Knoll has released a new study, The Case for a Thriving Workplace, based on fourth-quarter 2020 data from a survey of 81 workplace executives across a wide range of organizations located in North America. “We set out to provide actual answers and address some of the questions of the moment, and to provide meaningful insights,” said Kylie Roth, vice president of research at Knoll and lead author of the study.
While most people have been in survival mode during the pandemic, the Knoll team embraced the idea of thriving, which shaped their dialogue with the survey participants. “This was an opportunity for organizations to rethink and reimagine how they were looking at work. We wanted to talk about what it means to thrive in the workplace, but also how you can thrive as a person. For us at Knoll, it was a really enlightening moment. It wasn’t just about metrics and space, it was a bigger conversation,” Roth explained.
Knoll’s research identified six elements that define a “Thriving Workplace.”
Powers the Workplace Ecosystem
“The voice of the employee is more powerful than ever before,” said Roth. Companies are empowering employees to select where, when, and how they work. They are allowing staff to choose the environment that supports them holistically—personally, communally, mentally, and physically— for the work they need to do. Employees now have the flexibility to work from corporate headquarters, a satellite office, home, a coworking space, or even from a third space—like a café or on the road.
Employers need to provide guidance, support, and effective communication so that their employees can make informed decisions about where they work, their workspace, or their hours. “Companies need to provide the tools and resources to allow people to work in multiple locations. There’s still going to be a large percentage of associates that work either fully remote three or four days a week, or one to two days a week,” Roth noted.
Indeed, roughly one-third of the firms surveyed predicted that employees will work remotely one or two days a week. About one-quarter surmised that their workforce will work remotely three or four days a week. And about 14% reported that their workforce is going totally remote.
Delivers a Cultural Hub
The workplace is a location where employees make connections with a sense of purpose and fulfillment. “The office needs to be the hub that brings people together and embodies the culture of a company,” Roth explained. The office is a place designed for brainstorming, problem-solving, learning, exchanging ideas, and sharing knowledge. Spaces that foster collaboration are key now more than ever, because humans are social beings that long for connection. “People are really struggling with the lack of socialization, and we know from our conversations that younger associates in particular want to be back in the office. You can’t replace that in-person, face-to-face experience that you get from going into an office environment. There’s so much that you can just feel when you walk into a space, and the culture is very much a part of that,” Roth added.
The workplace needs to be planned for both on-site workers and those that are remote so that they can all work efficiently. Almost half of the companies surveyed said that their primary emphasis going forward would be to support collaborative work, while only 12% identified focus work as a priority. Organizations are planning on increasing their proportion of group spaces by about 45%, and projecting a 22% decrease in individual workspaces.
Embraces Flexibility
The workplace needs to be easily adaptable over time. Adopting a furniture-as-architecture approach, for example, provides flexible space-planning solutions that allow employees to change their spaces to suit their needs at any given moment. Another tool for creating flexibility is the shift away from one desk per staff member to a model that supports a more transient worker who may choose to work away from the office. “Organizations are really looking to move to a desk-sharing or unassigned seating model. Even companies that have never done something like that before are really trying to embrace a more flexible work setting,” Roth said.
Post-pandemic, it is expected that the average percentage of unassigned spaces will more than double, and the percentage of assigned spaces will drop by a third. Pre-pandemic, participants reported an average split of about 80% assigned to 20% unassigned workspaces. They predicted a change to an average of about 55% assigned to 45% unassigned over the next two years. This is approximately a one-third decrease in the percentage of assigned spaces. Knoll also found that the predicted average sharing ratio within the next two years will be 1:3.1 (workspaces to people). It is also notable that those surveyed expect decreases in the square footage of their managed workspace portfolio post-COVID.
Offers a Variety of Choice
Companies need to offer their employees a landscape choice, from giving them the freedom to select work locations or allowing them to reconfigure a space. “We have to give employees latitude, and the ability to choose where and how they work. We also have to give them more location options. We know that outdoor spaces have become important, as well as socialization areas. It’s about giving people other places to do their jobs besides individual workstations. I think it’s exciting that organizations are willing to experiment right now because there is no exact, right answer. They are trying new things, and will ultimately come up with a solution that works for them,” Roth explained.
As businesses continue to focus on the types of spaces they can utilize, we will continue to see a shift from individual to group areas. In fact, two-thirds of those surveyed expected decreases in the number of individual workspaces. As organizations look to create hubs for collaborative work, more than 60% of the respondents predicted an increase in the number of meeting spaces, and more than 50% forecasted an increase in the number of social interaction spaces. Nearly 40% of the participants also predicted an increase in the number of outdoor spaces.
Leverages Technology for “Phygital” Collaboration
A “phygital” workspace crosses the divide between the physical and digital, providing technologically advanced tools to foster connections, while still encouraging analog experiences. “Having technology at work or home is essential so that people have the ability to connect in different ways. We need tools that allow workers to collaborate across locations and provide some sense of equity. People want to come together for brainstorming sessions, and the analog tools, like whiteboards and sticky notes, are just as important as the digital ones,” Roth said. Convenient power access and reliable devices are needed so that colleagues can stay in touch no matter where they are—across the globe or around the corner. Platforms like avatars, assisted reality, and virtual reality will enable the distributed workforce to stay engaged.
Technology supports a staff that is mobile and is increasingly turning to unassigned space. More than 50% of the companies surveyed are currently using room reservation apps, and almost 25% are using room occupancy hardware and sensors to manage the utilization of meeting rooms. Of the few respondents not currently using technology, 70% noted that they are considering implementing room reservation technology within the next year.
Encompasses Holistic Well-Being
The pandemic has increased stress for workers of all ages, as they try to maintain work-life balance. Working from home has added to employee anxiety, especially for parents of young children who must now add home-schooling duties to their regular workloads. Concerns about mental health continue to dominate, but Roth said that we are also focusing on physical health again, and how extended periods of time at home are impacting the body. “We’ve seen a resurgence in conversations about the need for ergonomic design. There are more issues around how people have their home office set up, and whether or not the furniture provides the best comfort and support. Companies are really wanting to assist home workers with that.”
In addition to health and wellness, firms are addressing diversity to ensure company success. When participants were asked to choose the two most important business drivers of their post-pandemic workplace strategy, 60% selected issues related to “people” considerations, including organizational brand, workforce engagement, and employee social cohesion.
Companies must be willing to create spaces that meet different needs, and make sure that all staff members are seen, heard, and rewarded for their efforts.
