THE CHANGING WORK ENVIRONMENT

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The Changing Work Environment Erving Pena, Brittany Shields, Stanton Smoot, HyonngSu Lee, James Mika Salt Lake Community College

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Abstract The advancement in technology and design, and how it is implemented as well as its benefits for businesses are addressed. The main focus of this paper is to highlight how changes have taken place in architecture and furniture design, including the development of ergonomics, initiatives taken to reward employees, the cost of such implementations, and ultimate return of such an investment. Articles and reports have been utilized to obtain the data that will be found in this document. The conclusion points out that the main goal of organizations is to create an environment that promotes the highest level of productivity from those it employs.

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The Changing Workplace Environment The work environment has evolved drastically in the past century and even more in the past three decades. The advancement in technology has caused changes in the work place not seen since Fords implementation of the assembly line in his factories. The days of small, boring, dark and monotonous work places are coming to an end. Focus has shifted from the rate and efficiency of production, to understanding how to get the most out of the people that do the work. The changes that have taken place range from the structures individuals work in, down to the very furniture and tools that are used. Many companies are spending millions of dollars in their facilities to accommodate these changes. Even with the explosion in interest, not all companies are jumping on, at least not full force. Still the benefits of these new technologies are well documented. The work place is changing world wide, and every sector from private, government, educational and religious are implementing these developments. Architecture Technology is the name of the game, and every facet of todays society utilizes technology to some degree. Something as simple as a light switch, to an entire skyscraper, technology is intertwined into the very fabric of life. As this technology develops, so too does the way humans interact with it. As buildings are being designed with the environment in mind, trying to meet LEED certification, a new awareness is rising. Humans work better in certain types of environments. In a study done by Berkeley University of California, on the Philip Merrill Environmental Center, the findings between the connection of modern environmental design and the work atmospheres shows that the individuals occupying its interior space to

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perform work activities were satisfied with their surroundings. The findings, as they relate to this topic were the following: Occupants were highly satisfied with the Merrill Center Building as a whole. In fact, the Score for overall building satisfaction was the second highest in the entire CBE survey database. Close to 90% of the occupants were also satisfied with day lighting, the overall amount of light, and access to views. Ratings for the psychosocial outcomes were also positive, with about 80% of the occupants experiencing high levels of morale, wellbeing and a sense of belonging at work. Occupants have a strong sense of pride in the building, as indicted by the fact that 97% of survey respondents said they were proud to show the office to visitors. (Associates & Zagreus, 2005) It is not just the design of buildings that are changing. It is also the amenities provided to those employed. Office buildings used to be known for the monotony of their cubicle mazes, with no reason to use floor space on anything else. Google, Yahoo, and even E-bay have set the precedent on adding facilities their employees can use to keep them happy. Utah has its very own innovative business campus. Adobes new 280,000 sq. foot campus has not just great art like El Mac Mural by Miles MacGregor, which is a spray-painted mural. It also has a basketball court, fireplaces, floating workspaces, wall quotes, open workspaces, lounges, break areas, a grand

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main atrium with both a pool and a ping pong table, a caf, grand stair ways to promote their use, graffiti, and wall art. Rapt sought to reflect the creativity of Adobes suite of multimedia software products by creating an open, collaborative environment for the companys employees. (Belicove, 2013) Furniture Design A few years ago, furniture was finally being moved into the completed Adobe facility. Everything that had been chosen was of higher quality and design, and fit well with the many convenient amenities. The majority of the employees that worked in cubicles, received top-ofthe-line chairs for their desks. The chairs, couches, tables, and rugs in the common areas made other offices look boring and uninspired. The designs of the furniture were abstract and fun. The companies that can afford to decorate like this have the advantage of creating an atmosphere that breeds creativity. A lot of this furniture has facets of what is call Ergonomics. Ergonomics is the way furniture or tools used in the work space, like a key board, are designed to complement the positions that are more natural for the human body. There are some documented benefits of utilizing Ergonomics Process in the work environment: 1. Ergonomics reduce costs. By systematically reducing ergonomic risk factors, you can prevent costly MSDs. 2. Ergonomics improves productivity. The best ergonomic solutions will often improve productivity. By designing a job to allow for good posture, less exertion, fewer motions and better heights and reaches, the workstation becomes more efficient.

