Networking continues to be an effective way for people to make essential contacts and grow their business. With the recent and future networking trends incorporating more and more technological advancements, the process is becoming more focused and more rewarding than ever before.
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The workspace has evolved in line with the evolution of work and the workforce. Good understanding of the evolution of work, worker and workspace will help in defining the workspace strategy for any organisation. These three elements constitute the work environment.
Here we explain the relationship between these elements and how they influence the development of work environment.
An idea that is familiar, but at best still abstract to all of us, can be better defined by understanding what it used to be in the past, what it is now and what it will be in the future. Exploring these questions will help us better understand the evolution of work.
This evolution can be defined in four industrial revolutions and the workspace revolution can be mapped to these four revolutions.
In the preindustrial economy, work was synonymous with craftsmanship, the creation of products or the delivery of complete outcomes. The craftsman is entirely responsible for the end-to-end process of delivering a product or outcome — a carpenter, for example, would do everything from taking measurements, getting the wood, to making the final adjustments in the finished set of furniture.
The industrial revolution changed this conception of work, as industrialists realised that products could be manufactured faster and cheaper, if end-to-end processes were converted into repeatable tasks in which workers (and, later, machines) could specialise in. The notion of a “job” became that of a collection of tasks, not necessarily related to each other, rather than an integrated set of actions that delivered a complete product or outcome.
With the onset of rapid cognitive revolution, work has once again been redefined to create valuable human-machine collaborations, shifting our understanding of work from task completion to problem-solving and managing human relationships. This approach changed the way we organise tasks into jobs.
With the advancement made in technical innovations, we are moving towards a cyber-physical revolution aided by Artificial Intelligence and robotics. This approach is leading to more proactive management and providing differences in experience by finding the challenges before it evolves. This is changing the workforce of the future and the requirements for the future workforce.
Based on the analysis of the previous three revolutions there are common trends and characteristics that are common that links work, worker, and workspace.
Demographics have changed over the last few years with a collectively older and more diverse workforce. The very social contract between employers and employees has altered dramatically as well. Organisations now have a broad continuum of options for finding workers, from hiring traditional full-time employees to availing themselves of managed services and outsourcing, independent contractors, gig workers, and crowdsourcing.
Alternative workers are growing in number; currently, 35 percent of the workforce is in supplemental, temporary, project, or contract-based work. This percentage is growing as well — for example, freelance workforce is growing faster than the total workforce, up 10 percent compared to three percent of all employees.
As the “who” and the “what” of work shifts, so does the workplace. Where once physical proximity was required for people to get work done, the advent of digital communication, collaboration platforms, and digital reality technologies, along with societal and marketplace changes, have allowed for and created the opportunity for more distributed teams.
Organisations are now able to orchestrate a range of options as they reimagine workplaces, from the more traditional collocated workplaces to those that are completely distributed and dependent on virtual interactions.
Employers should not only consider how roles are crafted when pairing humans with machines, but also the arrangement of their human workforce and what type(s) of employment are best suited to obtain the creativity, passion, and skill sets needed for the work at hand. Orchestrating this complex use of different workforce segments will require new models. It could fundamentally change our view of the employee life cycle from the traditional “attract, develop, and retain” model to one where the key questions are how organisations should access, curate, and engage workforces of all types.
According to the World Economic Forum, the division of labour between people and machines is expected to continue to shift toward machines, especially for repetitive and routine tasks. That could eliminate upward of 14 percent and disrupt 32 percent of today’s jobs, according to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OCED).
Understanding work style and work functions forms basis for designing organisational workforce.
The three core considerations for defining future workspace are:
To maximise the organisational output, it is important to design a workspace that caters for work style, functions and workforce requirements.
It is a culmination of work function, work style, work force and workspace. All designed to maximise team and business output, maintain organisational health by optimising resources.
In our next blog we will talk about how work, workforce evolution helps in identifying the factors that influence workspace.
One of the biggest challenges when it comes to working remotely, which we’ve encountered, is keeping connected to your team as well as engagement. Without face-to-face contact on a daily basis, employees can often feel disengaged as they are cut off from the day-to-day rhythm of business and one step removed from your company culture and goals.
