by Shane Henson — January 24, 2014—The corporate workplace is transforming rapidly, and key among the changes taking place is a focus on maximizing the productivity and efficiency of the work environment, according to a report recently released by commercial real estate services firm Cushman & Wakefield.
The report is based on a global survey identifying the key drivers of workplace transformation. The Workplace Transformation Survey—A Global View of Workplace Change report notes that occupiers are taking a comprehensive view of change and pursuing a number of strategies in order to achieve their desired goals.
Cost factors, while significant, were not seen as the most influential drivers of change. On average, occupiers cited human resource factors such as recruiting, employee collaboration, workforce productivity and improved work/life balance over cost factors such as reduced facility costs and lower churn rate (the number of people getting moved in the course of a year) as drivers of workplace change, the survey found.
Also, the majority of respondents planning new workplace initiatives cited design changes as being the most highly considered change strategies. Open plan architecture, flexible layouts, and furniture solutions, as well as reducing the amount of space per person in favor of increased collaborative space, all ranked high.
Respondents ranked employee satisfaction as the highest factor to measure the success of workplace change programs.
The survey was conducted via two channels. Qualified corporate real estate (CRE) attendees at the CoreNet Global Summits held in Shanghai, Amsterdam, and Las Vegas, hailing from a variety of countries and from a range of industries, answered questions either online or in person. Cushman & Wakefield also administered the survey directly to a wider audience of qualified respondents.