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3. Ergonomics improves quality. Poor ergonomics leads to frustration and fatigued workers that dont do their best work. When the job task is too physically taxing on the worker, they may not perform their job like they were trained. 4. Ergonomics improves employee engagement. Employees notice when the company is putting forth their best efforts to ensure their health and safety. If an employee does not experience fatigue and discomfort during their workday, it can reduce turnover, decrease absenteeism, improve morale and increase employee involvement. 5. Ergonomics creates a better safety culture. Ergonomics show your companys commitment to safety and health as a core value. The cumulative effect of the previous four benefits of ergonomics is a stronger safety culture for your company. (Middlesworth) To add and promote their appeal, Adobe, gives tours to potential employees. This demonstrates one of the primary reasons for constructing such an immense and technologically advanced facility for their company. A workplace that offers comfort, entertainment, and an overall sense of excellence will not only encourage current employees to work harder and smarter, but will also attract the most qualified candidates to seek employment as well. Francis Duffy and Jack Tanis said it best in their article, A vision of the new workplace. The objective of the new office is to attract and retain brilliant staff, to stimulate their creativity, and to multiply organizational productivity. (Duffy & Tanis, 1999) Other Incentives If you are a modern company and youre not taking advantage of the new innovations in workplace furniture, technology and amenities, then you are behind. More and more, we

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continue to see companies like Apple, Google, Facebook, and Nike set the standard for the nicest, largest, and most advanced headquarters. It is an obvious fact to them, that when staff morale is high, productivity goes up. Compared to the enormous benefit new work environment engenders, the cost of the change is relatively low especially when we consider the saving of the indirect costs attained from the work environment improvement. The concept of the indirect cost is often dismissed in calculating the cost benefit analysis. Yet, it carries huge significance in accurate assessment of the cost benefit analysis of the new work environment. Few of the most common indirect costs are increased working hours of other employees, compensation of absenteeism, the productivity losses, and the reputational damage. One of the chief indirect costs we often overlook is the cost of absenteeism. When someone is out sick, not only does the firm loose the input of one persons labor but also has to go through the process of a recruitment of replacements, training along with the high cost of the overtime or maintenance of over-capacity. These negative impacts will not only increase the operational cost of the firm, but it will also lead to the loss in the area of the production and sales as well. Besides the high cost associated with the absenteeism, firms have plenty of incentives to improve the work environment as employees positive attitude and high productivity in work place bring lots of benefits to the business. According to one of the Finnish work place research, personnels high work ability, work satisfaction and organizational commitment had a positive association with workplace success. In such sustainable work systems resources are not consumed, but allowed to grow. Then, employees are not confined to a high-paced work and meaningless work reality, instead they are allowed to learn and develop, to use their intelligence and creativity, to collaborate and participate, (Finnish Ministry of Social Affairs and Health,

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IL0-SafeWork, n.d.) which will generate more profits and productivity down the road. As a chief example of the new work environment, De-link of the space from headcount achieves cost savings by reducing physical workspace while offers flexibly work arrangement to employees. Moreover, the facilities-related cost savings that can be generated by more appropriately allocating physical workspaces can be redirected to fund innovation and other initiatives that will reduce mission and program costs. As mentioned, Apple, Google, Facebook, and Nike are the leaders in this shift to better and more comfortable workspaces. Though there are many additional companies who are doing what they can to improve the performance of their employees through relaxing or fun breaktime. PopCap Games, centered out of Seattle, Washington, has equipped their employees with full kitchens, video games, plush couches, quiet rooms, and scooters to get around. Bain and Company opted for the highly lit, interconnected, open space where employees can relax during lunch, have a more open work space, or have a quick meeting. But lets not forget the pool table. Bain and Company, a travel company, has ping pong tables, yoga classes and a chef for lunch services. Whereas a marketing company based in Salt Lake, Neutron Interactive has a decidedly anti-cubical environment with unlimited snack and drink options. Office based jobs arent the only ones getting upgraded break time. Aquariums and zoos offer the outdoor, tranquil stroll through the facility. All the employees have to do is change out of their uniform and they can go see the sharks or the monkeys. Some companies offer their employees feeding passes or a trip behind the scenes after working a certain amount of hours.

