It sounds like a gag straight out of a Dilbert cartoon. But for a growing number of companies, taking away assigned desks and turning employees into office nomads has its advantages.
At Citi, executives saw office work space going unused because employees were home sick, out on vacation or on flexible schedules. So the company filled an entire floor of a building in Long Island City with conference rooms, meeting areas and desks — but no assigned desks. In fact, there are only 150 spaces for 200 people, according to Harvard Business Review. Employees put their personal belongings in lockers and simply find a space where they want to work.
The trend of companies seeking a more mobile and “agile” workforce continues to grow as this article documents. Presently, most work environments are set up to maximize productivity. What a redesigned and more team-focused environment does however is inspire collaboration and innovation. The goal? Maximize productivity AND innovation simultaneously. At Stegmeier Consulting Group, we work with organizations in various fields and of all sizes to help with transitions to new office layouts and new ways of thinking about workplace efficiency.
Stegmeier Consulting Group can assist with a wide range of challenges involved in implementing a workplace change initiative. Contact us to find out how our services can help your organization.
How can you spur innovation? Recently, I attended an internal workshop on strategy and growth, and my workgroup was asked to tackle this very question. We quickly came to the conclusion that innovation and learning are closely aligned; that is, creating the condition for innovation requires creating a “learning culture,” or a culture in which new ideas and fresh thinking are welcome.
At Stegmeier Consulting Group, we believe that innovation can come from anywhere at anytime within an organization. Innovation should not just be a responsibility left up to the marketing department or the research and development teams. This article brings to light 5 great suggestions on how to foster a more innovative culture. Here at SCG, we’d like to propose a 6th suggestion: Consider a workplace redesign that allows for more collaboration and efficiency. The changes can range from simply providing employees more space to hold small meetings, to considering a telework program that will allow employees more flexibility and more of the most precious resource of all: time.
Stegmeier Consulting Group can assist with a wide range of challenges involved in implementing a workplace change initiative. Contact us to find out how our services can help your organization.
An event space housed in a basketball court, complimentary snacks and beverages, billiards and darts may seem more at home in a fraternity house than an office. But those amenities fit right in at coworking space Flywheel, which opened this week at the Wake Forest Innovation Quarter.
Flywheel is located in 11,585 square feet of the research park’s 525@vine building. Its flexible, collaborative working space offers a “casual and contemporary” environment for entrepreneurs, independent professionals and innovators to work “on the fly.”
There is a common misconception that the demand for coworking space only lies in the largest cities (think NYC, LA, Chicago). We’re seeing that this is not the case.
Winston-Salem is a great example of a smaller city embracing new ways of working. The city population is a little over 236,000 and it already has two coworking office locations, including the one in this article. These working offices are both around 10,000 square feet and open 7 days a week.
Would you consider working in a coworking office? Why or why not?
Stegmeier Consulting Group can assist with a wide range of challenges involved in implementing a workplace change initiative. Contact us to find out how our services can help your organization.
A ubiquitous culture of presenteeism is damaging productivity in UK offices, according to new research by fit out and refurbishment specialist Overbury. This is despite 77% of office workers having more flexible working options open to them than five years ago and expecting this trend to continue into 2014.
Four in five (80%) claim those who spend more hours in the office are thought by bosses to be working harder, while two thirds (66%) say being seen to work late increases an employee’s chance of promotion. More than two thirds (67%) of those who sometimes work from home admit to sending emails early in the morning to stop colleagues thinking they’re having a lie-in.
Companies are willing to invest millions building collaborative work settings. However, many of those same companies forget to focus on establishing and consistently supporting an appropriate workplace culture that leverages collaborative settings. Presenteeism is one of the culture “roadblocks” that can keep that investment from paying off.
From the article: “More businesses need to realise that great ideas don’t arise from sitting at the same desk all day. Instead we must enable people to work in different environments depending on what they’re doing at any one time to push productivity through the roof.”
Stegmeier Consulting Group can assist with a wide range of challenges involved in implementing a workplace change initiative. Contact us to find out how our services can help your organization.
Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology surveyed some 8,000 industrial-organisational psychologists to unearth what they believed to be the top 10 workplace trends of 2014. Many of these will be familiar to readers of this blog, but some might be new. Check them out and see what you think.
This list links Remote Working (#9) to Work-Life Balance (#7). We also see a link between Remote Working (#9) and Locating Talent (#3).
By providing an option to work remotely, your organization can avoid geographical barriers to hiring and retaining top talent.
Stegmeier Consulting Group can assist with a wide range of challenges involved in implementing a workplace change initiative. Contact us to find out how our services can help your organization.
Although every city is mired by challenges and no neighborhood truly represents an urban planner’s paradise, Brooklyn’s live-work lifestyle comes quite close. While recent pieces have chronicled the detrimental effects of large tech firms on cities, a new perspective is warranted.
Perhaps the grass is greener on the East Coast, but here in Brooklyn and throughout New York City, tech companies have been helping neighborhoods flourish because they are choosing to work in collaborative, creative environments.
The trend of startups using shared space and coworking locations can teach established corporations something about attracting and retaining Gen Y, which populates the tech sector.
The youngest generation in the workplace wants to work in a collaborative setting or close to where they live (generally gentrified, urban settings). Either provide a modern workplace or operate downtown.
Another possibility, which we’ve seen organizations whose HQ is not in a ‘hot market’ embrace, is the adoption of telework. By allowing employees to work remotely (and live where they want, not just where you are), they’ve found they can finally start recruiting the workforce of the future.
