Leading architects describe how workplace changes are promoting a stronger sense of community and deeper team connections.
If you worked in an office a century ago, you were most certainly crowded into a vast space, seated next to your coworkers in endless rows of desks. These offices, which were created to maximise production, made it simple for managers to keep an eye on their workers but were awful for morale.
The cubicle structure of workplaces, which provided team members with modest private spaces inside larger office spaces, emerged in the 1960s. The purpose of these cubicles with three walls was to personalise the work environment while yet allowing for conversation among coworkers. Sadly, this had the exact opposite effect, isolating workers and preventing contact.
The office exists today to better satisfy team members' requirements as technology fosters greater autonomy and organisations increasingly recognise the importance in employee happiness.
According to Eric Anicich, assistant professor of management and organisation at the University of Southern California, “Company leaders are in the process of reimagining their use of physical office spaces and digital infrastructures in ways that will allow them to satisfy employee preferences and compete for top talent.”
Since the pandemic, which drove flexible work schedules, the role of the office has changed to give more of the connection, engagement, and collaboration experiences we rarely have at home, all of which are essential for fostering an inclusive workplace.
Although it might not be the simplest or fastest endeavour, designing for inclusion is unquestionably well worth the effort for a number of reasons. Anicich argues that inclusive workplaces “at the team level enable the interchange of a wide diversity of viewpoints and ideas, which can boost decision-making and creativity.”
Reevaluating the open-plan workplace
In a broad sense, an inclusive workplace is one in which all employees feel empowered to fully contribute and flourish within the company. Design-wise, business owners may use the placement of workstations, common spaces, and entrances to promote interactions amongst team members from different backgrounds.
Although having an open-plan office is frequently recommended as a way to promote inclusiveness, a 2018 research conducted at a Fortune 500 business revealed that 72% of workers spent less time engaging after moving to an open-plan office.
According to Sergio Lechuga, Design Principal for Interiors at HMC Architects, “We are seeing that the open workplace achieved quite the opposite, forcing employees to withdraw themselves due to excessive distractions and communicate less.”
In order to create the greatest degree of cooperation and communication while simultaneously giving seclusion and locations for concentration, Lechuga argues that “we need to challenge ourselves and our customers to consider how we might provide choice and flexibility in a diversity of venues and situations.”
The office of the future
By providing areas where individuals may respond to their personal needs, businesses can demonstrate to their employees that they care about them as a full person, not just their output. This is one of the primary ways businesses can design for inclusiveness.
According to Lechuga, “Companies that provide ‘non-work' related spaces like quiet rooms for meditation or prayer, lactation rooms for nursing mothers, gender-neutral restrooms, a gym/yoga room with free equipment, or even a small outdoor garden space, are perceived to have greater concern for their employees' welfare and wellbeing, improving employee morale and ultimately financial growth.
The offer of shared amenities in the office, according to Anette Bjerring Gammelgrd of the prestigious Scandinavian architectural company AART Architects, appeals particularly to younger generations, who are more impulsive in how they organise their time. According to her, the workplace of the future will be more like a community where workers can access the resources they require in order to succeed at work.
Similar to this, Jennifer Herr, Senior Interior Designer at the American firm Eppstein Uhen Architects, advises businesses to create mixed-use office spaces that can accommodate a range of work- and non-work-related activities.
No matter what function you do, she adds, “you could need two hours of pure heads-down attention time throughout the course of the day, and then you might need to meet with someone, which would demand a different sort of environment, like meeting in a conference room.
And then, there's the socialisation part of things, where you could run into a coworker while getting a cup of coffee in the break room and discuss your weekend plans. Additionally significant is the fact that it fosters employee trust.
preparing for unforeseen situations
The immediate interchange of ideas that naturally takes place as we go about our days is one of the major benefits of working in an office. Even when utilising collaborative technologies like Zoom, remote work for many of us involves a fairly regimented experience.
A smart office should allow for both planned and spontaneous contacts, according to Peter Ippolito, Managing Director of the international design firm Ippolito Fleitz Group, and should even promote such chance moments.
It's like when you meet someone by accident and start talking, and then all of a sudden, a new thought comes to you, isn't it? It's just a quick conversation with someone you run into in the corridor,” he explains.
It's crucial for businesses to integrate their office design with the corporate culture and its employees, whether you do this by purposely adding extra cafeterias, lounge spaces, or intersections as informal touchpoints.
“Physical obstacles, such as walls that divide or separate departments or zones, need to be removed or minimised, private offices need to be eliminated, and possibilities need to be created, such as shared collaboration zones or a common break room for chance meetings,” Lechuga claims.
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