Workplace transformation is a key concept within many industries. In fact, one piece of research carried out by CBRE found that 86% of organisations were reinventing or adapting their workplace standards last year. While there are a number of transformation options that are gaining traction among those seeking out office design services, one of the most significant and important is the concept of activity based working (ABW).
Essentially, the theory behind activity based working is that employees should have the ability to move between different work areas, which are set up to facilitate different kinds of activities. It is similar to the concept of agile working, although ABW set-ups tend to be slightly more rigid in terms of when and how employees complete their tasks. Nevertheless, the concept of movement between different spaces is the same.
A key idea connected to activity based working is the belief that employees should not have a single assigned work station. Instead, businesses work with office space planning experts to create a number of different work areas, which each enable a certain kind of activity to take place. So, for example, there may be one area for concentrated work, one area for collaborative work, one area for meetings, and one area for 'accidental collisions'.
One of the reasons for the rise of ABW has been a backlash against open-planoffices, which were, in turn, created as a means of combating the lack of collaboration generated through traditional cubicle layouts.
"The real genius behind activity-based working is that it provides the best of both 'extremes' of office design," says Michael Moulton, in a blog post. "When tasks require collaboration – like designers working with copywriters on website changes – workstations exist to enhance those tasks' efficiency. If a task demands quiet, then spaces are available for solo work as well."
An example of an office revolutionised by activity based working is Microsoft Netherlands' office in Amsterdam. As part of the design, the company did away with private offices, ensuring all employees are equal. It provides a variety of different workspaces and meeting rooms, as well as a coffee shop area, and allows employees to move around freely. As a by-product, the company has reduced real estate costs by 30% and boosted productivity.
Research supports the use of activity based working designs as office space planning solutions. Indeed, Leesman carried out an in-depth study into ABW, The Rise and Rise of Activity Based Working, which concluded that "The data consistently supported industry claims that ABW increased staff collaboration, productivity, pride and effectiveness." With that being said, the study also found that there are significant challenges too.