flexiblefullpage
billboard
interstitial1
catfish1
Currently Reading

Ability to focus, not perks, is top concern for office employees

Office Buildings

Ability to focus, not perks, is top concern for office employees

Open-plan offices found to worsen distraction problem.


By Peter Fabris, Contributing Editor | June 16, 2016
Ability to focus, not perks, is top concern for office employees

Open concept meeting space in an office in Redmond, Wash. Photo: Wonderlane/Creative Commons.

Employees’ top priority in an office environment is to be able to focus without interruptions, according to research by Oxford Economics.

A global survey of more than 1,200 senior executives and non-management employees found that employees want office designs to foster the ability to concentrate, more than any other factor.  Amenities like free food, for instance, are far less important, the research shows.

Managers and employees have much different views on this issue. Nearly two-thirds of executives say employees are equipped with the tools they need to deal with distractions at work; but less than half of employees agree with that notion.

The research suggests that the growing popularity of open-plan offices comes with a cost: Difficulty for many employees to get their work done without distractions. In addition, most managers do not have the technology or strategies in place to deal with these problems.

Related Stories

Coronavirus | Aug 25, 2020

Video: 5 building sectors to watch amid COVID-19

RCLCO's Brad Hunter reveals the winners and non-winners of the U.S. real estate market during the coronavirus pandemic.

Coronavirus | Jul 20, 2020

Student housing amid the pandemic, infection control in buildings, and future airport design on "The Weekly"

Experts from Core Spaces, Bala Consulting Engineers, and Populous were interviewed in the July 23 streaming program from Horizon TV.

Coronavirus | Jul 10, 2020

HOK, Cushman & Wakefield, and HMC Architects hold sway on July 16 "The Weekly"

“The Weekly,” a new streaming program for the commercial design and construction industry, to feature experts from HOK, Cushman & Wakefield, and HMC Architects. Tune in July 16 for insight on social media and interior design, the future of the workplace, and healthcare design after COVID-19.

Office Buildings | Jul 9, 2020

Sydney will be home to the world’s tallest hybrid timber tower

SHoP Architects, in collaboration with BVN, is designing the project.

Office Buildings | Jun 25, 2020

New HQ for Chinese tech supplier will feature gardens on every floor

NBBJ’s spiral design maximizes worker exposure to the green spaces.

Coronavirus | Jun 12, 2020

BD+C launches 'The Weekly,' a streaming program for the design and construction industry

The first episode, now available on demand, features experts from Robins & Morton, Gensler, and FMI on the current state of the AEC market.

Office Buildings | Jun 1, 2020

Luxembourg office complex breaks ground in Belval

Foster + Partners designed the building.

Office Buildings | May 27, 2020

512 West 22nd Street: Biophilic design on the High Line

COOKFOX Architects designed the project.

Coronavirus | May 18, 2020

Infection control in office buildings: Preparing for re-occupancy amid the coronavirus

Making workplaces safer will require behavioral resolve nudged by design.

boombox1
boombox2
native1

More In Category



Sustainable Design and Construction

Northglenn, a Denver suburb, opens a net zero, all-electric city hall with a mass timber structure

Northglenn, Colo., a Denver suburb, has opened the new Northglenn City Hall—a net zero, fully electric building with a mass timber structure. The 32,600-sf, $33.7 million building houses 60 city staffers. Designed by Anderson Mason Dale Architects, Northglenn City Hall is set to become the first municipal building in Colorado, and one of the first in the country, to achieve the Core certification: a green building rating system overseen by the International Living Future Institute.


MFPRO+ News

San Francisco unveils guidelines to streamline office-to-residential conversions

The San Francisco Department of Building Inspection announced a series of new building code guidelines clarifying adaptive reuse code provisions and exceptions for converting office-to-residential buildings. Developed in response to the Commercial to Residential Adaptive Reuse program established in July 2023, the guidelines aim to increase the viability of converting underutilized office buildings into housing by reducing regulatory barriers in specific zoning districts downtown. 

halfpage1

Most Popular Content

  1. 2021 Giants 400 Report
  2. Top 150 Architecture Firms for 2019
  3. 13 projects that represent the future of affordable housing
  4. Sagrada Familia completion date pushed back due to coronavirus
  5. Top 160 Architecture Firms 2021