Adapting to a New Workplace Culture
Challenge: Developing a New Workplace Culture
US-based technology company was in the process of moving its field and engineering staff to a shared space work environment. Employees were categorized by work type and space was provided to these employees based upon what they did in the company. Employees who were not full time in the office were given "touch down" space, managers were given shared cubicles and teams that worked together were moved to hotel-type spaces that were available on a first come, first served basis. The only permanent space assigned in the facility was for administrative employees whose jobs required that they be in the office all day. Employee response to the change was quite verbal, many employees taking their feedback directly to members of the corporate staff. The team responsible for the implementation was not sure of the extent of the negative feedback. The project team leaders responsible for the project needed a mechanism to capture employee data quickly.
Solution:
We provided a climate assessment to residents in the new environment. The feedback was completely confidential and allowed employees to make comments as well as answer specific questions about the program design. Employee feedback was analyzed by workgroup and common issues were summarized for immediate intervention. Main areas of concern included poor communication, lack of substantial input from employees about work needs, feelings of isolation and a decrease in morale. Employees also discussed improvements needed in technology to support the new work environment to include hardware and telecommunication devices. The management team quickly learned that the entire process needed serious rethinking.
Result: Enhanced Workplace Culture
We worked with the project team to create pre-move communication, pre-move assessments and a mission statement that better defined why the company was moving to this new work environment. As a result of the internal customer feedback the move team created workplace kits containing common desk supplies that were placed in each shared space. On move-in day residents worked with a service team that could quickly respond to needs. A "manned" service center took issues on the phone. Technology resources were part of the move team and quickly responded to any phone or data issues. We provided the project team with ongoing support for analyzing employee data and also assisted in making the assessment tools available on the web. Implementations that followed yielded an increase in customer satisfaction and productivity in the new environment. Employees felt that their needs were being met and that project leaders were willing to execute changes based upon their feedback. The company was able to capture the information and use it advantageously to meet future project demands. Due to the rigor of pre-move assessments and communication, employee transition to the new space was met with much less resistance. Productivity improved and so did overall satisfaction.