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These types of corporations dont feel the need to revamp their break space, other than add more comfortable lounges and accessible kitchens. They already have what most people dont see on a daily basis. These are the lucky few. Benefits From business, to the travel industry, to technology, games, and internet, every type of business is making it their priority to change up the work space in favor of the employees. The consensus of the renovating companies is that happier employees make for happier customers and better output. Corporations in todays society are finding the benefits of how rewarding the workplace environment can impact the business and employee success. The advantages of sustainable building design are incredibly overpowering older design through improved indoor environment design linked with employees well-being, satisfaction, and work performance. By using this type of workplace it supports individuals to communicate effectively allowing the business to be successful. Organizational physiologist Judith Heerwagen, over the years came up with a human performance definition for the workplace called: performance = ability x motivation x opportunity. Here Judith Heerwagen, expresses her human performance definition: A building can positively affect ability by providing comfortable ambient conditions, by enabling individual control and adjustment of conditions, and by reducing health and safety risks. A building can positively affect motivation by providing conditions that promote positive affective functioning, psychological engagement and personal control. Moods create the affective context for thought processes and behaviors and are directly tied to motivation.

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A building can affect opportunity by providing equitable access to conditions that reduce health and safety risks, equitable access to amenities and compensatory design options where inequities exist and are difficult to eliminate entirely. (Associates & Zagreus, 2005) Following are ten workplace design benefits that can definitely influence the workplace environment: I. II. III. Thermal Comfort and Temperature Access to Nature, Views and Daylight Sensory Change and Variability

IV. Color V. Noise Control

VI. Crowding VII. Human Factors and Ergonomics VIII. Indoor Air Quality IX. Choice X. Employee Engagement (Stringer, 2013)

Overall, using human performance with workplace design can dramatically improve the workplace. Many individuals have questioned is it working? The answer is yes! Companies, who are investing in their workplace, are being rewarded by Forbes and additional high end publications as the top companies to work for.

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Conclusion Technology will continue to bring changes into everyday life that we can only dream of now. Companies will continue exploit every tool available to advance productivity and sales. Having an environment that keeps employees happy or makes them proud is proving to be beneficial. The initial cost might seem prohibitive to some organizations initially, but the long term pay out of such an investment in facilities and employees is setting the precedent for up and coming businesses. The future is an exciting and competitive place, but to stay ahead and keep up, the work environment must become a place that invokes innovation and implementation and to do so, it is now the Employee, that organizations are focusing on.

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Works Cited
Associates, J. H., & Zagreus, L. (2005, April). The Human Factors of Sustainable Building Design: Post Occupancy Evaluation fo the Philip Merrill Environmental Center, Annapolis, MD. Berkeley, California, United States of America. Belicove, M. E. (2013, January 10). Adobe Debuts Its Newst Campus-Bring your Gym Shorts! Retrieved April 1, 2014, from Forbs: //www.forbes.com/sites/mikalbelicove/2013/01/10/slideshow-adobedebuts-its-newest-campus-bring-your-gym-shorts/ Duffy, F., & Tanis, J. (1999). A Vision of the New Workplace. Selection Magazine. Finnish Ministry of Social Affairs and Health, IL0-SafeWork. (n.d.). The Exonomics of Health, Safety and Well-Being. Department for Occupational Safety and Health of the Finnish Ministry of Social Affairs and Health with ILO Safework-Programme. Middlesworth, M. (n.d.). 5 Proven Benefits of Ergonomics in the Workplace. Retrieved April 2, 2014, from Erconomics Plus: http://ergo-plus.com/workplace-ergonomics-benefits/ Stringer, L. (2013). Workplace Strategies that Enhance Performance, Health and Wellness. Retrieved April 3, 2014, from HOK: http://www.hok.com/thought-leadership/workplace-strategies-thatenhance-human-performance-health-and-wellness/