Photos courtesy of PDR
When looking for answers on what the future of work holds, there is no shortage of advice on this subject. However, as the CEO of a global interior architecture and consulting firm, I’ve found most are framing the problem wrong, they are looking from the perspective of solving for “it.” Here’s a novel idea — what if we solved the “Future of Work” problem based on what is best for the human beings who have dedicated the work part of their lives to our organizations?
We don’t have a Math problem: How much can we reduce?
We don’t have a Real Estate problem: How much real estate, and what kind do we need now?
If we have learned anything from our pandemic experience it is that we have human problems. Workers are human beings — go figure. Thus, let us frame the Future of Work in the context of what would be better for people. Let’s use Math and Real Estate for what they are, tools used in the solution to the human dilemma — how to bring out the best in people and enable them to do their very best work wherever and whenever that may be in order to tap into all of their creative potential and focus their brainpower (capture maximum mindshare) for the outcomes and results that their organizations need.
With all the discussion on how to bring people back into the fold of the workplace: leave people at home, make them come to the office, some of both, give them choice, tell them what to do. We believe conversations need to solve for the Human Experience as the future of work is about creating the best possible human experience — for the humans doing the work.
The best Human Experience is frictionless — one that eliminates the stresses of navigating and accomplishing the basic tasks of work. Creators of workplace, work culture, and work experience should learn from the lessons of the UI/UX (user experience) world. Seemingly intended to create a better experience for users of technology, when in fact the entire intention of user experience originated to get people to do something they did not need to do and added no value to their lives in the first place — click, watch, like, buy something. Bait for an ulterior purpose. An intentional user experience would enable people to do something they need to do better and easier, removing friction and eliminating low value to elevate, inspire, and unleash the potential of humans.
Workplace solutions must respond to people as individuals with unique needs and be based not on getting people to do something — particularly that they don’t need to do i.e., come to the office, stay at home, or a specific hybrid schedule — but on supporting what they do or actually need.
Organizations must establish new intentions for why they bring people together and for what purpose. Why do we exist? What is our purpose? What role does the physical and the digital workplace play in who we are, why we do what we do, how we do it? What do we want our terrifically talented people to do together in the places we create? Connect with each other, connect with our brand, create community, learn, share, enjoy, inspire, motivate? Only then can you answer how much and what kind of space is needed.
The answer should be based on quality not quantity. Considering less only as a way of creating more — for your people and your organization to avoid unintended consequences. The unintended consequences are creating too much or too little of the wrong kind of space.
Seizing this moment of boundless opportunities takes courage. Companies who take this moment to understand their human talent and create a work experience culture that is based on trust, empowerment, and accountability — will thrive, win, leapfrog their competition, tap into the latent and untapped potential in their current people, attract the best of the best talent to their organizations, and become the kind of organization that brilliant human beings want to work for. Isn’t that the goal?
What of the companies that are not seizing the moment to make these shifts? Put people at the center of the solution? They are not set to last long in this new competitive landscape we are all entering.
As president and CEO of PDR, Lauri leads an integrated practice of architecture, design and workplace strategies to help business leaders from global organizations to start-ups better position their companies for the future. Throughout her nearly 30-year career at PDR, Lauri has worked from inside her clients’ offices, including ExxonMobil, Chevron, Hines, HP, and Sonos, to help create innovative workplaces that deliver better human experiences and results.