The intensifying race to find and keep talent in an increasingly competitive digital business environment have enabled employees to reshape the workplace in their image, including access to a flexible work environment and schedule, overall health and well-being programs, childcare, meal services, and sustainability initiatives.
And the latest data show that employers now see that these investments are critical to their workers’ business performances.
These are among the findings from new “future of work” research, conducted by JLL and Harvard Business Review, which previewed at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, last January.
A poll of 342 executives found that 83% agree that an attractive and flexible work environment is essential to attract and retain the talent they need to innovate and deliver business value in a competitive digital business environment and tight labor market.
More than half of the organizations these executives represent (57%) rate “human experience” as a top priority. “When we talk about human experience in the workplace, it’s really a recognition that, first and foremost employees are human beings with full lives beyond work that encompass friends, families, and varied interests, passions, and commitments,” states the authors of this research report. “So human experience efforts focus on improving how fluidly workers can integrate all of these pieces of the puzzle.”
This thinking is in line with a recent story in the New York Times that examined how wellness initiatives were ramping up in workplaces across the country. Corporate Wellness Magazine’s website also recently ran an article about how offices are merging tech and design for workplace wellness.
Over the past two years, almost one-third (32%) of JLL/Harvard survey respondents adjusted workplace design as a means to enhance the employee’s experience on the job. Another 31% adjusted workplace policies to accommodate flexible work schedules and working remotely.
And 53% of organizations plan to invest in human experience over the next two years. In that effort, more organizations are seeking their employees’ feedback and changes regarding workplace changes.
Already, more than half (53%) of respondents provide workers with the digital technology they need to work remotely or on a flexible schedule. And more than two-fifths of respondents have been customizing tis technology to employee preferences, by providing options to accommodate different people’s work styles and preferences.
A strong majority of respondents also place as a top priority the development of programs to support their employees’ health and well-being. For example, 35% of organizations are providing workplace amenities such as childcare and meal services, and 24% of organizations offer onsite recreation equipment.
Employee demand is also driving sustainability initiatives, say 55% of the organizations polled.
These efforts often result in more effective recruitment and retention. Because of their human experience initiatives, 36% of organizations report greater success retaining talent, 44% report improved employee morale, and 34% report improved productivity.
The research also found that:
•43% of organizations provide an appealing physical environment that fosters professional collaboration.
•42% offer new health and wellness benefits at little or no cost to employees.
•44% providing employees with opportunities, such as volunteer programs, to make meaningful social contributions unrelated to work.
The benefits from human experience initiatives include:
•greater brand image and recognition (29% of organizations polled).
•greater innovation (28%).
•greater visibility in the market and community (28%).
•greater customer satisfaction (27%).
•better relationships with suppliers and partners (21%).
•greater profitability (17%).
Related Stories
| Feb 13, 2014
Related Companies, LargaVista partner to develop mixed-use tower in SoHo
The site is located at the gateway to the booming SoHo retail market, where Class A office space is scarce yet highly in demand.
| Feb 12, 2014
First Look: Futuristic Silicon Valley campus designed to draw tech startups
The curved campus will consist of four different buildings, one exclusively for amenities like a coffee bar, bike shop, and bank.
| Feb 7, 2014
Zaha Hadid's 'white crystal' petroleum research center taking shape in the desert [slideshow]
Like a crystalline form still in the state of expansion, the King Abdullah Petroleum Studies and Research Center will rise from the desert in dramatic fashion, with a network of bright-white, six-sided cells combining to form an angular, shell-like façade.
| Feb 6, 2014
End of the open workplace?
If you’ve been following news about workplace design in the popular media, you might believe that the open workplace has run its course. While there’s no shortage of bad open-plan workplaces, there are two big flaws with the now common claim that openness is bad.
| Feb 5, 2014
Extreme conversion: Atlanta turns high-rise office building into high school
Formerly occupied by IBM, the 11-story Lakeside building is the new home for North Atlanta High School.
| Feb 5, 2014
7 towers that define the 'skinny skyscraper' boom [slideshow]
Recent advancements in structural design, combined with the loosening of density and zoning requirements, has opened the door for the so-called "superslim skyscraper."
| Jan 30, 2014
See how architects at NBBJ are using computational design to calculate the best views on projects [video]
In an ideal world, every office employee would have a beautiful view from his or her desk. While no one can make that happen in real life, computational design can help architects maximize views from every angle.
| Jan 30, 2014
The evolving workplace: One designer's inspiration board
"Open office" has been a major buzzword for decades, and like any buzzword, some of the novelty has worn off. I don't believe we will abandon the open office, but I do think we need to focus on providing a dynamic mix of open and closed spaces.
| Jan 29, 2014
Richard Meier unveils 'urban courtyard' scheme for Mexico City towers
A grand atrium, reaching some 30 stories, highlights the contemporary, bright-white design scheme unveiled this week by Richard Meier & Partners for a new mixed-use development in Mexico City.
| Jan 28, 2014
2014 predictions for skyscraper construction: More twisting towers, mega-tall projects, and 'superslim' designs
Experts from the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat release their 2014 construction forecast for the worldwide high-rise industry.