Workplace Design for the Information Worker

By Jodi Mardesich

A new study of college and university environments signals changes coming in the workforce of the future. The workers of tomorrow are more computer savvy -- computers, collaborative technologies, and social networking are part of their lives.

"These new employees will arrive with high computing competency and greater collaborative behavior than their predecessors, along with the expectation that their organization's computing environment is a work-life toolkit that will allow them to blend personal and professional activities," says Kathy Harris, an analyst with Gartner Inc., who co-authored the report.

CIOs should think ahead to try to figure out how changes in the technological fabric of the workplace will require changes in the physical work environment as well, and make these recommendations to other C-level executives and, perhaps, the board.

The Gartner report predicts that younger workers who regularly use social networking sites like MySpace will expect to collaborate more, not just with peers, but also with managers and partners. By 2010, the average knowledge worker will be actively participating in a minimum of 10 teams, and 30% of these people will engage in teams with external participants, the Gartner report says. In the same time frame, 70% of IT and business workers will want to work in jobs that allow them to move among roles, teams, assignments, and communities of practice, the report says.

"Organizations are also struggling to change culture and behaviors from competitive to collaborative across the corporate workforce and workplace," Harris says. "The good news is that, as today's students move into the workforce, the behavior and culture desired by organizations will, in fact, become the norm."

Organizations seeking to develop a more collaborative culture now need to look at redesigning the physical work environment. Workplace flexibility and physical environments impact productivity, as well as a worker's ability to collaborate, share ideas, and innovate.

"Working environment has a fundamental impact on recruitment, retention, productivity, and ultimately on the organization's ability to achieve its business strategy," states a report from Gensler, an architectural design consulting firm based in San Francisco. Conversely, poorly designed offices could hamper an organization's profitability, through losses in productivity and by not attracting and retaining the right employees.

Much of a workplace's structure and ambiance -- from lighting, to layout, to air quality -- is determined by the facilities department. However, because technology is such a key part of the work environment, CIOs should have a say in the strategic planning of the workplace of the future. 

"The physical space is flexible, which allows not only changes in configuration but changes in technology," says Erica Driver, principal analyst with Forrester Research.

Here are several ways CIOs can prepare for this new generation of workers:

• Envision IT needs of workers In planning the future workplace, CIOs should identify a number of roles that people in the company play, and determine what each of those roles requires, Driver says. For example, someone on a factory floor who doesn't sit at a desk may need access to email, or a worker who climbs telephone poles may need a speech portal to access his calendar.  Some employees might straddle both worlds, participating in a group and needing part-time office space, but also working in the field.
• Imagine how workers will collaborate Because collaboration software allows people to work together in real time or asynchronously, Driver says, physical workspaces must accommodate that. Walled-in private offices may give way to semi-private workspaces with short walls or transparent walls with audio privacy but visual connectivity, she says. It's not just having an open room full of desks. "It's thinking of the needs of the organization and the needs of the worker, and trying to strike a balance," she says. For collaborating with remote employees, conference rooms should have video screens and high-bandwidth Internet connections, monitors for application sharing, and white boarding that allows people in conference calls to feel more connected.
• Meet the needs of tele-workers Organizations must adapt the physical workplace to meet the needs of collaborative workers. At the same time, more employees are working from home or away from the office. According to a survey from Hudson Highland, almost one quarter of the workforce works from home or is given that option, and 59% believe that telecommuting at least part of the time is ideal. Buildings should accommodate workers who are not always in the office, allowing offices or workspaces to be shared among different workers.
• Use the working environment as a hiring and retention tool A core part of a company's strategy is to attract the kind of employee they want and then retain that person. There's an enormous transition under way in the workplace, as baby boomers retire and so-called "millennials" enter the workforce. "They have vastly different styles, and there is a change that organizations have to go through to recruit," Driver says. The right physical environment -- one that encourages collaboration -- can attract and keep employees. According to the Gensler report, 79% of professionals say the quality of their working environment is very important to their job satisfaction. One-third say that their working environment has been a contributing factor in their decision to accept or reject a job.
• The physical workplace needs to be adaptable Technology changes at the speed of light compared to the way the physical environment changes. Buildings can last for dozens or hundreds of years, "a different timeline than they're used to working on," Driver says. CIOs can help to communicate and translate their technical needs to the facilities staff. For example, buildings could have raised floors with wires underneath instead of behind solid walls.

CIOs can also influence the organization to build more environmentally friendly buildings. Younger workers in particular are very concerned about the environment. Buildings that draw on natural light, and that consciously work to reduce their environmental footprint through lower energy use, can help organizations recruit and retain younger workers.

As technology executives take part in workplace design decisions, they can ensure that the physical and technological needs of workers are both addressed, improving productivity and worker satisfaction.

Jodi Mardesich writes about business and technology. Her writing has appeared in The New York Times, Fortune, San Jose Mercury News, Salon, Slate, and Yoga Journal.