Interviewing individuals entails making an attempt to tease out a bit of private color. Generally I already know what that’s or is likely to be. That’s actually the case with Nigel Oseland who I’ve recognized for a few years, know to be from Wolverhampton and who studied psychology and laptop science at Keele College in my residence city. He went on to concentrate on environmental psychology whereas working on the Constructing Analysis Institution in Watford within the late Eighties and Nineteen Nineties.
This coincided with one among my very own first roles within the office sector only a few miles down the highway in Radlett. It’s very seemingly our paths crossed then though I don’t recall. He now has his personal consultancy, runs an annual convention along with his spouse Maggie is a visiting fellow of Liverpool John Moores College and is a wanted speaker and commentator within the media and occasions worldwide.
Nigel is a connoisseur of beer in addition to prog and indie rock and is ready to behave on each passions. He’s the founder and organiser of a beer competition in his adopted residence of Berkhamsted and the presenter of a weekly present on Radio Dacorum.
Aside from our skilled relationship, the latter retains me in common contact with him as a result of every week he appeals for concepts for the theme of that week’s present – be it songs with gaps in them, songs in regards to the climate, or no matter.
This does throw up a slight generational mismatch as a result of though I usually share his style for each genres, I’m ambivalent in regards to the folkier finish of the prog canon and he doesn’t share my appreciation for the likes of The Marriage ceremony Current and Half Man Half Biscuit. My recommendations on social media primarily based on this love fall on deaf ears.
One factor we do agree on is that lots of crucial insights we will have about work and workplaces are rooted in disciplines equivalent to psychology and anthropology. He’s a type of academically minded individuals who applies analysis in a sensible means, a capability that’s far rarer than it is likely to be.
That is evident within the Office Tendencies convention he runs along with his spouse Maggie, one of many should attend occasions within the annual calendar of such issues.
He’s additionally the writer of two books. The Human Zoo views individuals and their behaviour within the office by way of an anthropological lens. His most up-to-date ebook has the a lot drier title of A Sensible Information to Submit Occupancy Analysis and Researching Constructing Consumer Expertise. However it too is there to supply actionable insights.
The publication is well timed as a result of the dialog in regards to the office has now crossed over into mainstream pondering. Companies and their managers are taking a far keener curiosity within the design and administration of the office in all its types.
All about individuals
“What all of us perceive now could be that it’s all about individuals,” he says. “It’s about how the design of an workplace and work tradition helps them. However we will do extra and that’s what I’m making an attempt to do with the ebook. You possibly can level issues out with anecdotes and you may level them out with knowledge. With out the information you haven’t actually received a dialog and whenever you’re speaking to the C-suite you really want it. For those who’re the world’s foremost skilled on a topic or a signature architect or no matter, you all the time have sway, however us mere mortals want the information.
We regularly discover that enterprise leaders have a unique view of how the workplace is working to different individuals
“Executives have their concepts and their visions which they may pursue and people are mandatory. However in addition they want a broader perspective, a broader viewpoint. Generally they don’t all the time know as a lot as they may about what is going on with the individuals who work for the enterprise. After we do surveys, we regularly discover that enterprise leaders have a unique view of how the workplace is working to different individuals. If in case you have the information, you may have the dialog. If in case you have knowledge, you would possibly nonetheless be challenged however with out it, you’re screwed.”
Nigel believes that this new focus can be altering the best way we discuss company actual property. “The main target of actual property has all the time been house and price efficiencies and that’s the flawed place to begin,” he says. “The place to begin must be, properly, how are individuals utilizing the workplace, how do we would like them to make use of the workplace? How will we entice them again? Do we’d like a totally totally different mannequin of labor? Through the COVID disaster there was an comprehensible concentrate on taking tactical choices in response. Now we’re pondering extra strategically.
“However there are nonetheless vestiges of the tactical response. Weirdly, I went right into a college house the opposite day and so they nonetheless had Perspex screens up between their desks. I feel the workers preferred it. It’s again to the cubicle besides it’s a Perspex field somewhat than a partitioned field.
“So, once we take a look at publish occupancy evaluations we’re nonetheless not all the time doing it proper. The measurement of success continues to be usually about whether or not it was delivered on time and inside funds. However it’s altering. Increasingly companies are asking whether or not it truly works for them. Is it assembly occupants’ necessities? Are the buildings behaving in the best way they had been designed and modelled for from an vitality and sustainability perspective?”
Toes within the water
He’s additionally conscious of how companies are nonetheless tentatively exploring new methods of working and seeking to see what others are doing to get some kind of steering. “I’m seeing a giant cut up between organisations who’re saying no, we’re going again to 5 days every week with devoted desks for everyone, or possibly we’ll let individuals work from home on a Friday afternoon or no matter.,” he says.
