New report underscores importance of workspace design
The workplace has an impact on an employee's productivity, according to new research, which underscored the importance of designing workspaces purposefully.
A new report from business transformation provider SPS polled over 500 employees in seven markets to find that the workplace is a performance driver for employees.
"Employees who report that their productivity is better since 2020 are twice as likely to believe their workplace is highly supportive compared to those who report a decline," the report read.
"Of the employees who report that their productivity is
worse, 30% say their main workplace is actively undermining their productivity."
Crisis of engagement at work
The report comes as organisations face a crisis of engagement among employees, where engagement levels dropped for managers to 27% globally.
The SPS report found similar findings, where middle managers are "more than three times as likely" to report that their productivity levels have declined since the pandemic than senior management.
"They attribute this decline to excessive meetings which prevent focused work and lack of resources, with one respondent claiming that it is because middle management has been 'left behind in the evolution of the world,'" the report read.
The report also found that employees at the early stages of their career are the least engaged with their company's culture.
These employees feel that their contributions are not recognised and appreciated, according to the report.
"They are also most likely to report that their work environments - including their main workplace and home - actively do not support their productivity," the report read.
Impact of workplaces
The location where employees work impacts their engagement, according to the SPS report.
"When employees come into the office and don't find the tools or spaces they need to succeed, they become disengaged," the report read.
It revealed that the least engaged employees often work in poorly resourced environments and face challenges in finding spaces to focus.
"These employees are most likely to feel frustrated by their environment and almost three-quarters of them said they would leave their company due to an inefficient workplace," the report added.
Designing for productivity
Work environments and the services they offer are the foundation of the work experience, according to the report. It enables employee performance that supports focus and collaboration.
"When employees say their workplace supports their productivity, they're usually talking about much more than just a desk or a chair, they're talking about the variety of spaces and services that support them to conduct different work activities," the report read.
It noted that workplace performance is also impacted by policies and technology, in addition to the work environment. It outlined the qualities of high-performing environments as:
- Flexible, offering a variety of spaces and services to enable different types of work
- Purposeful, with clear zoning, intuitive layouts, and smart design
- Human-centred, promoting connection and belonging
"Thoughtful planning, modern technology, and role-specific flexibility are critical to keeping people engaged and productive," said Dan Moscatiello, CEO North America & Global Head of Enterprise Workplace Solutions at SPS, in a statement.
"Without an engaging workplace experience, and greater autonomy, organisations risk not only losing top talent but also compromising their competitive performance."
