Today’s conventional office environments, utilizing assigned workspaces, generate
unnecessary overhead in the form of rental, leasing, operational and maintenance costs.
This is because conventional office workspaces have a vacancy rate of 50% to 60%.
Office workers are working outside the office; they are on vacation, sick leave or
maternity leave; or they are attending meetings, conferences or training sessions.
For larger organizations using conventional workspaces, there are further costs
associated with office “churn”; the act of relocating an office worker’s assigned
workspace form one area of the office to another.
Churn costs can also be incurred when expand or reducing the size of an office, or
reconfiguring a group of assigned workspaces within the office. Introducing ABW into an
existing floor plate can noticeably reduce the average floor area requirements of an
organization by making more efficient use of the existing space. In some instances,
efficiencies gained by ABW, may eliminate the need for an office expansion by better
utilizing the floor space you already have.
With ABW allowing the possibility of working at home or other locations of their choosing,
the office worker will be able to achieve a better balance between work and private life
and dramatically reduce time lost to work-related commuting. Office workers can choose
to work at home, when they want to be undisturbed, or go to the office when they need to
network with clients or colleagues and share knowledge.
ABW also means a change in the manner an office is managed. Rather than physical
presence and supervision of office workers, performance is becoming result and goal
oriented. With the freedom allowed by ABW, office workers can feel more responsible
and develop a sense of pride for their organization. Better interactions will take place
between managers and office workers and foster the growth of mutual trust. Less
hierarchy in the organization will be seen as a positive outcome. Office workers in the
flexible ABW environment will feel more motivated; and allow for better productivity for
the organization.
Furthermore, the added flexibility and opportunities provided to office workers by ABW
will make your organization a more attractive employer, allowing better retainage of
valuable staff. When considering new hires, you will be able to attract the best talent
available in the market, over a broader geographical reach.