How Your Work Space Design Affects Your Profits.

Gensler’s 2008 Workplace Survey shows that the physical work environment is an asset with a specific and quantifiable impact on business success. The results showed that top performing companies - those with higher profits, better employee engagement and stronger market and brand position - have significantly higher-performing
work environments than average companies.
- Gensler 2008 Work Place Survey


Looking for new ways to boost your profits? Consider the design of your work space. International architecture firm Gensler, surveyed companies in both the UK and USA to try to understand how the design of the work space influences the success of a business. Their most recent survey provides tangible evidence which links well designed work places to profitability, revenue growth and a strong corporate brand.

Distinguishing top performing companies from average ones; (based on criteria such as financial strength, brand identity and ability to attract and retain top talent) the survey’s results demonstrate that companies with the most effective work places are the most successful businesses.

So what does this all mean to you? You can consider your won work environment and whether or not it is moving your business forward or holding it back. Begin with an examination of your space on a functional level. Does your work place actually work? Is it safe and comfortable, does it allow you to perform the tasks that you need to do without the distractions of disorganization, physical discomfort or acoustical and visual privacy issues? Does your space balance your needs of focus and silent work with collaboration and socializing?

Setting up your workspace to function is key, but to be a top performing business, it is not enough on its own. How does your work space reflect you values and goals as an individual and as an organization? Ask yourself what inspires you, and gives you the creative and competitive edge, and are these qualities included in the space where you want to perform?

Time spent considering these factors can help you create, innovate and succeed by putting yourself into an environment which supports your goals and can bring your business to a higher level of performance.

Noise Costs

Yes it’s true, noise is distracting, 70% of workers indicated that they felt that if their workplace were less noisy they would have increased work productivity, according to a study conducted by the American Society of Interior Designers.

I sometimes wonder why we need to have someone else tell us what we already know. It seems that it is obvious that noisy environments result in decreased productivity. Yet despite many of us realizing this, we do not always consider this in planning our work environments.

While common sense may seem to be enough to make a decision, when it comes to spending money, sometimes we are asked for something more tangible than our beliefs to show that the investment will bring a positive return.

Think about your day, think about the times a loud conversation, a sound like a buzzer or ring, or even noise from outside your office broke your concentration. If the noise persisted you might spend some time being irritated and swearing to yourself or to an adjacent (and now also distracted) colleague about the completely worthless human being who was in some way responsible for this sound. Eventually the distraction passes and you return to your work.

How much time did you lose? How much frustration did you experience? Maybe you only lost a minute or two, but it adds up through the day and though the year and is compounded when others in your company are distracted by sounds too.

The noise problem is exacerbated by the increased move toward open office plans and shared space. While these designs have many other benefits, the acoustics issue must be addressed for this type of office to function at an optimum level.

So what can be done about all of this bothersome noise? First we must acknowledge that it is not something that we need to endure. We (the human workforce) are good at adapting, sometimes so good that we forget that we can be doing more to make the environment adapt to us. Additional impetus for resolving this issue comes in recognizing that noise is more than just an annoyance, noise is costing us money.

Now that we’ve identified the problem, we can devise a solution. Sound solutions can start with a simple examination of where the distractions are coming from. The ideal time to address these issues is in the planning stage of your office design or refurbishment, but smaller changes can reap benefits as well. Start with moving noisy fax machines, copiers and printers to an enclosed area, or adding some acoustic panels to existing walls.

If the problem is more serious, it might be worth examining what it is really costing you. Investments in environmental improvements are shown to pay for themselves again and again and in addition to increasing your profits (an easy thing to measure) you end up in space where you feel better. Feeling better may be a result that is not easy to quantify, but it can be the biggest reward of all.

Do You Have a 3 Dimensional Brand Identity?

A Blindfolded Quiz to Help You See Your Company’s Message.

Well not exactly a blindfolded quiz, since I am giving most of the answers and the blindfold only really occurs in your imagination. Quiz or not, hopefully it will get you thinking about some areas that effect your business and how you can improve upon an area often overlooked; blindfolded or not.

With the imaginary blindfold in place, imagine yourself being placed in the middle of the following spots. Would you be able to identify where you were? Below are descriptions of what you could likely deduct about your setting within these locations.

McDonalds: Chances are that before the blindfold comes off, your nose would detect (depending on your point of view) either the enticing or off-putting smell of fast food. The sounds heard would not be what you would call relaxing; tile floors and hard surfaces reflecting the numerous simultaneous placement of orders and drive-through clerks shouting back answers through their headsets. While still blindfolded, you would figure out that you were in an American fast food restaurant, though you might not be sure yet, of which one.

Once the blindfold was removed you would look around and see a long counter with a row of cash registers and people in their polyester uniforms. The colors are very likely oranges, yellows and reds to get the appetite flowing and discourage lingering.

You would look up to see a menu with pictures and proprietary names like Big Mac, you would not even have to ask what was in a big Mac, because if you did not already know you would see its image in color and larger than life, doing its best to tempt you to order the two all beef patties, special sauce, lettuce, cheese, pickles, onions on the sesame seed bun. If you still had your doubts as to the particular fast food feasting point you had landed in, once you spotted the golden arches logo and Ronald McDonald, you would recognize that you were not in Wendy’s or Burger King, clearly you would know that you were in McDonald’s and you haven’t even seen the name.

Take some fries to go and put the blindfold on again for your next stop.

