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Establishing rules for the new workplace - Economics

USA Today (Society for the Advancement of Education), Nov, 2002 by John A. Challenger

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Again, flexibility is key because not all employees will be wireless road warriors. In fact, the multigenerational workplace means that technology comfort and adaptability run a wide spectrum. Each age group has a preferred method of working. You may need telephones and full-sized PCs in some offices, while other employees carry in and take home their cell phone and battery-powered flat-screen laptop.

If younger recruits don't see that the workplace is outfitted with the latest technology, or at least has the capability to "plug and play" they will assume the company is out of date. On the other hand, an aging workforce is not going to want to be overwhelmed by new technology. So, adaptable work stations that allow different age groups a way to connect become vital.

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Community. Common and open or public areas are more important at companies increasingly populated by free agents and others who have little or no corporate loyalty or memory. The same technology that gives people the freedom to change jobs frequently and set their own schedules at work also leaves them isolated. Today, we see people coming together who have little mutual history individually or with the company. They have not developed the rapport that comes from working together for many years.

Spaces should be designed with common areas that force people together, such as war rooms to encourage strategic collaboration and teamwork, and areas that create water-cooler conversations, enhance productivity and make people want to stay. Post-Sept. 11, security-conscious companies will have less-conspicuous entrances and public areas for nonemployees, but public areas inside the workplace will be a vital design feature.

The changing roles of the workplace make the large corner office and its "aircraft-carrier" desk obsolete, an overt display of power and status within the workplace. Private offices will become smaller, accommodating hoteling salesmen, consultants, and temporary workers as well as those who spend hours in the office each day. Private space will be in the middle of the building and public rooms on the perimeter, with windows and lots of natural light. To maintain costs, some space could flip between public and private, with furniture that adapts to multiple purposes.

Work/life balance. Even if they share space with others or push a "personalized pedestal" with their files in it to a temporary office, workers need to express their identity with personal touches. Small shelves or other design features could make it easier to place family photos and other items that maintain a connection to home in the office. People want to feel they have their own identity within an organization. They do not want to be nameless or detached from their life outside of the workplace.

Flex-time, telecommuting, and the demands of the global, 24/7 economy stretch out the workweek, requiring that offices be functional at odd hours and weekends. For many companies, this means support staff cannot always be on hand, and supplies and tools must be readily available and usable by employees at all levels. Firms might also invest in small satellite offices that are closer to some workers' homes and available for most functions.

Establishing rules for the new workplace - Economics

USA Today (Society for the Advancement of Education), Nov, 2002 by John A. Challenger

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