We’re all human, which means we thrive on human interaction, which is one of the key things we miss when working from home. This can in turn impact company culture. With that in mind then, how can we ensure your teams are getting what they need in order to remain engaged and continue to produce their best work during this period.
To help keep your team motivated and engaged while working remotely, we’ve put together our top 5 tips:
1. Stay connected
When working remotely, technology is key. Keeping open and effective communication channels are so important when managing a team remotely, and using communications platforms such as Teams, Zoom, Asana etc. are effective ways to maintain that connection, while effectively managing remotely the delivery of tasks, even if you’re not in the same room.
Be sure to also utilise your video conferencing options in order to keep that face-to-face interaction and collaboration that would potentially be affected when working from home if not managed correctly. Emails and phone calls are all well and good but having the ability to see your team while you’re discussing business topics can help your team feel more present in the office environment and allows you to get a better sense of engagement through body language.
And in terms of timing for these calls, we’re not saying you have to be checking in every hour but arranging team meetings perhaps daily is a good way to ensure everyone is aligned before the start of the working day.
2. Give employees the tools needed to do their job
A key factor in ensuring your team feels engaged is empowering them to do their best work no matter where they are. By utilising the right tools and technology you can keep your team productive, connected and centred while also aligning their work life balance.
Utilising technology and specialist tools, such as laptops, mobile phone, online servers to access documents, also allow more flexibility for, your team, which in turn can make a positive impact on their productivity and engagement.
Where you need to be careful is in setting boundaries for your communication tools, ensuring that your teams work-life balance remains intact despite being at home. It’s important to ensure just because your team are working from home that their work doesn’t unintentionally impact and bleed into every aspect of their life.
3. Keep focus on the company culture and promote when/where you can
Maintaining your company culture when your team isn’t in the office can be challenging. As it’s not possible to carry about the same team building and collaborative activities sometimes connections with team members can be lost.
One way to maintain your company culture while your team is working remotely is by being as open and honest with your team as possible, keep your team updated on what’s going on and ensure they don’t feel like things are being hidden from them. It’s vital to keep everyone informed both on the good news and the bad news.
It’s also important to show that you trust your team to get on with things. A number of studies have shown that employees who feel trusted are much more likely to have high levels of motivation and positivity too. According to a study by Queens School of Business and by the Gallup Organization, disengaged workers had 37% higher absenteeism, 49% more accidents, and 60% more errors and defects.
And where you can, maintain a sense of togetherness, even if that is virtual. Activities such as online team socials, virtual quizzes are a great way to achieve this.
4. Ensure team cohesiveness by blending hybrid options
Giving your team choice in where they work is key to keeping them engaged. Going forward, adopting a hybrid model gives your team the flexibility to choose where, when and how they work. For many businesses offering “hybridity” can provide a great way of maximising productivity and flexibility while empowering your team with and meeting the needs of your business.
Though a hybrid option can only work if all of the above are in place. For now, businesses who can are working from home, which in turn removes the element of choice, but once you’ve nailed the remote team engagement, employing a hybrid working strategy is the best way to empower your team and managers and ensure they remain productive and engaged, working in a way that they choose.
5. Be flexible
Try not to be too prescriptive with your day. While you may need some structure and set times for team meetings and collaborative sessions, ensure you’re giving your team the flexibility in how they carry out the rest of their work this includes the solutions you offer them.
At WorkWell our aim to create outstanding workspace solutions that allow our clients to attract, retain and promote the best teams for their business by providing a solution that can be configured to meet exactly what your business needs and your core objectives. Offices that not only offer an outstanding environment, but also hassle-free management, allowing you to focus on growing and developing your business.
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As you may have already read in a previous WorkWell blog, the working environment is a culmination of work function, work style, workforce and workspace. All of these elements are designed to maximise team and business output and maintain organisational health by optimising resources.
