise, and childcare. Consider subsidised travel or loans for rail tickets. Consider on-site wellness facilities, subsidised membership in nearby gyms, spas, or clubs, and access to crèches and subsidised lunches.
Purpose and Events
Emphasise and enhance the reasons to visit the office—connection, culture, and sense of belonging—through meetings, social gatherings, and leadership. For example, regular team catch-ups, introducing new staff members, charity events, hobbies clubs and on-site fitness classes.
Motivational Culture
Create a motivating culture through leadership, encouragement, loyalty, and work ethic. Workplace design and the relevant facilities can help foster the organisational culture, though ultimately, it comes from the leadership team.
Consider Differences
Take account of individual differences and personal circumstances, including family or healthcare issues or the needs of those just starting out in their careers. Consider what attracts different personality types and design for their requirements.
Assigned Desks
Implement unassigned desking only with caution - a higher proportion of respondents with assigned or allocated desks reported they preferred working in the office than those with unassigned desks. Provide allocated desks to those who genuinely need them, not based merely on seniority, and manage usage to ensure that staff have a desk when choosing to work in the office.
There is a clear call to arms here. As this research demonstrates, there is a great deal to recommend the office environment. Even with the appeal of homeworking, it remains a place that can better support key working behaviours, especially the need for privacy, teamwork, and a sense of purpose. By tackling issues like distraction and noise, improving technology, and boosting personal benefits by allowing for greater flexibility, a balance can be struck, meeting employees' shifted expectations and need to maximise wellbeing and productivity.
Leave a comment (all fields required)