Her findings: headphones contribute to the phenomenon of being “all alone among a group of nominal comrades.”

I fit her study: under 35, sit in an open-plan work environment. But I don’t wear my headphones 50% of the time or more. For a couple of reasons – partially because I lost my iPod. But, I really didn’t use it much, because I felt like I was missing out on the interesting “stuff” going on in the office – sometimes office gossip; sometimes project related stuff.

I find that if I don’t plug in, I learn a lot more and connect much better to my colleagues. Sometimes it benefits me. Othertimes, it benefits them. Either way, it benefits the company.

Others find that headphones can be isolating, if productivity-inducing: just ask the girls who completely missed the Space Shuttle Discovery fly over because they were engrossed in their music and didn’t see or hear literally everyone else in the office get up and go outside.

I think Kreamer is right: while headphones definitely help with focusing (I like to use them when I’m really trying to crank out a spreadsheet), they can damage informal collaboration and relationship building – something pretty much every organization desires. Balance is key! So, bring your tunes, but be sure to spend a good portion of the day unplugged (or even half plugged).

Read the article and let me know what you think: Workers, Take Off Your Headphones

Image source: Born Rich

Consequently, I implore as a design professional to clients and developers out there to please provide wellness rooms as part of the base building amenities. I know there is much debate on this from a facilities standpoint. How to keep the rooms clean, the loss of square footage that could be used elsewhere, the idea that you need to provide a countertop, sink, refrigerator, lounge chair etc. Really this isn’t a fancy space. At minimum just provide a small room with a countertop bar sink, a chair and that has a universal lock.

If someone is unwell, needs to cool off or pump they can go to these rooms. Keep the rooms within view of the building maintenance/security personnel. Also, an added benefit for providing these rooms as part of the base building amenities is that tenants would not need to provide this space for their employees.

http://www.dotmocracy.org/

enjoy!

Do you have a great collection of “stuff” at your desk/in your office?* Well, it might be time to pack it up and take it home (or maybe to your local Goodwill). The Wall Street Journal just published an article on how several major corporations are faring after implementing new workplace strategies.

Warming Up to the Officeless Office features American Express, GlaxoSmithKline, and PriceWaterhouseCoopers. Full disclosure, I worked on workplace projects for two of the three, so I might be slightly biased in thinking that they are awesome.

Each of these companies has moved a portion of its employee base to a mobile/unassigned status and substantially reduced the amount of workspace available for individuals.

The article shares some of the many benefits of the workplace programs – no surprise that major financial savings/cost avoids are a big part of the transition. But, believe it or not, reduction in number of emails received is another one. Who doesn’t need a bit of that?

My favorite quote of the article: “That doesn’t count wasted drawer space that holds stacks of old paperwork, cookware, shoes and other personal items. ‘Those are just not things we want to pay for. We want to efficiently use that space,’ Ms. Chapman says.” Yep, I’m guilty – here’s a list of what’s stored under my desk in addition to my gym bag and computer tote…really only two things deserves to stay (marked with an x):

• Old files
• Sample documents x
• Freebie tote bags from conferences
• Spare bicycle helmet
• Boxing gloves
• Vase
• Two bottles of wine
• Office sweater x
• Towel (dirty – used for office yoga one day and forgot to take home)
• Pair of shoes I need to return to the store

* Favorite collections viewed while working with various clients (I shall not name names to protect the innocent): keychains, troll dolls, beanie babies, running bibs, lollipops, fishtanks, helmets.

Image sources: GSK photos courtesy of HOK; email/snailmail graphic from Wall Street Job Report

I seem to come across some article or infographic about working at home at least once or twice a week. Work-at-home programs are definitely a hot topic among our client’s facilities and real estate teams as they look for ways to redcuce real estate costs and allow staff to achieve the ever-elusive work/life balance.

As Workplace Strategists, we would love to see all our clients jump on baord and embrace an innovative work-at-home culture. But we would be remiss if we didn’t help our clients explore all sides of this issue. When discussing options with our clients we often talk about the latest technology and the social dynamics of virtual vs. face-to-face collaboration. But one topic that I hear popping up more and more is the issue of TRUST.

