by Brianna Crandall — July 4, 2014—IdeaPaint recently unveiled its Functional Workplace Survey, which includes findings on the need for greater team collaboration and how the right office design can heighten collaboration and productivity for workers. The survey polled 600 employed professionals, uncovering their perceptions of their office design and environment, current work/life balance ratios, and beliefs on what the future holds for the next generation of workers. It also touched on the specific demands of Millennial workers and their desire for modern work environments and more flexible working hours that do not intrude on their personal time.
The survey also highlighted four key trends that may give facilities managers insight into office configuration, space management and sound masking challenges:
1. Traditional office designs remain common, yet lack critical elements
- Although open office layouts have gained notoriety in recent years as a means to increase collaboration and innovation, most respondents reported working in more traditionally designed office layouts—including the mix of cubicles and private offices (34%).
- Only 9% reported working in an open office environment.
- 59% believe that their current office layout is “noisy,” and 47% identified “interruptions” as a problem impacting their ability to focus on work.
- 49% indicated that traditional conference rooms were the only spaces available to gather and collaborate, but could be difficult to reserve.
- 56% of respondents reported having only 1-3 total collaborative spaces within their workplace.
2. Employees desire more collaborative work environments
- More than half the respondents (54%) reported it was either “Important” or “Very Important” for their employers to facilitate a more collaborative work environment.
- Respondents work in a variety of office design layouts—23% work in offices comprised of only cubicles or entirely private offices, while more than half (54%) prefer a mixture of both private offices and open layout.
- 31% believe that there is a need for more spaces to gather and collaborate, while one-third wish their offices had more socially geared spaces that allow casual conversations in the office.
“Today’s employees want workspaces that readily adapt to whatever task is at hand, allowing for increased collaboration with fellow workers,” said Dr. Marla Gottschalk, a workplace psychologist. “However, providing open spaces or conference rooms won’t guarantee a dynamic, collaborative environment. This requires a commitment from leadership to invest in the right tools and practices that foster a culture of collaboration.”
3. Work/life balance remains a challenge, but employees are hopeful for the future
- The notion of leaving “work at work” is quickly becoming a thing of the past as 57% of respondents indicated that they were required to be available beyond standard working hours.
- Most of them (63%) have accepted the changing nature of workplace boundaries and feel resigned to the fact that encroachment into their personal lives is the new normal.
- 62% believe employers should provide on-site perks so they can achieve a better work/life balance.
- 35% consider themselves to be workaholics.
- 79% hope that the future generation of younger workers will have better work/life balance options than they have.
4. Millennials desire more modern work environments but don’t want to take work home
- Millennial workers now represent 25% of the total U.S. workforce, and are often characterized as having markedly different views on the workplace when compared to other generations. 15% of the total survey respondents were Millennial workers.
- 30% of Millennials surveyed believe it is “unacceptable” for employers to expect them to be available beyond standard working hours.
- 56% believe that the expectation of employees being available on a 24/7 basis to their organization and/or customers is here to stay, while 58% expressed that limiting work communications during off hours was either “Important” or “Very Important.”
“The Functional Workplace Survey results were very enlightening,” said IdeaPaint President John Stephans. “We hope this research encourages organizations to try and make their workplaces even better—whether it’s offering more informal gathering spaces or utilizing new collaboration tools. Even just a few small changes will help them attract and retain the best talent while fostering a culture of collaboration and results generation in the process.”
IdeaPaint, a leader and innovator in workplace collaboration technology via its unique dry erase paint that transforms any smooth surface into an erasable canvas, has made the full Functional Workplace Survey available on its Web site for minimal registration.
