Attraction & Retention
The ability of an organization to draw-in new employees and hold on to their current employees. The costs of finding and training new employees can be quite high and high turnover can have detrimental effects to knowledge retention and organizational culture.
Example: Mentorship programs can have positive impacts on attraction and retention of employees. These types of programs can foster employee growth and demonstrate to employees that an organization cares about their professional development. New employees will be attracted to an organization that promises to encourage their growth and current employees will have incentive to stay on when the policies and culture promote their development. The development of personal relationships can also have positive effects on organizational culture.
Flexibility
The ability to adapt over time and adjust to changing conditions. As organization needs change over time and employee numbers fluctuate, it is important for organizations to be able to adapt their physical space, tools, and processes to accommodate these changes.
Example: Office walls provide less flexibility than open space with workstations. The space is not as easily reconfigurable with walls as with workstations if organization needs change and employee numbers fluctuate.
Focused Work
Heads down, concentrative work that typically requires little to no distractions. Focused work typically involves reading, writing, and critical thinking.
Example: Enclosed private offices contribute to higher focused work scores as private offices provide immediately available quiet spaces for employees to work. Open workstations decrease an office’s Focused Work score as employees are in an open environment with more distractions.
Scalability
The ease with which an organization can cut back on or expand processes or physical workspace features. Processes or features with less physical and more adaptable infrastructure will typically have higher Scalability scores.
Example: Telecommuting has a high Scalability score because it requires little to no physical infrastructure and telecommuting policies can be scaled up or down with minimal physical input. A cafeteria has a negative Scalability score as it is requires significant effort to add or remove a cafeteria from the workplace. Because of the infrastructure involved, a cafeteria cannot easily be expanded or repurposed for another use.
Millennial Appeal
The degree to which an amenity or feature appeals specifically to Millennial employees as opposed to older employees. Typically technology features and amenities catered to younger employees, such as daycare, will have a positive “Millennial Appeal” score.
Example: The presence of a daycare facility on premises or in the vicinity of an office will increase the “Millennial Appeal” score. Daycare is catered to younger employees and will be particularly attractive to them.
Collaboration
The degree to which an amenity or feature supports a work environment where employees can work together on a specific work product with ease. Amenities or features that promote collaboration will provide the means for employees to gather together, exchange ideas and knowledge, and facilitate communication among employees.
Example: Huddle rooms, which are enclosed meeting rooms for 2-4 people, encourage collaboration by providing a technology equipped space for employees to collaborate on a work product.
Interaction
The degree to which an amenity or feature supports a work environment where employees can communicate or gather informally not related to a specific work task. Spaces that encourage employees to cross paths throughout the day and facilitate communication contribute to positive interaction scores.
Example: Open internal stairs can act as an informal meeting and gathering area and can facilitate ad-hoc interactions as employees cross paths with each other throughout the course of the day.
Leveraging Technology
The degree to which an amenity or feature use or depend on new technologies. This category typically applies to physical tools in the office, but can also apply to policies, like telecommuting, that rely on technology infrastructure.
Example: Videoconferencing has a positive Leveraging Technology score as the practice relies on modern technology tools and requires high bandwidth connections.
Mobility
The degree to which an amenity or feature supports the ease of movement throughout the office space as well as outside of the office space. Workplace features or policies that promote mobility typically free the employee from being tethered to their desk so they have the freedom to work from the setting that best supports the task at hand.
Example: Focus Rooms, or enclosed and private one-person work rooms, promote mobility by providing technology equipped spaces for employees to work in when they need to do heads down, concentrative work. The technology that must accompany these rooms, such as Wi-Fi, dual/large monitors, and adequate AV/power connections, also support employee mobility.
Health
The degree to which an amenity or feature support the physical and emotional health and well-being of employees. Amenities and policies that promote health typically encourage employees to move throughout the day, encourage healthy choices, and provide access to natural elements throughout the course of the day.
Example: The presence of natural light in workspaces has a substantial positive impact on Health scores. Numerous studies show employees are more productive, happier, and healthier when they have access to natural light throughout the course of the day. This score is proportional to the percentage of workspaces in an office that have access to natural light. The higher percentage of workspaces with access to natural light, the higher the Health score will be.