Technology moves fast and many companies already have the infrastructure in place to support working at home. But answering the question of “do I actually trust my people to work at home?” is a much larger hurdle to jump before implementing a successful program. It reminds me of taking my dog to obedience classes and the instructor telling us “we’re not so much training the dog as we’re training you to better understand the dog”.

I recently heard an example of a company allocating a large chunk of real estate to training/coaching spaces. Their plan is to use the space to regularly coach their staff on how to work at home (not just on the tools but also the intangible issues of staying productive in a new environment), then eventually send them home armed with more solid skills for success. During periods when the company is not hiring, the space would be fleixible enough to use for employees who still work periodically in the office. For the home workers, the key is to develop a set of performance metrics on which to continually monitor productivity, then bring them back in for retraining if they are not performing. But I like this coaching mentality. It’s one thing to simply give someone the tools to do a job, but it shows a much larger personal investment when a company takes the time and resources to coach people on the intangible sides of working at home. I think we’ll start to see our clients continuing to ask us more about the soft skills invovled in developing work-at-home programs.

Clark Davis and I recently got the chance to talk to Ernest Beck, writing for the Architect (AIA’s magazine), about research at HOK and the impact it has on our practice.  It really got us thinking about how important it is to everything we do. 

Once the mainstay of academic institutions and the private sector, research today is attracting more resources and funding at architecture firms than ever before. The trend will likely continue as advances in many fields—from materials science to energy use—generate new ways to design buildings and to measure the performance of increasingly complex systems. “There is research now in everything we do,” says Leigh Stringer, director of innovation and research at global design firm HOK. “Clients are demanding more, and so we have to be innovative at every level,” she says. “Research is integral to innovation. Without research, HOK has no business.”

I find that especially now, clients are asking for more and more evidence.  They don’t just want JUST beautiful spaces, they want spaces that provide a significant return on investment.  To be credible professionals, it’s up to us (and our research partners) to really understand the implications of our designs on people and the environment.  Many people at HOK have spent significant time and money developing relationships with universities and membership organizations to expand our capabilities when it comes to research.  And yes, it does keep us competitive, but also keeps us looking ahead to what’s next and helps us solve problems better and faster. 

In the wise words of Neil Armstrong, “Research is creating new knowledge.”

After reading an article in Time Magazine this week: Why Morning Routines are Creativity Killers, I think I have figured out the five key elements of a perfect office for creative types:

1. Fancy coffee for all. 

2. Spa (including all services)

3. Showers galore (in keeping with the spa idea)

4. Video walls playing nonstop loops of cute, happy laughing babies. 

5. Puppies

And there you have it: the five key components of a creative office space.  Genius!  I’m ready for the first pilot – who’s signing up?!

Steelcase's "Airtouch" Desk

Steelcase has researched the topic extensively and gives us 9 reasons why height-adjustability is good.  On the health side they note that “Since static posture can result in strain/discomfort, possible injury, and increased workers’ comp claims, ergonomists now recommend movement throughout the day (…) standards include a recommendation to regularly change posture from a seated to a standing position.”  

Despite the health and other benefits of adjustable height desks though, some clients seem to be hesitant to make the switch—possibly because of the higher upfront costs, or the aesthetics of having surfaces at different heights.  

Google's HQ with Standing-height Desks

On the flip-side, some companies have embraced the trend, and employees are standing up all over the place!  I came across a post by a friend who works at Google’s HQ in Mountain View—she linked to a Fast Company article and was excited because her team’s cube was featured in the photo.  I was equally excited to see this because: a) waitta go Brie! and b) they use standing-height workstations!  (Wondering if she likes her desk?  She reports: “I love love love my standing desk!”)  

Employees standing at Facebook

In a recent article about Facebook’s new HQ in Menlo Park, CA, employees also have the choice of sitting or standing—and many are choosing to take a stand.  