At WorkWell, we’re passionate about creating working environments that help to build, promote and retain your team. And when we talk about the working environment, we don’t just mean the four walls that make up an office, we’re talking about the space in which you work, your style of work, your team culture and the working atmosphere you and your team create.
1. Focus on company culture
Company culture is strongly linked to team productivity, more so than many business leaders like to believe. But what’s important is understanding the relationship between the two and how one can impact the other.
Company culture gives your team that feeling of belonging and has the power to influence the individual mindset of your team, everything from how they perform, how engaged they are at work, to how they collaborate and their overall well-being.
It’s therefore important to harness a positive company culture that aligns with your team’s work style. Gone are the days of a cut-throat, high-pressure, take-no-prisoners culture, as research continues to show that this just doesn’t work, and is more likely to create a disengaged team and a high turn of staff extra costs that your business could avoid.
A culture that encourages your team to feel connected and fosters collaboration will help encourage a positive, productive working environment. A leadership style that encourages teamwork and open and honest communication is vital in achieving this.
Creating an inclusive working environment is also key, an environment that embraces and values individual and group differences in the workforce is integral to building this.
Creating a culture of reward for your team will only further enhance their feeling of value and continue to motivate them to do a good job.
2. Pay attention to the physical environment in which your team works
The physical environment and condition of your workplace plays a vital role in creating a productive working environment for your team. You’re likely to find your workforce is disengaged and less productive if the physical environment they are working in doesn’t suit the work function. This has been a big challenge, particularly during the pandemic with many workers not having the physical space in which to work productively from home.
And as we said previously, the physical environment is about much more than just the four walls of an office. The space in which you work has to compliment your work function and style otherwise it’s unlikely to succeed.
Everything from natural light to temperature needs to be taken into consideration when looking at the physical environment in which you work. Let’s take natural light for example.
According to research from the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, those who work in natural lighting stayed on-task for 15% longer than those who worked in artificial lighting only.
This is one reason we ensure every workspace solution across our sites is bathed in natural light.
Also, offer your team a variety of workspace options for different tasks. For example, if collaboration is an integral part of their day-to-day work, then a space that they can access ad-hoc to work as a team is vital. Whereas, if your team needs space and time to focus, then an environment away from the hustle and bustle of the office is important in harnessing their productivity.
3. Provide for your team and build a development pathway that meets their needs
Making employee development a priority within your company culture ensures your team stays well-informed on industry trends and best practices, as well as equipped with new skills. This in turn helps keep them motivated and productive in their work.
Without a development pathway, many team members may become disengaged and may not be working toward the same business goals as you and the business. Therefore, having a pathway in place is key to not only creating a productive working environment but in maintaining team engagement.
Employee development is proven to help grow and retain talent. Employees want to feel valued in what they do and are more likely to remain in a role if they have a development pathway mapped out for them. It also helps members of your team hone in on their strengths and grow their skills which better equips them for their current roles.
4. Make sure your team have access to the right tools, equipment/resources to do their job
It’s almost impossible to be productive if you’re not armed with the right tools, equipment and resources in which to do so. Make sure your team have everything they need, from access to technology to the right workspace needed to perform at their highest level.
Technological advances over the years have made the jobs of many much more efficient, but there are still organisations that fail to embrace technology and can therefore fail to supply their team with the tools they need to work as efficiently as possible.
Asking your team on a regular basis what tools they need to perform at their highest level is a good place to start.
5. Focus on health and wellbeing
It doesn’t take a genius to know that a stressed-out or burned-out team isn’t going to be as productive as it should be, which is why focusing on the health and well-being of your employees is so important in building a positive and productive working environment.
Well-being is about creating working environments and systems that support employees. Listening and responding to the needs of your team, both in and outside the workplace, is key to building a workforce that is engaged at work and performs to their best.
It has also been proven that improved well-being in the workplace can reduce cases of absenteeism, and therefore correlates to higher productivity and happiness amongst your team. It also then has a knock-on effect on your company’s profitability and efficiency.
If you’re unsure about whether your team’s well-being is affecting their productivity, then go directly to the source. Find out how secure and supported they feel in their role if they are satisfied with their work, and how happy they feel, and you may be surprised with the answers.
