Creating a high performance workforce: The workplace

IN the first of our week of features in association with Sheffield Hallam University, TheBusinessDesk.com looks at the impact of the workplace on the workforce.

IN the current economic climate, many organisations find themselves working with fewer staff than before so, more than ever, making the most of those resources counts.

Maintaining morale can be a challenge at exactly the moment businesses need their workforces to be ready to adapt.

Yet, when it comes to getting the best out of employees, the importance of their physical environment is sometimes underestimated.

“Workplace facilities and layouts need to be suitably matched with the diverse requirements of the business and the people using them, enabling effective communication, allowing for thinking space and encouraging creativity,” says Tim Davidson-Hague, director of Sheffield Hallam’s Centre for Facilities Management Development.

Today many offices are open-plan, following the trend for opening up the workplace to create a more collaborative, open and sharing environment.

But this environment is not always suitable to service all of the needs of employees’ day to day work. For example, staff sometimes need quiet time to think, or space for brainstorming ideas within groups, or even presenting to a wider group.

Creative thinking is also often encouraged by creative working environments. Having a flexible workplace environment to cater for these diverse business needs can be challenging to accommodate.

It’s perfectly possible to measure the effectiveness of your workplace environment in order to identify any potential areas for improvement.

Experts at Sheffield Hallam’s Centre for Facilities Management Development carry out research into the impact of well-designed and maintained space – and the resulting benefits to businesses.

Mr Davidson-Hague says: “Where workplaces have been designed to influence the informal culture and networks of the organisation, studies have shown conclusive and significant differences in staff perceptions of productivity.”

The centre carries out consultancy work on behalf of companies in the public and private sectors, assessing the needs of the staff and employers, evaluating the workplace and engaging psychologically with employees.

Its work has helped organisations including Government Communications Headquarters (GCHQ), Scottish Courage, BP, Egg plc, SAB Miller, the ANZ Bank and the former Department for Trade and Industry.

The impact of a workplace is not limited to the layout, the more immediate working environment is also important. Experts say people have to be comfortable at their desks, with everything positioned so that it provides an optimum working space.

If it is not, it increases the risk of employees developing physical illnesses such as back or shoulder problems. The Health and Safety Executive estimates that musculoskeletal disorders were responsible for 9.5 million lost working days in 2005–6.

Sheffield Hallam University offers a service where experts visit a workplace to carry out an ergonomic assessment of employees’ immediate environments, and make recommendations for improvements.

To download a document explaining more about Sheffield Hallam University’s work in this area here.