BRINGING THEM BACK
I’M CJ JACKSON AND THIS IS THE “BUSINESS REVIEW”
TRENDS IN WORKPLACE DESIGN AND THINKING HAVE BEEN GRADUALLY CHANGING ACCORDING TO ROBERT MANKIN, OF NBBJ, WHO HAS LEAD WORKPLACE PROJECTS FOR COMPANIES SUCH AS AMAZON, SAMSUNG, AND WARNERBROS. HE SAYS THAT COVID DIDN’T INTRODUCE NEW TRENDS BUT RATHER POURED FUEL ON THE FIRE.
One of those is the employee's ability to control the environment in which they work, the technology that they use, and have choice in the workplace.
AS A RESULT OF OBSERVATION AND RESEARCH, HIS COMPANY DEVELOPED STRATEGIES TO BRING PEOPLE BACK TO THE OFFICE IN AN EFFECTIVE AND MEANINGFUL MANNER.
The first was around health and employee wellbeing. Now it's really fundamental to the work environment. The second item is how an organization connects to its community. Treating the workplace as being this isolated building is really no longer relevant. It's important for employees, but also the communities around them, to feel a connection. I'd say the third aspect, as people come back together in the office, how does the office manifest the values and purpose of an organization? There's research that shows that the younger generations coming into the workplace, particularly the Gen Z generation, have a very strong desire to connect with an organization around its purpose. They're driven as much by purpose as by gaining wealth.
MANKIN SAYS THE OFFICE DESIGN OF THE FUTURE IS NOT JUST ABOUT WORK ANYMORE, BUT A MANIFESTATION OF A COMPANY'S VALUES AND HOW LEADERSHIP CONNECTS TO ITS EMPLOYEES.
THE “BUSINESS REVIEW" IS A PRODUCTION OF LIVINGSTON AND MCKAY AND THE HANKAMER SCHOOL OF BUSINESS AT BAYLOR UNIVERSITY