At WorkWell we understand the importance of well-being in the workplace which is why one of our key features is our access to outdoor space. Taking just 5 minutes to get some fresh air during the day not only helps with employee engagement but ultimately business growth.
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Organisational culture is an important concept for any business. A collection of shared values, beliefs, practices, and expectations. Organisational culture can define a company. While there is widespread agreement that organisational culture exists, and that it plays an integral part in shaping businesses, there is little clarity on its definition.
At WorkWell, we rounded up some of our preferred interpretations, which include:
However, we felt that the standout definition was this quote from management consultant, educator and author, Peter Drucker: “Culture eats strategy for breakfast”.
According to the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development, organisational culture is the core of a workplace and must be handled and established accordingly. In an interesting read in the Harvard Business Review, culture was labelled as a flagbearer for workplace values, offering employees a way to:
So, when businesses can’t articulate the ‘whys’ and ‘hows’ of workplace culture, their values remain unsteady.
At WorkWell our goals and values impact the standard of our service and influence member engagement; hence culture building is one of our core propositions and is handled and established accordingly
For us, culture directly impacts the quality of the service we deliver, the satisfaction of our members as well as the overall success of the WorkWell team.
With respect to the above, member retention and member engagement via culture building is the norm for businesses today. Without events or discussions around culture, members feel unsatisfied and employees feel undervalued. According to the EY 2022 Work Reimagined Survey, there is a gap between management and employees in terms of contribution to work culture even after years of debate. The 2021 EY Empathy in Business Survey revealed that 48% of employees left a previous job because the company culture didn’t feel right, and the Global Culture Survey 2021 revealed that 72% of employees felt culture helps successful change happen within the business and 77% of members feel connected to the company’s purpose.
Speculations that organisational culture effects don’t affect team performance and team building are negated by these statistics. They provide us with a holistic view of the importance of workplace culture. They tell us how vital it is for every member to monitor and maintain their work culture.
Increasing business revenue has become critical for organisations, especially after surviving the hard times currently facing numerous business owners. Whilst there is no guarantee that businesses will revert to pre-pandemic levels, businesses should look at saving costs while generating a greater return on their investments. One way to accomplish that is by understanding what a smart office investment can do to help.
Investing in a space that is centered around your team and business goals allows you to increase productivity, grow a strong brand identity and gain a robust company culture – all of which can be delivered with a serviced office workspace solution.
Here are our top three ways a serviced office investment can generate returns for your business:
After rent, one of the costliest expenses when moving into a new office is the furniture. New desks, chairs, and drawer units can soon add up, as well as the additional expenses that decorations and fittings can occur.
This combined with the extra costs such as business rates and utility bills, which will usually fluctuate based on the property value, means that your business finances could take a huge hit.
However, a serviced office almost always includes furniture and utility bills, meaning you get the best for your budget and complete peace of mind, without any unexpected hits to your cash flow.
WorkWell has studied the science behind the purpose-driven space, and it’s proven that the working environment can have a high impact on your team’s productivity.
Eliminate the risk of deciding if your office is too big or small by using a serviced office. When bound into contracts that last several years, it can be easy to misjudge and you could outgrow your space before the lease is up, which can be an expensive mistake. Nevertheless, this isn’t a concern with a serviced office as you can easily start off with the size you need, and as you need to occupy more space, this can be accommodated by the provider.
WorkWell focuses on providing a type of space with flexible setups to efficiently respond to your working environment needs, ensuring none of your team are left without resource. With a turnkey approach, WorkWell looks after your space with no hidden fees.
Generally, maintenance can be tiresome, whether it’s weekly office maintenance, a broken printer, or a blocked drain. Typically, you would need to find someone to do the work and pay for the costs. However, with a serviced office, you needn’t worry – it’s all part of the service!
WorkWell not only covers all day-to-day services your business requires, it does so in one convenient monthly fee, with no hidden costs! – all with the option to change your contract midterm depending on the needs and wants of your organisation.
