The third iteration of Capital One’s Work Environment Survey released earlier this year builds on the information gathered in the two previous surveys. We reached out to Stefanie Spurlin, Capital One’s VP of Workplace Solutions, who is responsible for managing workplace initiatives across Capital One’s myriad facilities.
The survey was conducted across several markets and asked respondents to share their thoughts about the impact of workplace design and employee experience on their satisfaction, creativity and productivity at work.
WDM: In deciding questions for the survey, are there key issues that you want to address based on what may be in the planning stage for new facilities?
Capital One: Capital One is a data-driven company and our approach to workplace design is no exception. The Work Environment Survey is a fantastic source of data on trends and it helps us validate whether the strategies we are pursuing as a company are in line with what external professionals – and potential associates – want and expect in a workplace. We draft the survey with a few inputs in mind, including trends that our team is observing from our industry knowledge and concepts we are looking to test out or validate for our own workplace design strategy.
Thinking back over time, what kind of spaces are you providing now that would not have been considered several years ago? What kind of spaces do you anticipate employees may want in the future, to further enhance their well-being at work?
The 2019 Work Environment Survey results showed huge growth in the desire for spaces in the workplace to take breaks throughout the day – nearly all (89 percent) respondents agree they’re able to do their jobs better when those are available. When we asked employees which design elements, they most want to see in their workplaces, 50 percent said spaces for rest and relaxation, compared to just 25 percent who said that in 2018. In addition, 42 percent listed spaces to unplug as a mental health resource that would improve their satisfaction at work.
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Those stats really stood out to us this year. It’s hard to ignore how important these specific spaces are to employees – it even impacts their perceived ability to do their jobs. Capital One offers Mindfulness Rooms as part of our design strategy and we anticipate we’ll continue to see a focus on hospitality experiences, like spaces designated for breaks, in the industry as a whole.