With all of the uncertainty, we must be measuring greater than ever and gathering all the fitting knowledge to make sure we’re making the fitting calls
“However on the entire, persons are solely within the workplace two or three days every week. So these organisations take a look at unallocated desking and sizzling desking and so forth. And with all that uncertainty we must be measuring greater than ever and gathering all the fitting knowledge to make sure we’re making the fitting calls.
“Probably the most sought-after metrics proper now – and it wasn’t like this earlier than COVID – is utilisation. Persons are voting with their toes and if the workplace doesn’t supply them a greater expertise than their properties or doesn’t make journey worthwhile. The problem is getting the steadiness proper. One analysis mission I’ve labored on with Miller Knoll and introduced on the final Office Tendencies discovered that individuals who don’t have an allotted desk are much less prone to come again to the workplace.
“That is vital to know as a result of one of many methods we’re addressing the difficulty of underutilised house is with desk sharing. However based on our analysis, that makes it even much less seemingly persons are going to come back into the workplace. And so, utilisation drops much more. We would have already suspected this. It’s all the time been a wrestle to promote sizzling desking to individuals.”
In true educational type, Nigel all the time caveats such statements and factors out that issues are extra difficult. “We have now to interrupt it down by several types of individuals,” he says. “We all know lots about introversion, extraversion and totally different persona sorts. There’s a massive group of individuals, together with lots of the office strategists I do know, who’re advocates of desk sharing. As a result of that’s how they need to work. They need to socialise. They need to collaborate.
“Then there are the people who find themselves pleased to do business from home, and transfer round when they should. They’re pleased to come back into the workplace however don’t need to be pinned down. Generally they don’t even need to sit subsequent to their colleagues. Generally they do. So there are many individuals who perceive instinctively about easy methods to use the workplace as a membership or coworking house.
“However there are others preferring routine, understanding once they’re going to be within the workplace, the place issues are, the place their colleagues are, understanding they’ve their very own desk. And many individuals need to mix how they work. It’s a dilemma.”
Switch coverage
One other dilemma is knowing the context through which individuals reply to publish occupancy questionnaires about workspace. Does he suppose they may use the suggestions to precise broader dissatisfactions about their job?
“Yeah. In psychology, there’s a phenomenon generally known as transference through which you’ll switch one thing you want or grumble about on to one thing else. So individuals will say they’re dissatisfied with an area, when requested, though the actual supply of the dissatisfaction is a relocation. One of many methods of figuring out this I found a few years in the past is to ask questions in regards to the particular components that make up an area. And if there are massive gaps between the response to these query and the general stage of satisfaction, that usually signifies that one thing else is affecting their viewpoint.”
Individuals will say they’re dissatisfied with an area, though the actual supply of the dissatisfaction is a relocation
So what are the principle benefit for companies who undertake a publish occupancy analysis?
“Properly, the principle purpose is to take a scientific strategy to a fancy subject, somewhat than counting on anecdotal proof or private choice. You possibly can’t simply depend on the views of executives or architects and certainly each can profit from using an analysis to transient the design of the constructing and adapt it over time.
“With out proof, the architect could construct you one thing that they like. And so they could have a unique view to what makes an area nice to the common occupant. We are sometimes concerned within the pre-project part to tell the transient. More and more we’re additionally concerned in publish occupancy analysis to tell the subsequent house or subsequent mission.
“The vital factor to recollect is that buildings are sometimes sluggish to alter however organisations aren’t and know-how actually isn’t. I think that one of many important causes companies relocate is as a result of after about 5 or extra years, their buildings are not supporting them in addition to they may.
“Generally it’s simpler to maneuver than to refurbish, rethink or retrofit an present house. To me, it makes excellent sense to do a daily, even annual full analysis of the amenities and know-how and all the things else that’s supporting individuals. I do know there might be conversations and anecdotes that can elevate sure points however a full analysis with knowledge may be sport altering.
“Having that breadth of information to essentially perceive if a constructing continues to be working appears important. To ask whether or not one thing is required and what the agency ought to do. It additionally means you’ll find the issues that don’t want to alter. One thing the perfect factor to do is nothing.
“Generally what’s vital appears trivial,” he argues. “It’s not all about time and funds. It may be as fundamental as giving individuals good espresso to encourage them to spend extra time within the workplace. So give them the perfect espresso you may.”
“Plenty of issues are behavioural. It’s plenty of what occurs. It’s a disconnect between the best way the workplace was designed and the best way it’s getting used. The briefing is correct, the design of the house is correct, however pretty usually there’s not likely sufficient change administration or transition administration. So then individuals don’t use the house the best way it was meant. It’s essential to verify.”
