Employee demands are forcing changes in the workplace

Citation

(1998), "Employee demands are forcing changes in the workplace", Facilities, Vol. 16 No. 9/10. https://doi.org/10.1108/f.1998.06916iab.003

Employee demands are forcing changes in the workplace

Employee demands are forcing changes in the workplace

Keywords Employee expectations, Workplace management

Demographic studies tell us there are fewer skilled people coming into the workplace ­ exerting even more pressure on employers to recruit and retain the right employees. Technology advances are changing the way people work and their expectations for the workplace. As a result, employers are faced with employee demands for change in workplace conditions and facilities.

PA Consulting Group announced the results of a survey that looked at the expectations of employees in UK organisations. The survey results together with PA's experience in this area highlight how employees expect to work and use their offices into the next millennium. PA also identify the key issues that must be managed successfully in order to satisfy the needs and expectations of both employers and employees:

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  The computer is king. Laptops are becoming key business tools. A total of 55 per cent of respondents to PA's survey had use of a laptop although 70 per cent currently still use it in the office. Asked about their priorities for improvements in personal computers, respondents agreed that the reliability and the speed of the network together with the speed of the hardware were most important.

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  The paperless office. Although the technology is there, the changes in behaviours are not; it is therefore more realistic to refer to it as the "less paper office". From our sample, 89 per cent say they read documents directly from the screen; however, the same proportion also print information to file. Although most people still preferred to file information in hard copy, 63 per cent duplicate filing by doing so electronically. The legality of electronically stored documents needs to be addressed if the less paper office is to progress.

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  Remote working and home working. These forms of working are becoming much more commonplace. However, a quarter of respondents did not feel that working cultures would continue to change over the next five years. Respondents are keen to maintain contact with their colleagues: 89 per cent agreed that informal face-to-face interaction with colleagues is essential if they are to perform to their maximum potential.

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  Hotelling. Hotelling is gathering force. This is the concept of working in accommodation provided and serviced by a third party. The survey looked at the priorities that "hoteliers" could supply and the top three were: links to the company phone system; direct links to the company LAN (local access network); and IT support. Surprisingly low on the list was the need for secretarial support and catering facilities.

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  Provision of quiet space. As more office space is becoming open plan, office users are using their space differently: 30 per cent of respondents' time at work was spent in meetings and a further 40 per cent on quiet work. Open plan space is not generally efficient for these activities and organisations need to provide a wide "menu" of workspace.

The survey looks at the workplace as an integrated environment, and allows a workplace manager to identify priorities and assess how the workplace meets users' expectations. Organisations that respond to these challenges will establish a clear start over their competitors, with better motivated staff, better retention rates, and more effective recruitment leading to increased profitability.