In our previous blog post, we stressed the importance of a flexible workplace. An office furnishedto suit the needs of the organisation and its staff. And activity-based working plays a major role in that.
What is activity-based working?
Activity-based working means that you create a suitable working environment for every activity or task within your organisation. That means you have spaces where an employee can focus on their work or do a creative brainstorm with a colleague. But it might also include the opportunity to work from home. It is a new way of working that is attuned to:
- employees themselves,
- and their specific activities and needs.
This way, every employee has the chance to organise their work themself and to do it in the most productive way.
The benefits of an activity-based office
An activity-based office (i.e. several rooms) is not yet as commonplace as the familiar open-plan office (i.e. one big, open space). Nevertheless, an activity-based setup has many benefits.
- More movement
This is probably the biggest benefit of activity-based working. Because you switch rooms from time to time, you stand up more often and move more without even realising it. You break the pattern of sedentary work, and you are more active. In turn, that has a positive impact on both your body and mind (with fewer complaints such as back or neck pain, etc.).
- Easier communication and exchanges of knowledge
Because you work in the room you need to be in for a specific activity, you come into contact with each other more easily (e.g. with a colleague from another department). The structure is looser, which helps both the flow of communication and the sharing of information.
- Greater productivity
What works well for one employee has precisely the opposite effect on another. In that case, the great benefit of an activity-based office is that everyone can choose the area that suits them best (for a specific task or need). That leads to happier staff who work more productively.
Is this a new way of working for everyone?
Are you completely won over by this new way of working? If so, it is important to check first whether it suits your organisation and, above all, whether it suits your employees. What tasks do they do at present and which rooms do they need to be in to do them? Or which employees would prefer one fixed workstation?
There are a lot of questions to bear in mind. And we look forward to helping you answer them. With attention to your specific business activities and available space and resources, Ergo-Lab will advise you on the most suitable office furnishings.