It seems this trend is taking off—but is it mainly in the new-school type companies so far?  Perhaps other companies will soon catch on to this trend—and by then the Googles and Facebooks will be moving on to walkstations (also by Steelcase).  

 

Rachel's Creative Standing-Height Desk

I leave you with this photo a friend of mine once sent me of her make-shift “standing-height desk” made of cardboard boxes and wooden shelves.  While I love her creativity here, I’m sure she’d be more comfortable in the long-run with a real adjustable-height desk! 

Fortunately, advocates have Paul Wheeler to defend the cause (or at least to define it properly).

On Monday morning, BBC Radio’s Vanessa Feltz dedicated a portion of her program to an interview with Susan Firth, occupational psychologist, who challenges the open work model, citing the noise, interruptions, and spotty concentration associated with large, partionless spaces. All of these, she says, contribute significantly to reduced productivity and raised stress. The interview raises a critical question: Is the open workplace concept merely a perceived good, passing, unchallenged, from one real estate executive to another because it is cost efficient?

Enter HOK’s Paul Wheeler, who, as Workplace Strategist, spends his days helping corporations create innovative new approaches to working. BBC Radio invited Paul to join the program as an opposing view.

Paul, however, agreed.

The open workplan can indeed be distracting and noisy, he says.  The problem is in assuming that a collaborative workplace must look (and function) like a warehouse full of desks. As designers, architects and consultants, says Wheeler, we need to listen very carefully to what clients and their end users are asking for… and then help them figure out what they actually need to work productively. In his call to cast aside severe and overbroad solutions, Wheeler reminds listeners that a good designer will create spaces that work well for the people who work within them  — which should include providing the right amount of quiet spots for heads-down work as well as opportunities for creative collision.

To hear the BBC interview, click on this link: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p00n0dgg

Click on ‘Listen Now’ and pull the bar to the 2hr 02 min where the workplace discussion begins. The link will stay live only until Monday the Jan 30^th.

Many organizations spend a lot of time developing methodologies for telecommuting – a lot of what I hear about telecommuting is about how to go about “getting it done”. Establishing policies, procedures, technology, etc. This all comes from the organization’s perspective, but how does this relate to you? I personally have left a standard 9-5 office environment and now am telecommuting at least once a week. I realized quite quickly that I needed to change some behaviors to be effective and it helped me to establish some ground rules for myself:

1. Get dressed for the day. Sure it’s a lot of fun to think about spending all day in your pajamas, but getting ready psychologically puts me in a different frame of mind. I become more task oriented and effective.
2. Flexibility comes with responsibility. You are an adult – act like it! Be accountable to yourself and your employer. Meet deadlines and make sure they know what you are doing – communcation is key so that trust is reinforced.
3. Figure out a schedule that works. Seriously? Do you think your IT guy is going to hang out till you are ready at 9 PM to help you with the glitch because you’re “special”? One can only dream! Be realistic about when you can get the support you need – be it IT, HR or communicating with your boss.
4. Figure out a way so that you are not always “virtual”. There is a high value on the social structure of the office – yes we always joke about wasting time at the “water cooler talk”, but those are the moments that develop a connection between you and you co-worker. It opens the door for better communication and understanding when you are working on a project because you have a better understanding of each other. This is much harder to do in the telecommuting world. If at all possible, make a point to physically meet those that you work with most, even if you are simply comparing notes on Mad Men’s latest developments!
5. Maintain the technology on your end. Organizations have different policies on how they go about providing technology to a remote location, but the bottom line is that if you want to work from home, the internet speed should be fast enough to get the job done.
6. Maintain a work / life balance. The traditional lines of “office” and “home” are blurred even more in the world of telecommuting. It’s easy to get in a grove, look up and see that you were supposed to leave 2 hours ago. Personally, I found that maintaining a schedule (as mentioned earlier) tends to work the best to maintain balance.

http://www.teleworkexchange.com/?utm_source=AdaptiveMailer&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Telework%20Exchange%20Weekly%20Blasts&org=2022&lvl=100&ite=1282&lea=607548&ctr=0&par=1

Happy Telecommuting!