by: Jessica Sheridan Assoc. AIA LEED AP
According to a nationwide study of office workers released by Gensler, workplace design plays a pivotal role in overall business performance by supporting the new work modes of a knowledge economy. The Gensler 2008 U.S. Workplace Survey reveals that top-performing companies are embracing a fundamental restructuring of work through workplace design that places as much emphasis on collaboration, learning, and socialization as on individual “heads-down” work. Companies providing workplaces that are more effective for knowledge work are seeing higher levels of employee engagement, brand equity, and profit, with profit growth up to 14% greater than those with less effective work environments.
The Gensler survey makes evident that improving business performance via workplace improvements depends on the quality of space functionality and effectiveness, not quantity of space. Specifically, designing a workplace to support the right proportion of four knowledge work modes — focus, collaboration, learning, and socializing — is a key differentiator. Top-performing companies are those identified by survey respondents as the most profitable, admired, and leading in their industries. To read the full survey along with tips on workplace design, click the link.