Psychology of the Office Space

Psychology of the Office Space Evolution of the Office Space Frederick Taylor HIS GOAL 1920s maximize efficiency in the workplace His influence on American office culture was strong. He was one of the greatest management gurus of his time large, open floor spaces V all desks faced a supervisor Managers in offices with windows 1950s Universal Offices worked Employees in open air bull pens Office floor plans were no longer limited by the need for daylight and natural ventilation Air conditioning 1930s was introduced Fluorescent lighting was introduced Workers could Work now in the middle of a room ! 1940s American furniture company 1The cubicle" 1964 Herman Miller created what would later become: Introduced as the Action Office System, it was a three-walled system featuring desks and work- spaces of varying height allowed the worker freedom of movement Managers increasingly used the cubicle as a useful tool for cramming as many people into as little space as possible Layoffs 1980s-90s Recession Mergers Open space again 1990s-2000s This time was an era of technological innovation. Companies reverted back to open air plans workers could be mobile around the office space 2000s Flexible, collaborative spaces Tech companies are leading the current charge toward flexible, collaborative spaces where workers can choose how and where they want to work Backlash Damaging to workers' against X attention spans X creative thinking open office X productivity X satisfaction New Spaces for a New Time Technological advances have changed the way we do business. The companies behind devices and software (Google, Facebook, Amazon, etc.) Are now transforming the office spaces in which we work Revolutionized the way we work Gone are the days of Now is the time for X cubicles clusters of intermixed individuals X private offices x completely open office plans collaborative spaces for spontaneous discussion and innovation Companies are investing big bucks in these office re-designs to keep their employees happy and productive Employee Happiness and Satisfaction Matters Unhappy Workers Cost Money Unmotivated em- ployees cost the U.S. economy The next generation of $450 to $550 billion a year in lost productivity Workers expect to be happy Replacing workers costs money On average, companies that replaced high level executive had to pay at least 200 percent of a previous employees salary. 75% Unhappy workers take more sick days By 2015, 75% of the a year. Some estimates are as high as 15 days a year world's employees will be young people. Millennials place a high value on work-life balance and see their jobs as an experience, rather than just a paycheck. According to environmental psychology (the study of the relationship between individuals and their surroundings) an OFFICE can either Make them Stress OR Creative and happy people out Main office challenges Distraction Noise and coworker interruptions disrupt the flow of creativity and innovation. Distraction affects focus and is referred to as "Cognitive overload" Air Quality Poor air quality can decrease productivity by 3%. An average of $15 billion is lost by U.s. companies annually due to poor air quality Daylight Research shows productivity flourishes and employees also sleep better when there is a lot of natural lighting Employee freedom When companies allowed their employees to choose when, where and how they worked, workers stated they Viewed their Were more satisfied Were more productive company as more innovative than competitors Examples of Cutting Edge Offices The Mozilla corporate office in San Francisco incorporated the four work model MOZILLA into their office design Collaborative Social Focus Learn, private 22% 16% 61% 0% More than a third of their office to the 'sociable' work modes as a method of keeping the office culture strong and creative having a welcoming space for volunteers and visit- ing consultants to work FACEBOOK Facebook employees can tailor the layout, height and configuration of their desks based on personal preference It also Offers a range of options for employees to manage their personal lives including banks, cleaners, restaurants, arcades, wood- shops and art studios Google is spending one billion dollars GOOGLE to develop office spaces in London This one million square feet complex will come complete with a laundry list of amenities: open-air swimming pool climbing wall roof garden indoor football field in-house showers 1 million square feet It is set to open in 2016 GOOGLE GARAGE ON WHEELS In the Google Garage, all the furniture