Last month we hosted our first W.O.W event at our Houston, TC headquarters. We discussed the struggles and triumphs building managers have faced regarding the shifting workplace, and how their employees adjusted to the changes. Here is a brief overview of the presentation.

1. Elizabeth Dukes • Don Traweek
BLAZING NEW TRAILS IN THE WAY PEOPLE WORK

2. A Little History
• Offices have been around for millennia
• This Egyptian pictograph demonstrates the office of
ancient times

3. 1940s
• We see individual offices appear
• Open planning was common across multiple industries such
as banking, insurance and media

4. 1950s
• Open floor plans became more common
• Supervisors can definitely see you now

5. 1970s
• Sometime during the 70s, the walls went up
• Cubicle farms were born
However, in this
environment, how
can anyone tell
you’re really
working?

6. The “Conference Room”
• Also known as: meeting rooms, huddle space, enclaves, collaboration space
• The
main
idea
is
ge,ng
people
together
to
share
thoughts
and
ideas,
brainstorm
new
concepts,
leverage
other’s
strengths
and
innovate

7. Today
• Where does that lead us?
• Where
else?
At
Google,
of
course!
• A
place
famous
for
innova>ve
collabora>on
spaces
like
these

8. Put yourself
in this young
grad’s shoes:
What assumptions are
you going to make about
working?
What are you going to
look for in your first job?
What questions are you
going to ask (other than
about raises and
bonuses)?

9. The Expectations
The whole world of work they are entering
is quite different from what it used to be.
The twenty-somethings grew up
with technology.
They understand it. They know
how to use it. They expect it.
Do
you
think
the
talented
young
grad
would
choose
you
over
any
other
company?

10. How can your company attract and
retain top talent?
• Create a meaningful, exciting and flexible
work environment
• Create a more holistic employee
environment
• Provide great online tools (social,
communication)
• Invest to integrate all learning content (as
well as expert and social tools) into one
easy-to-use interface – which is what
young employees expect

11. Why
does
this
ma-er?
Unemployment remains high among many groups,
highly skilled workers are in great demand as baby
boomers retire in large volumes – making it critical
for organizations to become talent magnets and
build passion among current and future employees.
A Gallup poll
says only 20% of
the workforce
happy.
So as the economy
picks up, people will
start changing jobs, and
today’s social media
tools make it very easy
to find opportunities.

12. The Reality
Whether we’re in a corporate mega-campus on acres of rolling hills,
or a customer’s office, we likely spend more time working than not.
American workers spend an extra seven hours
per week on work tasks such as checking
emails and answering phone calls outside
normal work hours.
We also take fewer vacation days than
anyone else.
Average American workweek = 46 hours
Adding up to 378 + hours/ year than many Europeans
And we’re not
finished when we
leave the office…

14. The Solution
We’re
expected
to
perform
at
our
very
best,
and
new
talent
is
demanding
more-­‐
but
the
tradi>onal
office
s>ll
forces
the
worker
to
adapt
to
a
fairly
rigid
infrastructure
that
doesn’t
foster
crea:vity
or
collabora:on.
We should redesign the
work environment to make it
more enjoyable,
collaborative, and fun.
To appeal to the new
generation and benefit the
existing.
Zappos Headquarters

15. Google pioneered
this strategy with the
launch of yoga
classes, basketball
courts, and even a
bowling alley at its
California campus.
The Solution
Today, most high-technology companies serve free breakfast and
lunch, along with ping-pong tables, provide couches, rooms in which
to nap, and brightly colored cubicles and open work spaces.
With no sign of cubicles, anywhere.
The key is to create an environment where your
employees WANT to come to work.

16. Our co-founders have written a book titled, Wide Open Workspace,
which will be released in April of this year.
It’s all about productivity and how it’s achieved in the contemporary business
environment, and the transformation that is touching companies around the
globe.
The best workspaces must be flexible, mobile, and managed by technology
that gives workers what they need to be successful.

17. The enduring image of the archetypal American cowboy is used in the book
as a metaphor and parallel between the innovation, trailblazing, and
completely new thinking.
Today’s human resources, information technology, and facilities
management professionals must be inventive, nimble and courageous, just
like the cowboy of the 19th century.

18. The changes are exciting, and they
challenge all of us to understand and
embrace them.
Days of the giant
cube farms are as
over as the days of
polished mahogany
office doors with
names stenciled in
gold.
Looking to the Future
Technology,
globalization, and a
new generation in the
workforce have
changed all that
permanently..

19. Click here to learn more
about our vision:
WWW.IOFFICECORP.COM/WIDE-OPEN-
WORKSPACE