This, combined with the unique and endless networking resource that is included with a serviced office can open avenues to new clients or additional sources of income from collaborating with others in the office, even if it doesn’t physically save you money.
Owning a business is about growing that business. WorkWell Offices allow you to get right to work, without taking the focus off your core business initiatives, all while presenting opportunities to save money and increase revenue.
For more information, to discuss your workspace requirements, or schedule a tour, contact sales@workwelloffices.com
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The productivity paradox refers to the counterintuitive observation that pouring more effort and resources into our goals does not always lead to increased productivity. It challenges the common belief that the more we work, the more productive we become. In fact, research has shown that there is often a diminishing return on investment when it comes to productivity.
One possible explanation for this paradox is that our approach to work is flawed. We tend to focus on quantity rather than quality, believing that the more tasks we complete, the more productive we are. However, this mindset can lead to burnout and decreased efficiency. Instead, we should prioritise tasks that have the most impact and ensure that we have the necessary resources and support to tackle them effectively.
Another factor contributing to the productivity paradox is the diminishing marginal utility of additional resources. While initially, investing more time, effort, and resources may yield significant improvements in productivity, there comes a point where the returns start to diminish. This is because there are inherent limits to how much we can accomplish within a given timeframe. Working longer hours or taking on more tasks can actually lead to decreased productivity due to fatigue, stress, and reduced focus.
To unravel the mystery of the productivity paradox, it is important to understand the underlying factors that influence productivity. By recognising the limitations of our current approach and adopting strategies that prioritize quality over quantity, we can overcome the productivity paradox and achieve better outcomes in our work.
The productivity paradox emerged during the early 1970s, a pivotal time for the burgeoning IT industry. Pioneering experts were optimistic, predicting that technology would revolutionize society and boost productivity by a substantial margin—perhaps three to four percent. Yet, when the dust settled, the actual increase was a mere one percent. How could such a discrepancy exist?
Certain optimists posited that technology’s impact was subtler than traditional productivity measurements could capture. Perhaps its benefits would gradually unfold over time. However, as the late 1980s approached, these explanations lost their lustre. Researchers grappled with the paradox, proposing various hypotheses, but none provided a definitive answer. It seemed that a deeper force was at play—one that eluded easy explanation.
Navigating the Digital Era
Fast-forward to today and the productivity paradox remains as relevant as ever. In our digital age, where opportunities and challenges intermingle, we find ourselves seeking ways to optimize resources and unlock our full potential. How can we sidestep the pitfalls of the paradox? How do we channel creativity and innovation effectively?
It is essential to regularly evaluate and adapt productivity strategies in the digital era. What may have been effective in the past may not be applicable in the rapidly changing technological landscape. By staying informed about emerging trends, experimenting with new tools and techniques, and seeking feedback, individuals can continuously optimize their productivity practices and stay ahead of the productivity paradox.
One key insight we have uncovered is the importance of creating a culture of productivity. This involves fostering an environment where employees are empowered to prioritize tasks, collaborate effectively, and make informed decisions. By promoting a culture that values productivity over business, organisations can break free from the productivity paradox and achieve sustainable success.
The decisions businesses make now need to be carefully considered to make sure they do not undermine the performance of their team for a marginal cost-benefit, and risk destroying their company culture which will ultimately lead to unmanageable team churn.
A report, published by UCL PhD Researcher, Dave Cooke, at the beginning of the pandemic, highlights the pros and cons to consider about remote working. His recent research looked at how people adapt to remote working, and he found that “after an initial honeymoon period, remote working quickly became too isolating for over 25% of his participants.” He quotes one participant as saying, “Some aren’t naturally self-motivated, and no end of self-help books will change that.”
Keeping self-motivated in the long term can be a challenge and an issue many businesses will encounter as we emerge from this pandemic. What seemed novel at first will quickly start to become more challenging for those members of staff struggling to keep themselves self-motivated.
Another issue for many industries is the long-term effect on creativity. Working from home, although at the time may seem more productive, can be incredibly limiting when it comes to creative thinking. Not being amongst your colleagues removes that sharing of ideas, which is difficult to achieve over Zoom. You can guarantee that the greatest inventions in the world weren’t produced over a video call.