Ruth’s Chris Steakhouse: You smell food cooking, but this time it is not the greasy scent of fast food. The sounds are different too; there is a carpet that absorbs the conversations. There are polite offers to take you to a table or suggest a wine and the clinking of fine china and crystal. Perhaps there is a light jazz tune playing. It feels inviting and pleasant. The blindfold is removed and you see the soft lighting, the paneled walls, the white linens and the wait staff in their dark suits. Even if you have never been to Ruth’s Chris before or even familiar with this American, fine dining restaurant, you sense the promise of a very good meal and service. The atmosphere is an integral part of your experience and before you even sit down; your expectations are set into place for the meal you are about to eat.

My apologies, there is no time now for the New York strip, now it is time for the blindfold again, but this time you are going shopping.

Tiffany’s: Still blindfolded, the sounds give you a clue that you are in some sort of retail environment. You may hear the clicking of heals on marble or wood pathways and when you step off the aisle, you feel the change in texture of the soft carpet. You hear helpful tones with knowledgeable explanations Once the blindfold is removed you notice classic materials and cases filled with jewelry. The finest pieces have their own private cases, indicating their preciousness. You realize that you are in a place where fine jewelry is sold and then you spot the distinguishable robin’s egg blue on a bag or box. This glimpse of color is enough to confirm that you are in Tiffany’s.

Perhaps there is time to pick up a bauble or two but the blindfold goes back on and now you are brought into your office.

Maybe unseen, you know it is your office because you recognize the voices of your colleagues. Once the blindfold comes off, it should be instantly recognizable to you, but what if a stranger was dropped there?

What information would a stranger brought into your office receive about your brand’s identity? Would someone who has never been there know what type of office it is? If they were able to understand what type of work your company performed, would they be able to gather any information about your company in particular?

What distinguishes your business from your competition? Chances are your company invests in marketing to increase its business. While companies spend money on advertising and presenting a certain image, they often overlook how this message is translated in the space they occupy. Too many office environments are interchangeable areas of blahdom, comprised of boring corridors, fluorescent lights and otherwise uninspiring spaces.

Retail and restaurant businesses understand that the design of their space conveys a strong message about their brand’s identity. They give you a clear message about who they are without even seeing their name. They might use visual cues such as colors, materials or even a logo. Many of those working in an office space are missing out on this opportunity to strengthen their brand identity. In fact, are possibly detracting from it.

What are the strengths of your business? Does your company seek to provide innovative solutions? Do you offer personalized service? Are you a leader in your field? Whatever message that your brand identity conveys should be reinforced in the space where employees and clients can experience this message in 3 dimensions.

Understanding that we are sending messages with our space should lead us to evaluating what that message is and if it is the one that we want to send. Consider how you can best capitalize on using your office space to express your brand identity.

Increasing Profits by Closing the Gap between Business and Design

What We Can Learn from The Breakfast Club about Communication.

The 1980’s film The Breakfast Club was one of director John Hughes’ films which focused on teen angst and the challenges of those from different backgrounds finding a way to come together in the end. In case you missed The Breakfast Club due to the fact that your time was better spent playing Pac Man or getting your mullet restyled then I will remind you that 80’s stars like, Molly Ringwald and Judd Nelson played students from different cliques, forcefully united by the common enemy of a Saturday detention. Not only were they restricted to the school library, but they were supposed to produce an essay at the end, stating who they were. Of course the …brain, and an athlete, and a basket case, a princess, and a criminal... all came together, despite their varied backgrounds and interests, to learn a few things from each other and succeed in producing their essay.

When considering workplace design, we have a situation not unlike that of The Breakfast Club. We have business people and designers whose common enemy is currently the challenging economy. The question is: How do we learn to communicate to each other in order to produce our essay, or find a way to succeed in this tough market?

In order to unite these groups, so that both sides can benefit, it helps to understand our differing values. Roger Martin, Dean of University of Toronto’s Rotman School of Management, has written and worked extensively on how businesses can be more successful and innovative by applying a designer’s way of thinking to their business and also how to bring the design and business worlds closer so that both sides may benefit.

He discusses the heavy value businesses place on reliability and having predictable outcomes and the seemingly opposite values that designers place on developing something new and unproven.

In the design of the workplace, both worlds are forced to come together and communicate in different languages developed from a different base values. Designers can show images and speak from experience on particular benefits to incorporate into a plan, but often designers must resort more to an emotional appeal and someone willing to take a leap of faith to accept a proposal.

There has been a lack of hard data available to demonstrate what designers and some businesses, have always believed in: that investing in the design of your workplace can bring about many benefits, including an increase in profits.

The design field is in part to blame for this lack of data. While businesses may fail to see clearly the benefits that a well designed workplace can bring, designers often ignore the fact that we should be doing more to speak in a language that others can better comprehend, one of numbers and statistics.

The good news is that more information is coming out, information that provides a more tangible link between workplace design and profitability. Gensler, a global architecture firm, has released the results from its 2008 study on design and the work environment.

Gensler’s 2008 Workplace Survey shows that the physical work
environment is an asset with a specific and quantifiable impact on
business success. The results showed that top-performing companies—
those with higher profits, better employee engagement and stronger
market and brand position—have significantly higher-performing
work environments than average companies.

In our Saturday detention of an economy, where it seems that we do not have the freedoms we had in easier times, we can still prosper, but we should be reevaluating our methods for achieving success. We should be looking for new types of relationships and how we communicate within them. In expanding the circles of influence, astute business leaders can take advantage of data in an area that is often overlooked; the design of the workplace, and profit from this previously untapped resource for success.