Stegmeier Consulting Group can assist with a wide range of challenges involved in implementing a workplace change initiative. Contact us to find out how our services can help your organization.
On Tuesday morning, snow and ice covered the streets around Mika Cross’ home in southern Maryland. Commuter accidents clogged roadways. Her kids’ school closed because of the stormy weather. Many businesses, medical offices and shops were shuttered. And Cross’ employer, the federal government decided to shut down.
But for Cross and thousands of federal and private sector workers who can work remotely, or telework, Tuesday was just a typical work day. Except that her kids, at her ex-husband’s house, played in the snow all day and she, instead of getting in a workout at lunch, shoveled snow…
Telework isn’t a mere perk–it’s a risk mitigation tactic. If the thought of business interruption doesn’t cross your mind when developing or reassessing your company’s workplace strategy, you’re missing the boat.
Technology has finally advanced to the point where many people can work quite efficiently at home, or a third place. Why risk huge work stoppages by having an archaic workforce strategy that only enables or allows your team to work at one site?
We saw it after Superstorm Sandy–some of the organizations best equipped for staying afoot and avoiding an utter shut down were those that had a strong workforce mobility program already in place. If you’re still viewing telework as a perk for employees–it may be time to reconsider your stance!
Stegmeier Consulting Group can assist with a wide range of challenges involved in implementing a workplace change initiative. Contact us to find out how our services can help your organization.
The Government Accountability Office reviewed five agencies that were either exploring “hoteling” programs or increasing their telework programs. Under a hoteling system, employees no longer have a permanent work station, an effort intended to increase efficiency.
GAO picked to review the Agricultural Department, The General Services Administration, the Internal Revenue Service, The Commerce Department’s Patent and Trademark Office and the Justice Department’s Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. All were selected because they either have adopted best practices that support a more mobile workforce or they have high levels of real property holdings.
Under a hoteling system, employees no longer have a permanent work station, an effort intended to increase space efficiency.
GAO picked to review the Agriculture Department, the General Services Administration, the Internal Revenue Service, the Commerce Department’s Patent and Trademark Office and the Justice Department’s Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. All were selected because they either have adopted best practices that support a more mobile workforce or they have high levels of real property holdings.
Under a hoteling system, employees no longer have a permanent work station, an effort intended to increase space efficiency.
GAO picked to review the Agriculture Department, the General Services Administration, the Internal Revenue Service, the Commerce Department’s Patent and Trademark Office and the Justice Department’s Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. All were selected because they either have adopted best practices that support a more mobile workforce or they have high levels of real property holdings.
Under a hoteling system, employees no longer have a permanent work station, an effort intended to increase space efficiency.
GAO picked to review the Agriculture Department, the General Services Administration, the Internal Revenue Service, the Commerce Department’s Patent and Trademark Office and the Justice Department’s Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. All were selected because they either have adopted best practices that support a more mobile workforce or they have high levels of real property holdings.
Under a hoteling system, employees no longer have a permanent work station, an effort intended to increase space efficiency.
GAO picked to review the Agriculture Department, the General Services Administration, the Internal Revenue Service, the Commerce Department’s Patent and Trademark Office and the Justice Department’s Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. All were selected because they either have adopted best practices that support a more mobile workforce or they have high levels of real property holdings.
Under a hoteling system, employees no longer have a permanent work station, an effort intended to increase space efficiency.
GAO picked to review the Agriculture Department, the General Services Administration, the Internal Revenue Service, the Commerce Department’s Patent and Trademark Office and the Justice Department’s Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. All were selected because they either have adopted best practices that support a more mobile workforce or they have high levels of real property holdings.
The GSA is saving $24M in rent by real estate consolidation, aided by hoteling of workers. How is your organization taking advantage of workplace efficiencies, and how prepared is your workforce for new ways of working?
Stegmeier Consulting Group can assist with a wide range of challenges involved in implementing a workplace change initiative. Contact us to find out how our services can help your organization.
How much did you travel last year? I imagine if you sat down and really thought about it, the answer would surprise you. Here are some numbers to help you along: • The average American (aged 25 to 54) spends 64 minutes per day in the car, which equates to about 35 miles per person,…
The environmental impact of remote working is well-documented, but telework as a green initiative should not be overlooked by organizations. A remote work policy can be a big attraction tool for Millenials, as many are environmentally-conscious and want to work for an organization that shares similar values!
Stegmeier Consulting Group can assist with a wide range of challenges involved in implementing a workplace change initiative. Contact us to find out how our services can help your organization.
A writeup of Iron Mountain’s new corporate headquarters appeared in the September/October edition of FMJ magazine. The case study on workplace flexibility was authored by Iron Mountain‘s VP of HR Business Partnerships, Kim Looby, Stegmeier Consulting Group‘s (SCG) Matthew Stegmeier, and Margulies Read More
About SCG
Stegmeier Consulting Group is a 100% woman-owned small business. We’re a team of behavioral change agents & data specialists, with expertise in people & place.
We work with corporations, civic partners, & higher learning institutions to lead data gathering, strategic planning, and change implementation efforts.
SCG feels strongly that every employer should strive to create a respectful workplace for each employee. It’s why we started Project WHEN, a 501(c)(3) non-profit dedicated to eliminating all forms of workplace harassment.
Our financial support has allowed the organization to grow and begin impacting work communities everywhere. We encourage clients to consider donating or getting involved in the movement with us.