Whiteboards can be wheeled, chairs can be moved from individual spaces to communal areas and desks can be separated and connected depending on the work activity across the workspace area is on wheels There is also a power network where USB and Ethernet cables drop from the ceiling, making electronic connections accessible from virtually anywhere FOURSQUARE At Foursquare in New York, each room has a theme that matches a different badge. "Socialite" room with beautiful wall paper "Herbivore" room covered with plants. and a chandelier. small amphitheater gymnastics rings cafeteria weekly keg ping pong table Foursquare court AOL VENTURES At AOL Ventures in New York you will find very stressful large murals in the hallways take care bean bag chairs game rooms happy and creative a pool table an arcade game that measures your level of stress healthy vending machines Sources USCDornsife Open Office Space http://www.newyorker.com/business/ http://www.fastcoexist.com/3021713/youre-not-alone-most-people-hate-open-offices http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/08/24/open-plan-office-study_n_3810538.html http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2401283/Open-plan- offices-DONT-boost-productivity-Study-rubbishes-economic-benefits.html http://www.bizjournals.com/philadelphia/blog/real- estate/2013/07/are-open-floor-plans-out.html http://books.google.com/books?id=uChnN- -SJDNMC&pg-PA26&lpg=PA26&dq-frederick+taylor+office+design&source-bl&ots-FPLG2 6-TsW&sig=7N1uEK2pPYCgTCdMgyZjuadBUvc&hl=en&sa=x&ei=05X1U5maH6P3igKM04C IBg&ved-OCBOQ6AEWAA#v=onepage&q-frederick%20taylor%20office%20design&f-fals ency/the- -office-trap Dana and David Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences Unhappy/Happy at Work http://www2.warwick.ac.uk/newsandevents/pressreleases/new_study_shows/ http://www.forbes.com/sites/stevecooper/2012/07/30/make-more- money-by-making-your-employees-happy/ http://www.nytimes.com/2011/09/04/opinion/sunday/do-happier- people-work-harder.html?_r=0 http://www.buildingcentre.co.uk/pdfs/universityofsurrey.pdf http://www.usatoday.com/story/money/personalfinance/2013/02/19/treating-employees- well-stock-price/1839887/ http://www.forbes.com/sites/brucejapsen/2012/09/12/u-s- workforce-illness-costs-576b-annually-from-sick-days-to-workers-compensation/ http://www.startribune.com/business/20140434.html?location_refer=Homepage:highlight Modules:7 http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/wired-success/201403/how- the-millennial-generation-will-change-the-workplace http://www.forbes.com/sites/susanadams/2013/10/10/unhappy- employees-outnumber-happy-ones-by-two-to-one-worldwide/ http://www.cbsnews.com/news/study-most-americans-unhappy-at-work/ http://theweek.com/article/index/246084/why-most-americans- hate-their-jobs-or-are-just-checked-out http://workplaceunlimited.com/2009%20JCRE%20-%20Psychological%20Needs.pdf http://blogs.hbr.org/2014/01/employees-perform-better-when- they-can-control-their-space/ http://www.fastcoexist.com/1679948/an-office-created-for- people-who-would-rather-be-outside Office Design Trends http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/235375 http://www.gensler.com/uploads/documents/2013_US_Workplace_Survey_07_15_2013.p df http://www.ccim.com/cire-magazine/articles/10-trends-office-design http://www.rtkl.com/top-workplace-trends-for-2014/ http://www.businessinsider.com/homepolish-designs-offices-for-startups-2014-2 http://www.forbes.com/sites/jeannemeister/2013/04/01/flexible-workspaces-another-w orkplace-perk-or-a-must-have-to-attract-top-talent/ http://www.huffingtonpost.com/amanda-schneider/workplace- trends-to-watch_b_4677143.html http://www.designntrend.com/articles/10429/20140125/5-big- trends-dominate-office-designs-2014.htm http://www.forbes.com/sites/jeannemeister/2013/11/06/the- -death-of-the-office-what-happens-when-the-workspace-is-mobile-on-demand-and-al l-about-networking http://venturevillage.eu/art-workplace-design-startup-culture http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/05/07/engineering-the-perfect-o_n_5234315.html http://www.businessinsider.com/the-15-coolest-startup- offices-weve-ever-seen-2013-1?op=1 History of Offices http://www.slate.com/articles/business/books/2014/04/nikil_saval_s_cubed_a_history_o f_the_workplace_reviewed.html http://www.newrepublic.com/article/117196/cubed-nikil-saval-history-workplace http://www.mkthink.com/archives/3761 http://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-23502251 http://www.vox.com/2014/5/20/5731692/the-surprising-history- of-the-cubicle-and-the-rest-of-the-modern