Candido and colleagues report on adaptive workplace design. The team studied Mirvac’s new offices: “An adaptive space allows people to adjust the workspace to suit their needs at a specific point in time, meaning the space is designed with this flexibility in mind. Further, technology allows for seamless integration and use, supporting synchronous and asynchronous interactions. We found when spaces are allowed to be adaptive and supported by the right design, tools and technologies, teams perform successfully and individuals experience a greater sense of connection and belonging. When trusted by managers, teams will seek to find the right balance between ‘me’ and ‘we’ time while sustaining strong performance. Importantly, to deliver these kinds of outcomes, spaces cannot be ambiguous; there must be a clear purpose in their design (and it’s probably related to tasks that cannot be done from home). In a separate piece of work . . . we found visual privacy and access to outdoor environments are key predictors of productivity.”
Christina Candido, Behnaz Avazpur, Iva Durakovic, and Samin Marzban. 2024. “’Forcing’ Workers Into the Office Misses the Point.” Press release, The University of Melbourne, https://pursuit.unimelb.edu.au/articles/forcing-workers-into-the-office-misses-the-point?utm_medium=email&_hsmi=297135712&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-_JU3utTHdBJ1PiJu_dXhSH9wHk7o95wAM7J059mItn9SVAMNTCa2qzNjpXBwM20uD_rnoxqcVHT8Oa0cW-pxyzBh52zg&utm_content=297135712&utm_source=hs_email