Transitioning workplace environments: from an FM perspective

Facilities Management (FM) around the globe at different companies in different industries are often forced to make difficult decisions on whether or not to transition a workplace environment and how to decide what factors of a workplace environment can benefit or hinder a company's productivity. The data and research presented within this paper are targeted at aiding and educating FM in determining what factors to consider in a workplace transition to an open-seating design and validate the importance of recognizing how these factors impact the productivity of the individual and the organization. Data contained in this paper was gathered through two different survey samples: 1) a semiconductor company that transitioned its employees from cubicles and offices to an open-seating environment; and 2) a general study open to professionals and their experiences and opinions on workplace environments. This data was used to validate or disprove the views on open-seating workspace held by the FM industry today. Data on the topic of how employees react to being transitioned to open-seating environments and looking at the breakdown of the results between engineers and non-engineers is examined within this research. Also covered within the research is data on transitions to other seating environments outside of open-seating concepts to evaluate and compare transition types. Lastly, data was gathered and discussed on the amount of time needed to adapt after a transition and what environment types were linked to being the most productive. This research provides insight on workplace environments and transitions and how they have an impact on productivity and can be used in the decision process when considering transitioning environments.