We are in midst of one a significant transformations of the workplace – the movement towards the Alternative Workplace. It’s a major shift in thinking about how and where work gets done. Quite simply, millions of workers now go to work without “going” anywhere, or work wherever they happen to be.
Welcome to Mobile Work, or Distributed Work, or Telecommuting – facilitated by technology that allows us to connect with our colleagues with growing simplicity, speed, and security. If our conventional office space is the first place we work, and the home is the second place, there are also the many “third” places – Starbucks, the airport lounge, or almost any public place where we can access information and connect to others to get work done. Mobile work is happening, sometimes managed through carefully crafted programs, but often through “don’t ask – don’t tell” policies, where certain workers are allowed to work off site when personal or business reasons require it.
And it’s happening here in Boston, now the top city in the country for mobile workers, according to a recent survey by Microsoft. Percentages as high as 40% of the population working remotely – at least some of the time – are now reported in Hartford by their economic development agency.
Alternative Workplace Strategies have been adopted by a noteworthy list of organizations, with impressive levels of success. IFMA’s (International Facilities Managers Association) comprehensive 2009 research report, “Distributed Work” spotlights corporations including AT&T, General Dynamics, Hewlett Packard, BP, Bank of America, and others that are experiencing the rewards of space optimization and productivity gains – by acknowledging that work doesn’t need to happen in an eight by eight cube between nine and five.
The economic benefits of reducing real estate are obvious – real estate often represents the largest cost item after labor in most corporate budgets. Send people home and their workspaces are no longer needed. IBM has estimated its 10 year old “On Demand Workplace” program has achieved a real estate cost avoidance of $450,000,000 per year. But surprisingly, often other reasons drive the adoption an alternative strategy –increased productivity, flexibility, work/life balance, reduced carbon footprint, and enhanced recruiting/retention.
So, why hasn’t the Alternative Workplace become even more widespread? It saves money, can make workers more productive, and offers a flexible work style attractive across a great demographic spectrum. Resistance to change is one reason, and the impact of change on an organization’s culture.
Traditionally, management expected workers to be in attendance on a regular schedule, where they can be observed. Workers often feel the need to be seen by their managers, to demonstrate they engaged in productive work. To meet this challenge, work closely with the company’s HR group to address issues of individual responsibility and trust taking a more prominent role in management. Understand the expectations carefully craft policies that support the expectations.
Be ready to address workers’ specific needs, as they will vary. The work styles of individuals in an organization vary across a continuum of ‘residency’ – from the full time resource person who never moves, to the mobile on-site worker who moves around the office (or campus) from meeting to meeting, to the traveler who may almost never be in the office. Understand and adapt to these variables
Technology itself can present an impediment. Secure communications technology does not always perform as promised, and the best virtual collaboration tools may not be available when and where they’re needed. Analyze carefully the many options for remote access and collaboration, from telepresence, Skype, electronic whiteboards, and other tools to understand which solutions fit your organization. Technology can be costly, but it can be effective and can deliver a high ROI if chosen wisely. The goals are ease of use and maintaining security.
Finally, the old planning model of the workplace – cubes, offices, conference rooms – isn’t suitable for an Alternative Workplace. Mobile workers frequently return to the “central office”, to engage in face to face meetings, to access technology and tools that may not be available remotely, and to experience a sense of community. This requires re-thinking the design of the central office, into what I like to call the “High-Performance” workplace. The emphasis is on creating spaces that support instruction/training, structured collaboration, informal socialization (a key to collaboration) and quiet focused work. The real The global recession and competitive business environment is driving the search for cuts in operating costs and increases in productivity. “Gen Y”/”Millennials” expect a flexible work environment that takes advantage of their ability to work where and when they can. And communication technology continues to make it easier to meet virtually almost anytime, anywhere. These and other factors are driving the movement to alternative workplaces. To be ready, organizations need to combine real estate/design strategies with corporate cultural concerns and information technology. The synergy of these three will go a long way towards insuring a successful transition towards the Alternative Workplace.
Jeff Mulliken, AIA, LEED AP, Principal Workplaces Inc
