Transitioning to 100% Unassigned Seating – Case Study – Philips
Transitioning to 100% Unassigned Seating: A Case Study on Workplace Innovation
Moving Employees to Unassigned Office Seating
Philips’ Workplace Innovation (WPI) initiative marked the introduction in North America of the alternative workspace strategy developed at corporate headquarters in the Netherlands. Stegmeier Consulting Group (SCG) led the transition from private offices and dedicated cubicles to an open shared-space environment, with 100 percent unassigned spaces. This project, located in Andover, Massachusetts, was the first outside of Europe for Philips Real Estate Group, which is responsible for a 20-million-square-foot portfolio in North America and Latin America, supporting a workforce of more than 40,000 people.
Improving Workforce Mobility to Reduce Real Estate Costs
Over time, numerous acquisitions by the corporation resulted in a complex organization with many subcultures. Weak adoption of the company’s flexible work arrangements by managers presented a significant risk to the project team. Without increasing workforce mobility, the implementation of the alternative workspace strategy would not produce the targeted ratio of employee to workspace.
Other challenges included transitioning from heavy reliance on paper to electronic storage; shifting from a culture that permitted highly personalized cubicles to a clean-desk policy in a free-address environment; and overcoming managers’ resistance to supervising employees they would not see daily. These challenges underscored the need for a structured and well-communicated change management plan to guide employees through the transition.
Preparing Managers and Employees for a Shift to Unassigned Office Seating
In our role of leading transition management, SCG was responsible for efforts in managing change, mitigating risk, developing a communications strategy and plan, crafting communications content and materials, and driving employee engagement. SCG was also responsible for translating the workplace strategy and transition management directives established in the Netherlands and for “Americanizing” the desired behavioral changes to ensure quick buy-in and sustainable work behaviors and protocols.
In enhancing Philips’ pre-existing toolkit, SCG incorporated a number of our proprietary tools, ensuring that the organization’s corporate workplace standards would be implemented while maintaining flexibility for local culture and operational needs. Through training, communication, and leadership engagement, employees were equipped to adapt confidently to the new work environment.
The Evolution of Workplace Innovation
SCG has been re-engaged by Philips to support the company’s relocation from Andover to Cambridge in 2020, with emphasis on change management and the employee experience of working in Cambridge Crossing—a vibrant mixed-use community offering a diversity of amenities, activities, and events. This next chapter in workplace innovation continues Philips’ journey toward creating an agile, people-centered, and forward-thinking work environment.
Consulting Services to Help Companies Implement Unassigned Seating
Does this sound like something that could help your company navigate the waters of a workplace change? If you’re interested in strategic planning and change implementation to align your workforce and workplace strategies, take the first step by reaching out to Stegmeier Consulting Group through the form below.
