Products & Solutions

Understanding the workplace and productivity

Network, collaborate, focus and develop - we have a number of work styles that we adopt during any working day. It’s understood that a workspace that meets the requirements of staff can contribute greatly to the success of a company, both in bottom line savings and staff morale. However, companies are dynamic entities that are shaped by macroeconomic events outside of their control, or by strategic decisions taken in the boardroom to take advantage of market conditions or opportunities, all of which can affect the workplace.

Understanding what makes people work effectively
Over recent years many companies have taken the decision to reduce their real estate overheads through a very deliberate corporate strategy to occupy fewer buildings or less space. While this is a well-trodden path to cut what is for many businesses their second or third highest cost, it’s easy to overlook the impact that such a move could have on employee productivity, which may outweigh any potential gains. The goal isn’t just to rationalize, but, importantly, to do so in an effective way. Central to this is to really understand what makes people work effectively, so that the decisions that fundamentally alter the office can be implemented with positive benefits.

In response to client demand to understand this process of effective workplace change and rationalization, the Johnson Controls Global WorkPlace Solutions workplace consulting team investigated effective ways to measure how large numbers of employees work and highlight potential barriers to productivity. However, it became clear that the team needed to invest in a proprietary solution for the task which is now called ‘All in a Day’s Work’.

Rob Wright, Director of Workplace Consulting and Change Management

Rob Wright, Director of Workplace Consulting and Change Management explains: “We decided to develop our own software that could meet our clients’ specific needs. We knew that to deliver a truly functional solution for a company’s workforce, we had to ask as many of them as possible how they work and what aspects get in the way. All in a Day’s Work gives us an understanding of work styles and the causes to quantify unproductive time. It allows companies to allocate resources in a targeted way to improve productivity.”

GWS survey helps optimizing productivity
The online survey responses provide a detailed understanding of what tasks employees undertake during their working day, where they perform the activities and, crucially, what hinders them. After comparing these factors, one of the outputs is that respondents receive a downtime metric for unproductive time in the office. Vitally, it gives a valuable indication of current employee work styles and attitudes towards working differently, allowing conclusions to be drawn on their readiness for change.

“All in a Day’s Work allows a company to get an overarching perspective of the facilities and settings they need to provide for optimum productivity. So if they wanted to reduce the amount of office space they occupy, they can do so while also potentially improving employee output. The survey has been developed to support strategic planning through its ability to predict the impact of change, but it can also be used to help inform a workforce on how to adapt their workstyles to increase productivity,” added Rob Wright.

Key benefits of the tool include:

  • In-depth assessment – The survey considers personal workstyles and attitude to change. The resulting profile is an immediate and customized assessment that informs how an individual currently works
  • Quantifiable metrics – Data gathering enables the comparison of employee behaviors, as well as estimated lost time. Data is displayed in a real time dashboard that can be easily filtered
  • Informed decision-making – The results demonstrate a company’s composition of employees and their appetite for change. Customers can therefore be more prepared and informed when they move into a new working environment and can therefore make educated space decisions that make sense for their employees
  • Breaking down barriers – Although organizations regularly measure output, barriers such as lack of appropriate meeting space, connectivity, lighting and physical resources aren’t considered. In the Johnson Controls Global WorkPlace Solutions’ survey, barriers are identified and addressed
  • An overarching, holistic approach – The All in a Day’s Work tool allows organizations to understand personal work styles, employee awareness and the tools available to envisage and create a uniquely tailored space

Johnson Controls Global WorkPlace Solutions is investing to understand the behavioural attributes in the workplace and its correlation with productivity. All in a Day’s Work is part of a suite of proprietary tools that the workplace consulting team has developed to support our customers’ businesses further and also includes a pre- and post-occupancy analysis, interactive work style discovery game and organizational culture ‘mood’ cards.

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