The British Council for Offices sponsored research on the workplace design-related opinions, expectations and experiences of office workers. The design of spaces where people work should align with tasks to be accomplished, organizational culture, etc., so although the insights shared are interesting, they do not necessarily indicate how workplaces should be designed. Findings are available free at the website noted below.
Data, collected via a survey of people working in offices revealed that, “Employees are seeking greater control of their office. Lighting and temperature are of key importance to employees, and there is increased demand for new technologies that would allow these factors to be controlled at desk level…40% of respondents believe that the office positively impacts on their physical health and 48% believe the office positively impacts on their mental health…30% have the opposite view…[and] said the office does them harm…20% of male survey respondents would always or often use a standing desk if offered one…25% of the respondents would be willing to commute an extra 30 minutes to work in their perfect office…Having a dedicated desk is by far the preferred option, accounting for 60% of respondents’ preference, a notable increase from 41% in the 2013 survey…despite the rapid evolution of hot-desking, collaboration and flexible working technology, most want to work from their own desk.”
British Council for Offices. 2016. “What Workers Want 2016.” http://www.bco.org.uk/Research/Publications/What_Workers_Want_2016.aspx
Sally Augustin, PhD, a cognitive scientist, is the editor of Research Design Connections (www.researchdesignconnections.com), a monthly subscription newsletter and free daily blog, where recent and classic research in the social, design, and physical sciences that can inform designers’ work are presented in straightforward language. Readers learn about the latest research findings immediately, before they’re available elsewhere. Sally, who is a Fellow of the American Psychological Association, is also the author of Place Advantage: Applied Psychology for Interior Architecture (Wiley, 2009) and, with Cindy Coleman, The Designer’s Guide to Doing Research: Applying Knowledge to Inform Design (Wiley, 2012). She is a principal at Design With Science (www.designwithscience.com) and can be reached at sallyaugustin@designwithscience.com.