How would your team rate their workplace satisfaction?

Written by Admin on 08/02/2017. Posted in Workplace

It’s no surprise that research consistently shows that satisfied workers are more motivated and therefore more productive. Here are just a few statistics that Evoke Projects has taken note of:

• Happy employees are 12% more productive. ¹
• On average, global employees indicated that if they were fully motivated, they would increase their productivity by 25 percent. ²
• Looking at business units ranking in the top and bottom 25% on employee engagement, there was an 18% drop in productivity between the top and bottom performers. ³

So how satisfied (motivated/productive) are the employees in your office? Satisfaction is of course subjective, but there are several factors that are likely to be important to them:

• Office environment including office design, furniture and resources
• Salary and holidays
• Relationship with co-workers and managers
• Promotion and training opportunities
• Workload

Five ways to improve workplace satisfaction

Evoke Projects has some tips on improving workplace satisfaction through strategic office design, based on UK and USA Gensler 2016 Workplace Surveys. ⁴ These surveys specifically examine the role that modern office design plays in employee performance and motivation.

1. Involve staff in plans for your new office fit-out or refurbishment
   If employees have contributed ideas to an office fit-out, they are more likely to take ownership for the result and will be more positive. Staff like to feel valued and listened to. Of course, budgets and practicalities will mean that some ideas cannot be implemented, but if the fit-out consultation is managed well, workplace satisfaction can improve before the office refurbishment has even started!
2. Don’t let seniority dictate office design and space planning
   Gensler’s UK research shows that 89% of senior managers have private offices, compared to 23% of lower ranked staff. Interestingly, although those with private offices were more effective at work, Gensler identified that better designed open plan offices and more workspace choice were the real keys to staff performance.At Evoke Projects, we often advise new office fit-out clients that they don’t need to have private offices to provide optimum working spaces. It’s good to see international research confirming this. Some private offices are often required for confidential work, but allocate them according to need, rather than seniority. You will see more total productivity gain from an office fit-out with well-designed open plan spaces.
3. Balance comfort, looks and safety
   A safe work environment, good light, heating, cooling and pleasant amenities are important for workplace satisfaction. If you missed Evoke’s December article on Looking and Feeling Good, Safely – Your Office Design Essentials, check it out for more tips on motivating staff.
4. Embrace activity based working in your next office refurbishment
   Open plan offices will often form part of an activity based working strategy (ABW). ABW means that the office design and furniture support the processes and tasks taking place in each area. During your next office fit-out, include private spaces, collaborative zones, breakout areas and shared workstation/desk spaces.Give employees a choice about which space to use. Gensler’s UK survey showed a 4.1/5 overall workplace satisfaction rating when staff could choose their workspace compared to 3.7/5 when they had no choice.In Gensler’s U.S. survey, ‘innovators’ were shown to spend less time at their desks. This is because they have a choice of areas in which to work. Gensler’s report also refers to good management styles that facilitate staff autonomy. At Evoke Projects, we assist managers to implement ABW effectively for their business processes. After all, great office design and furniture need people behind them!
5. Drive staff innovation through great office design
   Gensler’s U.S. survey found that the most innovative staff had better designed workspaces. And it wasn’t just their individual desk area that the staff rated highly. They also judged their meeting rooms and common areas, even the bathrooms, to be well designed.

Please call Evoke Projects to find out more about office designs and activity based working that will improve your workplace satisfaction. Telephone 1300 720 692.

1. https://www.fastcompany.com/3048751/the-future-of-work/happy-employees-are-12-more-productive-at-work
2. http://fticommunications.com/2016/08/motivated-increase-productivity-25-good-thats-start/
3. http://www.insyncsurveys.com.au/resources/articles/employee-engagement/2012/10/impact-of-employee-engagement-on-productivity/
4. http://www.gensler.com/research-insight/workplace-surveys

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