Work is an activity, not a place we go
Posted on 2nd July 2021
Agile working is all about creating flexible and functional spaces to work and be productive. The concept behind agile working is that work is an activity we do, rather than a place we go. Do you agree with this? We wrote a blog on this about a year ago. It is about the cohesion of people, tech, processes, surroundings. Research says 36% of employees would prefer agile working over a pay rise. What it isn’t to be confused with is flexible working ...
Flexible working is about not necessarily following the traditional 9 to 5 routine hours wise. Nor is agile working to be confused with hybrid working which looks at where a person physically works, using a combination of working in the office and working from home.
Articles and research online and from conversations and enquiries we are receiving are referring to and asking about agile working and how to make it work. The need or want is becoming clear that offices or workspaces will ideally be more homely and collaborative for socialising as well as maintaining productivity. Eg referring back to the concept of work not just being somewhere we go to.
What is meant by this? Rows of bench desks and chairs and closed offices/meeting rooms or large spaces with screens and partitions are needed for standard working still of course, but introducing more homely or “softer” feeling spaces and furniture is key to adapt to the agile working way. Why? Breakout areas including soft seating, sofas and booths geared towards chilling out, informal meetings and eating bring about a social aspect to the workspace. The social aspect may be very important to some in the expected return to the office to avoid people feeling isolated or anxious. Sit to stand desks enable a flexible way to work too, also coming with health benefits and a degree of informality too. Open planned spaces, with acrylic screens so people can still each other, also fit into the agile working concept as well as being ideal for distancing and spacing people out.
Read more:
https://www.agile.org.uk/what-is-agile-working/
https://www.enei.org.uk/diversity-inclusion/excellence-in-diversity-inclusion/agile-working/
Image is a Hilly Booth
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