Elizabeth Dukes • Don Traweek

BLAZING NEW TRAILS IN THE WAY PEOPLE WORK

A Little History •  Offices have been around for millennia •  This Egyptian pictograph demonstrates the office of

ancient times

1940s •  We see individual offices appear •  Open planning was common across multiple industries such

as banking, insurance and media

1950s •  Open floor plans became more common •  Supervisors can definitely see you now

1970s •  Sometime during the 70s, the walls went up •  Cubicle farms were born

However, in this environment, how

can anyone tell you’re really

working?

The “Conference Room” •  Also known as: meeting rooms, huddle space, enclaves, collaboration space •  The  main  idea  is  ge,ng  people  together  to  share  thoughts  and  ideas,  

brainstorm  new  concepts,  leverage  other’s  strengths  and  innovate  

Today •  Where does that lead us? •  Where  else?  At  Google,  of  course!    •  A  place  famous  for  innova>ve  collabora>on  spaces  

like  these

Put yourself in this young grad’s shoes:

What assumptions are you going to make about working? What are you going to look for in your first job? What questions are you going to ask (other than about raises and bonuses)?

The Expectations

The whole world of work they are entering is quite different from what it used to be.

The twenty-somethings grew up with technology.

They understand it. They know how to use it. They expect it.

Do  you  think  the  talented  young  grad  would  choose  you  over  any  other  company?  

How can your company attract and retain top talent?

•  Create a meaningful, exciting and flexible work environment

•  Create a more holistic employee environment

•  Provide great online tools (social, communication)

•  Invest to integrate all learning content (as well as expert and social tools) into one easy-to-use interface – which is what young employees expect

Why  does  this  ma-er?  Unemployment remains high among many groups, highly skilled workers are in great demand as baby boomers retire in large volumes – making it critical

for organizations to become talent magnets and build passion among current and future employees. 

A Gallup poll says only 20% of the workforce

happy.

So as the economy picks up, people will

start changing jobs, and today’s social media

tools make it very easy to find opportunities.

The Reality Whether we’re in a corporate mega-campus on acres of rolling hills, or a customer’s office, we likely spend more time working than not.

American workers spend an extra seven hours per week on work tasks such as checking emails and answering phone calls outside normal work hours.

We also take fewer vacation days than anyone else.

Average American workweek = 46 hours Adding up to 378 + hours/ year than many Europeans

And we’re not finished when we leave the office…

The Solution We’re  expected  to  perform  at  our  very  best,  and  new  talent  is  demanding  more-­‐  but  the  tradi>onal  office  s>ll  forces  the  worker  to  adapt  to  a  fairly  rigid  infrastructure  that  doesn’t  foster  crea:vity  or  collabora:on.    

We should redesign the work environment to make it more enjoyable, collaborative, and fun. To appeal to the new generation and benefit the existing.

Zappos Headquarters

Google pioneered this strategy with the launch of yoga classes, basketball courts, and even a bowling alley at its California campus.

The Solution

Today, most high-technology companies serve free breakfast and lunch, along with ping-pong tables, provide couches, rooms in which to nap, and brightly colored cubicles and open work spaces. With no sign of cubicles, anywhere.

The key is to create an environment where your employees WANT to come to work.

Our co-founders have written a book titled, Wide Open Workspace, which will be released in April of this year.

It’s all about productivity and how it’s achieved in the contemporary business environment, and the transformation that is touching companies around the globe. The best workspaces must be flexible, mobile, and managed by technology that gives workers what they need to be successful.

The enduring image of the archetypal American cowboy is used in the book as a metaphor and parallel between the innovation, trailblazing, and

completely new thinking. Today’s human resources, information technology, and facilities

management professionals must be inventive, nimble and courageous, just like the cowboy of the 19th century.

The changes are exciting, and they challenge all of us to understand and

embrace them.

Days of the giant cube farms are as over as the days of polished mahogany

office doors with names stenciled in

gold.

Looking to the Future

Technology, globalization, and a

new generation in the workforce have changed all that

permanently..

Click here to learn more about our vision:

WWW.IOFFICECORP.COM/WIDE-OPEN-WORKSPACE