Say goodbye to committed desks and hello to collaborative work areas.
Other companies derive individual desks and include common rooms, since 62% of the employers strive for a ratio of 1.5 employees per desk and the number of individual work areas has already decreased from 51% in 2021 to 40% in 2024CBRE.
US companies are “far behind other global employers behind the use of common work areas, said Kate Lister, capital company Global Workplace Analytics. But in view of the prospect that common areas of work lowers space and costs and increasing cooperation, many employers finally see” What is in there for me, “Lister told HR Brew.
Adding further joint or collaborative work areas does not mean that companies have to completely eliminate dedicated desks and experts who were shared with HR Brew how optionality helps employees.
Employees want variety.After the employees had learned how to be productive during the pandemic, their ways of thinking have shifted around the type of work area in the office, said Lister or what she calls, and rethinking their “I” and “We Space”.
As a rule, offices have more areas that have individual work or do me, with fewer rooms for working together or in the spaces, she said, but since more employees have efficiently me at home, they primarily want WE-Space in the office for cooperation and connection with employees.
In 2020, around 60% of employees worked in rooms that were assigned to them individuallyResearchfrom the real estate analysis company Leesman. In 2023, this number fell to 40%, introduced work areas not assigned as companies such as “hot desking”, in which employees shared desks with employees.
The number of jointly used or unused work areas can help the HR department to bring employees to the office, said Peggie Rothe, Chief Insights and Research Officer from LEESMAN, said HR Brew, because employees want variety in their work areas for various work tasks and their various “moods”.
“Imagine an environment in which different types of areas and rooms as well as settings for different types of activities are available.” If you are not assigned [workspaces] With a good diversity, these employees have the best experience on average and they are simply based on … employees can adapt their office. “
List said that the variety of work area includes both individual and collaborative options such as calm stands for focused work, small private spaces for one -on -one discussions, conference rooms for larger groups and outdoor areas to recharge your mind. Variety also helps employees that they have control and selection, added them, whichImproves engagementProductivity and stress level.
Where the HR department can begin. The success of the inclusion of common work areas depends on the “alliance” between personnel, IT and real estate management teams, said Lister, because they work together like a “three-legged stool”.
“If we do not have the technology to support the work we do, it will not work. If our conference rooms are not well set up for hybrid meetings, it will not work,” she said. “When real estate sells the real estate without speaking to the HR department and believe that it will happen, it won’t work either.”
As soon as the HR department with real estate management and the IT is in line with how much space is available for the required technology, Lister advises people who evaluate managers how beneficially both individual and collaborative work areas for employees of neurodiverses, including limitation of noise, softening and reducing the distractions.
Jennifer Moss, author and workplace strategist, agrees that companies should prioritize the employees of neurodiverses during the planning of new and existing work areas. It helps not take away all options for individual work areas and then decide the departments and teams what works best.
Increased common rooms, like any other new company directive, should demand HR professionals to collect feedback from employees, Moss told HR Brew. It is an apparently “simple action,” she said, but the employees will “go on board faster and use these decisions faster [if] You feel like you have an agency in the decision. “
Easier said than done.According to Lister, the executives of people often overlook the introduction of a new approach, as employees understand why their work areas change and managers train how they talk to employees about the changes.
“You have to let people understand why we do that, [like]… “We take away your assigned seat because we have to build these other areas that are physically better for you, better for the environment, better for your concentration, better for productivity,” said Lister.
HR professionals themselves are often excluded from the decision-making process behind political changes, Moss noted, and they are forced to manage the consequences with employees. As a result, she encourages management to walk around with employees and on the
“Maybe you can’t change the guideline, but how do you make sure that you have really good and simple booking systems? How do you make that people have lockers and stores that you may need for your things?” she said. “[Gather] Data about what people feel what their pain points are at the moment … This is a really great way at the moment to feel like HR leaders like an HR leader … You have the ability to improve situations for people on site. “
This report was originally published from HR Brew.
This story was originally on Fortune.com