Through our transformation, we’re showing clients how to harness the power of hybrid and pivot to an environment that can energize every how, when and why of their workforce. With a ton of sit-and-share spaces, the perfect mix of heads down and heads together places, and comfy, cool, flexible furnishings, this is the new nucleus of our business that stays positively charged for a wide-range of interactions. Through this transformation, we’re redesigning work around wellbeing, but also productivity, giving our workforce the space to flex their workstyle, the technology to stay connected, and the collaborative tools for bigger ideation.
Like so many businesses in Austin pre-pandemic, we were on an upward trajectory. In 2019, we were already way ahead of the growth curve, solving for space for a rising workforce. With research in hand and ready to lead by example, we went into full design mode in our showroom with plans for a scalable office expansion to accommodate a new wave of in-house personnel. Queue COVID and everything came to a screeching pause. That slight pause gave us a little time to do what we do best, shift, pivot, and get back to it.
In Spring of 2020, the shutdown of offices around the globe upended employees and created a remote work tidal wave. Since that time, companies of nearly every size have been rethinking their in-person versus work-from-home framework, brainstorming ways to bring employees back safely while fostering productivity both on and off site. One of these strategies entails a flexible, free address workspace model within the hybrid workplace ecosystem.
Born and raised in the age of digital technology, Generation Z has never known life without cell phones or the internet. Often referred to as “digital natives,” they comprise about 20% of the population in the U.S.1 and Canada2 and will soon surpass Millennials as the largest generational cohort globally.3 However, they aren’t simply “young Millennials.” They represent the dawning of a truly new generation, and their differences show up in their views on both life and work.
While the creation of safe and welcoming healthcare spaces has always been paramount in the design industry, rarely has it received as much attention as in recent months, with frontline Covid workers and their patients on the national radar on a daily basis.
As many countries go through lockdown again, companies around the world are realizing that the way they work will drastically change over the long term. With the forced mass work-from-home experiment, employees have shown that, if supported by the right technology, they are able to work remotely and efficiently at large scale and without significant loss in productivity. They have also demonstrated their loyal engagement and commitment in highly challenging times. In return, they are voicing new expectations that employers can no longer ignore.
Over the past six months, the coronavirus pandemic has uprooted our lives and radically changed how we think about the office. From regional shutdowns to new remote-work policies, we have navigated a new set of challenges. These challenges, of course, pale in comparison to those on the front lines of the fight against COVID-19. But […]
At first glance, you might expect COVID-19 to be a disaster for corporate culture. The widespread shift to remote work — half of employees in the U.S. were working from home in April — decreased the face-to-face interactions that reinforce organizational culture.1 The economic downturn in many industries and a spike in layoffs threaten to unravel the social fabric that holds companies together. Our ongoing analysis of 1.4 million employee-written reviews on Glassdoor, however, tells a very different story.
Measuring the effect of the workplace on employee engagement is also becoming increasingly important. Yet some companies are not measuring effectiveness of the workplace at all or are unsure how to measure it. In a world where the role of the office is changing and traditional metrics are not as meaningful, finding innovative ways to measure space effectiveness will become a critical piece of ensuring the value of office space.
Building Long-Term Value and Agility by Connecting Offerings, Organizations and Operations
As a hybrid workplace emerges in the post-pandemic environment, and organizations roll out a distributed work strategy with both physical and remote locations, coworking and flexible spaces are poised to play a vital role in the transition and economic recovery.
While COVID-19 has forced a reimagining of how and where we work, in the case of higher education, the pandemic accelerated trends that were already underway, according to Elliot Felix, founder and CEO of brightspot Strategy, a higher ed strategy firm focused on improving the student, faculty and staff experience.
The COVID-19 pandemic has upended work and office life, becoming a powerful catalyst for workplace change.
At a time like this, understanding where your employees are in their level of engagement is critical. But it’s not about the engagement, per se; it’s about taking stock of their level of stress, happiness, and focus, to better understand what is standing in their way of bringing their best selves to work.
SKG spent weeks synthesizing information collected through virtual round tables hosted by SKG with some of the nation's largest organizations. Our strategy team has consolidated all data points into a summary of the considered approaches for return-to-site in a COVID age.
Re-imagining Libraries, Faculty Offices and In-Between Spaces. Knoll convened a Higher Education Summit in Chicago in October 2019 with thought leaders in higher education design from across the country. Headlined by researcher and author Meghan Grace, who presented discoveries from her book, Generation Z Goes to College, the forum also included a lively exchange of ideas and challenges designers face when planning spaces on campus for today and tomorrow’s students and faculty.
Cost considerations and space utilization can direct an organization’s decision to move from private to mostly open space. However, achieving strategic goals and supporting a firm’s mission, brand message and culture often play a more significant role. By improving collaboration and communication, flattening hierarchies and eliminating siloes, open environments can catalyze the innovation businesses seek.
With today’s technology-enabled mobility, supervising a partially distributed team has become more commonplace. But if your entire staff has had to move to a remote framework, navigating your role as a leader can feel a bit daunting. There’s no doubt that change can be hard for everyone on your team—including you.
Designing a plan for remote work is more important than ever. Even before the current calls to work from home, many organizations offered work-from-home and flexible working arrangements for their employees.
Employee well-being and organizational outcome are intertwined. Poor health and well-being can reduce engagement and morale, increase turnover, require overstaffing and result in increasing cost to organizations.
Making even small tweaks to office furnishings or work habits can make you more comfortable. To reduce your risk of injury and improve your performance, and well-being, consider these ten practical ergonomic tips for your workspace—and your work style
This paper reviews the evidence that supports investing in workplace ergonomics to realize improved performance, improved worker satisfaction, positive affect on recruiting and retention and improved quality of patient care.
A Layperson’s Guide Ergonomic guidance documents (the HFES 100 and BIFMA G1) are written in a highly technical format and are often challenging for "non-experts" to correctly apply. This primer clarifies popular misconceptions and explains how to use these two documents to develop effective standards.
Research has shown that workplace ergonomics is a major factor in improved staff performance, satisfaction and, in turn, retention. Workspaces should be flexible and adaptable in order to support various modes of work and enable the constant shifts between them. By providing employees with an ergonomic workstation you are ensuring the well-being of your team. The following tips will help you set it up to promote comfort and facilitate productivity.
Eyestrain? Sore back? It is amazing how making even small tweaks to furnishings or work habits can make you more comfortable and energized over a long work day. To reduce your risk of injury, and improve your performance no matter where you work, consider these practical ergonomic tips.