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Senator series: 5 facts which change for opinion about office (1.part)

The 5-part series reveals the key findings of Senator research that change the view to a layout and help to understand how different people use office and what they need at work.

31. 8. 2018

In years gone by, a ‘one size fits all’ approach to office design might have been the norm, but as the decades have progressed, so too have the options available to businesses designing ‘homes from home’ for their office based workforces.

As new interpretations of the office environment proliferated, so the open plan model came to be. This brought greater variety than ever before but, still, a one size fits all mentality prevailed – every worker was expected to work in certain ways, utilising the equipment and furniture supplied and designed for them.

From inception through to occupancy, the average new office involves a six-year period of design and construction involving varying teams of people discussing the best and most attractive solution for the actual end user.

This can involve everyone from an architect, building contractor, interior designer, fit out a contractor, developer and furniture manufacturer – all deciding what the end user needs.

But while the design process relies on its different schools of expertise, it does not always receive the direct contribution of its most important influencer: the end user.

 

Let´s find out how we work

Given that every office is filled with individuals that have their own preferences and unique approach to the working day, we decided to commission a comprehensive survey of the UK’s office population that would evaluate the current approach to office design. The aim was to establish how we work, relating to tasks we undertake every day and how we differ individually.

The answers proved illuminating, as while some popular perceptions were cemented by the findings, we also found that some were challenged by the new influences shaping the modern workplace.

To ensure a fair and robust representation of the UK’s offices, we surveyed 2,000 UK employees, taking into account their gender, age, sector, size of employer and location. Using a consumer agency to do so, we put ourselves in the hands of the UK workforce. More importantly, we capped respondent numbers based on the proportionate UK figures from the Office for National Statistics.

We also created a questionnaire that was based around a conversation, rather than an instruction, where respondents indicated how they would ideally like to complete a given task – not how they currently do it. Using graphics to represent the various options, they were then asked to select their preferred seating position, a height of working an office environment when carrying out various tasks, also taking into account the different technologies available.

Let’s dispel some common preconceptions

Senator´s results proved that, despite suggestions to the contrary, gender, location and the different private and public sectors have a very little impact on the preference of how people want to work. In the following weeks, we'll be sharing our other 4 key findings.

The results of the survey proved to be very logical, on the other hand, it is a real result that removes long preferred myths from how we work. These are the three common assumptions that have prompted research:

Gender - women and men do not really differ in how they work or use the office

Place of work (North, South, etc.) - whether we work in more rural or urbanized areas, don´t influence a different use of an office

Private and the public sector - both sectors may work differently, but auditors, managers, or reception staff in both sectors use the office as well

On the other hand, Senator has received four important findings that have a significant effect on how people use an office. These closely related to the different way of design for different departments, employees considering their individual needs.

This different use of an office does not increase costs for businesses, but it gives the opportunity to better understand employees and increase their productivity thanks to a good spaceplan and functional furniture.

Next week, you'll learn what is the first of four Senator´s research results that focused on design for different age groups.

 

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