Perfectly summed up by pioneer Steve Jobs, who believed that employees’ best work came from accidentally bumping into other people, not sitting at home in front of a computer. “Creativity comes from spontaneous meetings, from random discussions. You run into someone, you ask what they’re doing, you say ‘Wow,’ and soon you’re cooking up all sorts of ideas.”
A cement echoed by PR and social media agency, Wolfstar, who have been working remotely for the last four months. Chairman, Tim Sinclair said: “Nothing can replace face-to-face discussions and debates. In our industry, we need to be creative, we need to think outside the box and it’s impossible to do that sitting behind a computer screen. My team feed off one another other, we bounce around ideas and openly discuss them. It’s impossible to do that over video.”
What working from home doesn’t give you is that sense of community and nuance that you get from being in the office. For a lot of people, working from home as a longer-term solution will significantly impact their social interaction leading to a risk of feeling isolated. A recent survey conducted by OnePoll on home working revealed that 41% of workers in the UK said that lack of human interaction was one of the biggest concerns or challenges encountered regarding home working. 30% also said that losing motivation was a big concern.
Staff training and development is a key area to be impacted by working from home permanently. Working from home requires staff to work more independently, therefore losing the ability to easily ask questions and develop their skills. How can your staff learn from senior members of the team if the only communication they have with them is over video? Much of your team training and development comes from the sharing of ideas and the sharing of knowledge which immediately gets taken away when you have no collaborative space in which to do that.
In some ways training can be likened to riding a bike. It doesn’t matter how many times people tell you over Zoom, you will never learn to ride it until someone holds your hand whilst doing it.
Research shows working from home is far worse for team cohesion and innovation than working in the office. Other research finds that face-to-face interaction is essential for identifying opportunities for collaboration, innovation and developing relationships and networks.
We’re a firm believer that to become the best place to work, communication and collaboration are key, and without the right environment in which to do that, your business as a whole will suffer.
Establishing the same functionality as an office at home is impractical and not cost-effective. And with all staff working from home, you’ll find that in the long term, you’ll end up spending more time and money in getting them set up in the right working environment, with a good connection, than you would in an office. Your office space should be approximately 10% of your total wage bill and you may find you spend more than this getting everyone properly set up at home.
When you start to look at installing business broadband and phone lines at home, as well as creating a dedicated space to work, including the right set-up, lighting etc. the costs start to increase.
Not everyone has the luxury of a dedicated workspace at home and maintaining a physical and emotional separation between home and work is vital for optimum performance. You can also guarantee that most homes are not connected as well as an office. Fiber connectivity provides hardier and faster connectivity, but in the UK, just 10% of all homes currently have fiber connections. This could result in considerable disruption occurring, especially for broadband-intensive sectors, especially for those living in areas still predominantly served by copper-based networks. Not only are such networks slower, but they’re also less robust and subject to greater dropout.
A survey conducted by US, design company Gensler, found that the vast majority of people want to return to the office, albeit with critical changes. Many want to have the choice, to continue to work from home at least some of the time.
Choice is what we have long sought to offer our teams and Covid should not be seen as the end to the office but the start of a world where leaders have the confidence, systems and mindset to offer the teams choice. The biggest barrier as we see it is not technology but trust. Technology has not moved on as much as trust has. This should be respected and not used to usher the masses into solitary work settings where they can not be their best selves.
To access more information, or if you wish to discuss your workspace requirements, contact sales@workwelloffices.com
A 2018 study shows the majority of workers in the UK would appreciate being offered flexible working, with many even favouring flexible working over the option of having a pay rise.
Read More about Studies show demand for flexible working among UK employees is on the rise
This week, given the beautiful weather we have been grateful to receive lately, we decided to conduct our weekly management meeting in one of our outdoor areas. Ok, so we know we are incredibly blessed to have 120 acres to play with and not everyone has access to rural areas within their work places but at Carrwood, we have it so we’re going to use it!
