Well-managed facilities are assets that “perform” and add value to the companies that own, manage, and/or occupy them. More than a theoretical concept, a facility’s role in promoting workers’ well-being demands careful coordination of base building systems and workstation designs.
From the end users’ view, space delivery at the tenant build-out level is the most obvious, visible aspect of the work environment. This is the type of service by which most facility projects will be judged; it is the “front line” where workers and visitors feel the immediate impact of a space and how it is outfitted.
Ironically, much of the quality of space delivery is judged by how well the user technology is delivered (phones and computers, for example) rather than by how well walls are aligned, floors are leveled, and paint is applied. Technology is now the lifeblood for organizations and must be delivered continuously and reliably. End users can tolerate deficient craftsmanship, but they cannot tolerate deficient delivery of technology necessary for the performance of their jobs. The widespread application of technology at the workstation has also created ergonomic and health challenges.
Since the primary purpose of the office environment is to support the employee charged with tasks, it have become increasingly important for facility managers to understand the ergonomic needs of individual workers. The emergence of the automated office has changed the way that employees now interact with their environment. For instance, being seated in front of a computer screen requires posture different from that required for writing by hand. Because of the physical demands imposed by prolonged tasks at monitors, keyboards, and other automated equipment, the office environment may have to be modified to create comfortable conditions. A workstation should be set up to match its occupant’s body characteristics; heights of the work surface, monitor screen, and keyboard will vary depending on the individual. This understanding in turn contributes to greater productivity, a more efficient work process, and lower employee turnover that can result from job dissatisfaction and job-related physical stress.
Building systems, furniture, and technology come together in the workstation. If all three elements are not well coordinated, the facility will fail at the workstation level. Three strategies to consider, then, are:
- Base workstations design on functional job types rather than on the content of the work performed. The space should support the activities that make up the job type.
- Communicate status through workspace qualities that do not affect function.
- Design as few workstation footprints (workstation size and shape in outline) as possible. There can be several layouts within one footprint.
In many companies, competitive pressures are pushing people who once worked apart to collaborate; it is estimated that three out of five companies now organize staff around project teams. In addition, a team’s members may not necessarily be at the same geographical location. The need for collaborative space, along with higher space costs, directly affects workstation design, as follows:
- Overhead panel-mounted storage is being replaced by freestanding vertical storage at the ends of workstations. This change relieves the claustrophobia that workers feel as workstations shrink. Also, replacing traditional paper files with file storage on computer servers frees space for other uses.
- Panels are sized for function. Typical heights of workstation panels are dropping from 65 inches to 53 inches. This change may sound minor, but the open feeling produced by lower workspace panels lifts morale. Higher panels than usual can be strategically placed to reduce the excessive noise found in some teamwork environments.
- Panel systems are incorporating more flexible, freestanding components, such as rolling tables and file pedestal, to support collaborative teams, especially when access floors provide space for cabling formerly contained panel raceways.
- Workspace is no longer confined to workstations. As wireless access has become practical outside the office, work is now possible from such locations as cafeterias and conference rooms, especially within large offices.
- Fully walled offices are making a comeback; these offices, however, are either being shared by up to four workers, or they are smaller single-occupant offices.
Acquiring furniture is the point in the process where individuals apply an organization’s technology. Traditionally, furniture consisted of freestanding case goods – independent pieces that stood on a floor or wherever they were placed. There was little or no interaction between a building and its furniture, and pieces were moved in until the building was filled. Today, furniture has become more than a series of products; it has become a service as well. Below is a list of five different services to show that much more is involved in providing furniture that just purchasing a product and arranging delivery:
- Quick-Ship and Quick-Delivery Programs
- Furniture Leasing Programs
- Bar-Coding and Inventory Services
- Furniture Component Rehabilitation and Reselling
- Component Recycling
Turning from the industry to the specific products, three general types of furniture are used in most commercial office environments. They are:
- Traditional/Conventional: Case goods, such as desks, tables, credenzas, file cabinets, and bookcases, and chairs whether ergonomic or not.
- Modular: Both simple modular (stackable components) and true systems furniture (components hung on interlocking, modular panels used for structural integrity, support, and the carrying of power, signal, and data cabling).
- Computer Support: Build exclusively to support data processing equipment; essentially a specialized form of conventional furniture.
Although these descriptions convey the physical distinctions between different furniture types, the physical characteristics of each type have distinct strategic consequences for facility managers.
In this article, we have stressed how workstation designs have a direct impact on people who use them. Throughout the past several years, facility managers have learned to identify employees’ needs more clearly and to take a strategic approach to workstation design. Furniture is perhaps more closely associated with the identification of space needs than is any other component of the built environment because our association with it is so direct and constant through work experiences. Today, facility managers must start to look beyond its immediate associations to its strategic implications if they are to truly manage it.
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