May 25, 2005—A report by the Commission for Architecture & the Built Environment (CABE) and the British Council for Offices (BCO) shows that design can have a significant impact on workforce performance.
The report, Impact of Office Design on Business Performance, recognizes the revolution now taking place in the office environment, as the traditional work space becomes a space for social and interactive engagement. It is estimated that by next year, about 30 per cent of the world’s top companies will adopt a highly mobile work style model, with 35 per cent having a workforce outside the boundaries of the formal workplace.
The report points to evidence that office design influences a range of factors critical to business performance, including: staff attraction, motivation and retention, staff satisfaction, knowledge and skills of staff, innovation and creativity, responsiveness to business and technological change, and customer attraction and retention.
The report provides a range of evidence showing the links between poor workplace design, lower business performance and higher level of stress experienced by employees. With differences in productivity of 25 per cent reported between comfortable and uncomfortable staff, due to basics, such as, air quality, temperature, overall comfort, noise and lighting. Both good lighting design and adequate daylight have been linked to a 15 per cent reduction in absenteeism and increases of between 2.8 per cent and 20 per cent in productivity.
For more information, or to read the CABE report, visit the CABE Web site.
