DESIGNING OFFICES EMPLOYEES WANT TO WORK IN

Balancing the Need for Concentration and Collaboration

Commercial architects know a lot about designing

effective workspaces, but actual offices rarely reflect About This Research
cutting-edge design innovations. Stuck in traditional
closed-door offices and cubicle farms, many In September 2016, 1,046
employees are dissatisfied with their workspaces. people participated in APQC’s
People need physical working environments Envisioning the Workspace of
conducive to productivity, and employers can the Future survey.
differentiate themselves in the talent market by
investing in thoughtfully designed offices that take The research was designed to
advantage of technology and balance the need for help organizations understand
quiet and collaborative space. how looming technological and
cultural shifts may influence
APQC’s research reveals some specific guidelines to
their priorities and investments.
help organiztions design better, more flexible
workspaces for employees.

TRADITIONAL OFFICE SETUPS DON’T MATCH MODERN WORK

Despite glossy magazine spreads touting innovative designs—usually focused on Silicon Valley
tech giants’ penchant for moveable furniture, wellness rooms, and workplace arcades—
traditional, 20th century office environments remain a mainstay of most people’s work
experiences.

The results of APQC’s “Envisioning the Workspace of the Future” survey reflect this reality. Most
respondents report that they spend most of their time in traditional office configurations, be it a
designated office with a door or a cubicle (Figure 1). This is particularly true of North American
respondents, more than two-thirds of whom work from closed offices or cubicles. Twenty percent
of global respondents (but only 10 percent of North American ones) have slightly more modern
“open plan” setups where their designated workspaces lack walls or doors.

However, almost all the respondents work in static environments where the same physical spaces
must be used for a range of solitary and collaborative tasks. Only a very small fraction—7 percent
globally and 4 percent in North America—report having dynamic work environments where they
choose or are assigned different spaces each day based on their schedule or planned activities.

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 Where Respondents Spend Most of Their Work Time

N=1044

Figure 1

These office configurations may have been in place for many years, but they do not appear to be
meeting employees’ current needs as well as they could be. Three-fourths of respondents said
that a conducive physical working environment is a key factor in deciding whether to accept, keep,
or leave a job. Yet when asked how much they agreed with the statement, “The physical
environment in which I work helps me succeed and be productive” on a scale of 1 (strongly
disagree) to 5 (strongly agree), respondents gave a mean response of 3.54, which was the second
lowest score across the 12 statements APQC tested on the survey.

The dissatisfaction was led by Millennial respondents, 44 percent of whom did not agree that their
physical working environments help them succeed and be productive. APQC suspects that, as
more Boomers retire and Millennials become a larger percentage of the workforce, the level of
frustration with current office configurations will grow.

Both closed offices and open spaces have proven imperfect in terms of ensuring that employees
are both productive (better in private spaces) and collaborative (better in open spaces). Based on
the survey results, employers may want to rethink the spaces they provide for employees and
ensure that work environments are designed in a way that helps employees meet their daily goals.

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 EMPLOYEES SEEK VARIETY AND FLEXIBILITY
When asked what employers could do to make physical workspaces more productive, employees
cited a range of diverse needs. Workers want more space for individual work and quiet reflection,
but they also want more designated spaces for small-group collaboration, conversation, and
networking.

The downside of open office designs is manifestly apparent in the survey results. More than any
other change, respondents expressed a need for increased space for individual work and quiet
reflection (Figure 2). Demand for quiet space was particularly prevalent among Millennials, 78
percent of whom said their productivity would increase with additional access to such spaces.

Younger workers’ interest in quiet spaces may be a generational preference. But it is more likely
due to the fact that, as relative newcomers to their organizations, they tend to work in noisier or
more chaotic areas

Changes That Respondents Said Would Make Them More Productive at Work

Figure 2

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 However, noisy, distraction-filled spaces are not the only problem; employees also expressed a
need for more collaborative space. Although a majority of respondents said their workspaces had
sufficient conference and collaboration spaces for large groups of 10 or more, almost two-thirds
said their productivity would increase if they had additional conference and collaboration spaces
for smaller groups. A similar proportion of respondents felt that additional spaces for informal
socializing, networking, and spontaneous conversation would make them more productive.

Of course, the nature of work varies greatly among roles—and even within roles on a daily basis.
Nearly three-quarters of respondents said they spend between 25 percent and 75 percent of their
time on collaborative work, with the remainder focused on individual work. In other words, most
people’s jobs include a balance of collaborative and solitary undertakings. Organizations need to
take this mix of diverse activities into account when developing spaces for employees to work and
interact.

Adding designated spaces for solitude and small-group collaboration can help employees make
the most of their time. However, when offices have space constraints (and they usually do),
leaders may need to look at alternative solutions.

As a baseline, organizations should be thoughtful about the layout and acoustics of work areas,
especially if many people will cohabit the same space. Design research suggests that visual
connection, combined with at least partial acoustic privacy (e.g., through the installation of sound-
absorbing materials), may give employees the feeling of connection with their colleagues while
blocking out ambient noise and allowing them to focus.1

However, there are no one-size-fits-all solutions. Planners should think about the range of
activities each group performs, as well as the predominant personality types and workspace
preferences within that group, when determining the optimal layout.

A more innovative option is to use the same space in multiple ways, depending on the nature of
the work employees are performing. Sixty-five percent of respondents said they would be more
productive if their offices included more reconfigurable spaces where tables, chairs, white boards,
and even dividing walls can be moved around to suit different activities. This type of flexible
design can allow an organization to supply additional space for quiet work, small-group
collaboration, or large meetings depending on the needs of the workforce on a given day.

In addition, half the survey respondents said they would be more productive if their offices had
more spaces for hoteling, where unassigned workstations are shared among employees on an as-
needed basis. Traditionally, hoteling slots have been used to house temporary workers, remote
employees visiting the office, or others who do not have permanent workspaces. However, some
organizations are adopting this strategy more broadly by assigning employees laptops, cell

1
C.C. Sullivan and Barbara Horwitz-Bennett. “Workplace design trends: Make way for the Millennials.” Building Design + Construction,
May 19, 2014: www.bdcnetwork.com/workplace-design-trends-make-way-millennials.

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 phones, and lockers instead of desks. When employees arrive at the office, they are assigned or
decide on a work area for that day based on what they need to accomplish, who they need to be
near, and whether they would benefit from a quieter or more collaborative environment.

A final option is to loosen work-from-home policies so that employees can work remotely and
minimize distractions when working on tasks that require deep, solitary concentration. Sixty-two
percent of respondents said they would be more productive if they had additional flexibility to
exercise this option.

CONCLUSION
Organizations don’t need to anticipate every employee need in designing a workplace. Rather,
workers usually appreciate settings flexible enough to be configured as needed. Instead of
designing solely for collaborative or individual work, employers would best serve their
employees—and thus attract and retain talent—by enabling them to minimize distractions or
expedite teamwork based on the activities in which they are engaged on a given day.
This article is adapted from APQC’s report, Preparing for the Future of Work: The Latest Trends in
Office Design, HR Policy, Collaboration, and Search and Information Delivery.

ABOUT APQC
APQC helps organizations work smarter, faster, and with greater confidence. It is the world’s
foremost authority in benchmarking, best practices, process and performance improvement, and
knowledge management. APQC’s unique structure as a member-based nonprofit makes it a
differentiator in the marketplace. APQC partners with more than 500 member organizations
worldwide in all industries. With more than 40 years of experience, APQC remains the world’s
leader in transforming organizations. Visit us at www.apqc.org, and learn how you can make best
practices your practices.

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