One of the major trends in corporate workplace design is the move to an Activity Based Workplace environment (ABW).
It is a different type of work environment where workers are not assigned a permanent office, desk or workspace, nor are they assigned a particular type of space based on status or job type. Rather, workers predominantly use mobile devices and choose the appropriate workspace for the activity undertaken on a day-to-day basis or project they are working on at the time. This is in stark contrast to the tradition of employees arriving at work and heading to a specific ‘owned’ workspace.
ABW strives towards a utopia where humans aren’t territorial or insecure and where the physical environment facilitates maturity and personal responsibility in all workplace situations. ABW is the hot trend in workplace design because it can save millions of dollars in real estate costs and when done properly, improve productivity. lt requires a largely paperless office which offers additional benefits, such as a reduced environmental footprint, reduced storage requirements and increased security.
Late in 2013, the Bendigo Bank will consolidate a number of sites in to their new Grenfell Street Head Office, which has been designed as an ABW environment.
Supporting employees with behavioural changes to embrace the ABW revolution is imperative to the successful implementation of the model – and the productivity and efficiency improvements that go with it. To help with the transition, beginning in September, Clear Space will start delivering a number of workshops for the Bendigo Bank. A customised program has been developed that will address specific challenges for their staff whilst complementing the other change management strategies the bank is assisting staff with.
Titled “Space, Time and Paper Management”, participants will learn simple yet effective, ready-to-use tips and techniques for instant results and application. It will appeal to and deliver benefits for individuals working in various departments, and having differing needs and day-to-day objectives.
The elements and learning outcomes from the workshops include:
1) Space Management
- effective portability and mobility
- locker storage and control / avoiding the need to store at home
- choosing the most suitable ABW area
- reducing belongings by learning how to let go
2) Time Management
- managing interruptions and distractions
- single versus multi-tasking
- batching tasks & using digital task lists
- creating routines
3) Paper Management
- knowing what to keep, archive and cull
- reducing paper use and dependence
- finding what you need, when it’s needed
- setting up a suitable system for actionable paperwork
We look forward to helping Bendigo Bank with this exciting transformation.
