Oktra - Wellness and the agile workplace

#OktraTalks
Wellness and the agile workplace

 1. Shaun Baker - Creative Director of Oktra
What it is
Why it is important
How can I make changes for the better
2. Lara Conaway - Sustainability Manager at Oktra
A regular speaker at EcoBuild, joint author of the Better Building Partnership’s 2011 publication Managing
Agents’ Sustainability Toolkit.
3. Interactive Workshop
4. Q & A
The Oktra team will assist you with any questions.
AGENDA

AGENDA
WHY A WORKSHOP?
5
10
20
30
50
75
90
Average Retention Rates
Lecture Reading Audio Visual Demonstration
Discussion Group Practice by Doing Teaching Others

Oktra
WHO ARE OKTRA?
Source: Oktra
We are the UK’s leading office design, project management,
fit-out and furniture supply specialist.
We act as a single point of contact for all aspects of
workplace design and office fit-out and we assist clients
from their early property strategy and premises search
through to occupation and post move support services.
We benefit from a rich one hundred year heritage, thrive on
challenging projects and are dedicated to winning
appointments and retaining clients for life to underpin our
sustained growth as a business.

WHAT IS WELLNESS?
Source: Oktra

WHAT IS WELLNESS?
Source: Oktra
Wellness is…

WELLNESS AND THE AGILE WORKPLACE
WHAT IS WELLNESS?
Source: Google Results of a google image search

WHAT IS WELLNESS?
Source: Oxford University Press
The state of being
comfortable, healthy or happy.

Source: World Health Organisation
A state of complete physical,
mental and social wellbeing.
WHAT IS HEALTH?

Source: Ashridge Business
WELLBEING
Physical wellbeing in the form of
positive bodily health
Social wellbeing and a recognition of
the value of connection with others
and good relationships at work
Financial wellbeing from having
enough monetary reward and security
A sense of alignment and connection
with the purpose and values of the
organisation
Spiritual wellbeing, which might be
derived from people being able to
achieve their highest potential or doing
work which has deep meaning and
purpose.

Source: Oktra
WELLBEING
Social wellbeing and a recognition of
the value of connection with others
and good relationships at work
Gen Y
Gen X
Millennials (Igen)
Baby Boomer
B: 1980-1990’s - reliant on new media and digital technology with short
attention spans, materialistic, less concerned on helping the
community
B: 1946-1964 - wealthiest, most active, and most physically fit
generation up to that time, and amongst the first to grow up genuinely
expecting the world to improve with time
B: 1960’s - 1980’s lack of direction and cynicism, members of this
group influenced by a wide range of cultural and political shifts,
perhaps most notably the development of various technologies
B: 1980’s – 2000’s - So called trophy kids described as lazy,
narcissistic and prone to jump from job to job
Different Needs

Source: Oktra
WELLBEING
Within each demographic there are 2 types of person that will interact with
the environment and each other in very different ways
Different Needs

WHAT IS WELLNESS?
Source: Oxford University Press
Maslows Hierarchy of Needs is
a theory in psychology
proposed by Abraham Maslow
in his 1943 paper “A Theory of
Human Motivation”

MASLOWS HIERACHY OF NEEDS
Source: Lombok Design

Source: Oktra
Subjective
WELLBEING
An individuals own interpretation
Varies between sectors, organisations and roles
Very little data currently available
Difficult to rank
Just because it cant be measured doesn’t mean its unimportant

Source: Oktra
WHAT IS AN AGILE WORKPLACE?

Source: Oktra
An agile
workplace
is…

Source: Oktra
BUSINESS HOURS
OPEN Most Days About 9 or 10
Occasionally as Early as 7, But Some Days As Late As 12 or 1
We Close About 5:30 or 6
Occasionally About 4 or 5, But Sometimes as Late as 11 or 12.
Some Days or Afternoons, We Aren’t Here At All,
and Lately I’ve Been Here Just About All The Time.
Except When I’m Someplace Else.
But I Should Be Here Then, Too.
Its not – Flexible hours.

Source: Oktra
Its not - Home working or mobile working these are work styles more to do with place and location. Hot desking & touchdown are specific work settings.

Source: Oktra
WORK / LIFE BALANCE
Marissa Meyer, CEO of Yahoo became the most outspoken critic
of home working culture when she ordered all staff to return to an
office-based approach in early 2013.
1 hour
the average log in time for home
workers per day at Yahoo
Social interaction is a key factor and Yahoo staff had become despondent and distant.

Source: Oktra
WORK IS AN ACTIVITY
NOT A PLACE
It’s about bringing people, process and
technology together in the most appropriate
environment to fulfil a specific task

Source: Leesman Index
ACTIVITY BASED WORKING
A choice of work settings specifically designed for a task giving
employees a where, when and how.
£12m
the annual saving to PWC
having implemented an
agile work environment at
their More London site. 6k
staff working in a space
traditionally allocated to 4k
of people surveyed say
the design of their
workspace is important
to them
85%

Source: Oktra
WHY IS THIS IMPORTANT?

Source: World Green Building Council
There is overwhelming
evidence which demonstrates
that design of an office impacts
the health, wellbeing and
productivity of its occupants.

Source: Oktra
90
9 1
TYPICAL BUSINESS OPERATING COSTS
Staff Costs Rental Costs Energy Costs
£12K
the cost of a desk in central
London / person / year
1400
the average size required of
a workstation to
accommodate technology
today.10 years ago = 1600
Be mindful of aggregation of marginal gains

Source: Design Council
OLDER / SOONER
Our bodies are getting older sooner. Researchers for the Dutch National Institute for
Public Health found, through a project that began in 1987, that 40 year olds are
experiencing weight related problems such as high blood pressure and diabetes at the
same rate as 50 year olds.
9No
a quarter of British adults
now walk for less than 9
minutes in a day – including
time spent getting to the car,
work and shops
of men and 58% of
women in England are
overweight or obese
68%21%
of children in the UK play
outdoors. The rate was 71%
for their parents

Source: British Council for Offices
SHIFT IN THE ROLE OF THE WORKPLACE
A recent BCO study identified that a huge number of workers desire more relaxing or
meditation areas and 92% stated that working ‘in the zone’ helped their wellbeing.
89%
of UK employees say
support from colleagues
improves their wellbeing
of prospective candidates
say social interaction is a
key factor in their choice
of new employer
60%

Source: Nuffield Health
SICK NOTE
People link health with happiness.
As an organisation gets bigger wellbeing typically goes down
27%
less sick days with
healthy staff
overall reduction in
absenteeism where staff
are classified as fit and
healthy
20%

Source: Oktra
My business
is…
EVIDENCE BASED DECISIONS
One Word Equity
Maurice Saatchi argues
that advertising is dead
and that the only way
forwards is for brands to
‘own’ single words, and to
ruthlessly focus on very
simple messages. Google
owns “search”, America
owns “freedom” etc.
Its all about simplicity…
people have too little time
and too much choice.

Source: Oktra
I want to
work in a
place
where…
Understanding KPI’s
Identify the key
performance indicators of
the business.
Attrition
Engagement
Absenteeism

Create…
Toss…
Source: Oktra
Keep…
What works ● doesn’t work ● is desired

too cold
too hot
too noisy
Source: Oktra
not
enough
meeting
rooms
Predictions on survey outcome
refreshments

Source: Oktra
Describe your business through Image selection
Use abstract images to
illustrate
Current business
environment

Source: Oktra
EVIDENCE BASED DECISIONS (THE COOL WALL)
Image selection
Use Look Feel and mood
images to illustrate
Likes
Dislike

Source: Oktra
What is the purpose of a Design Workshop?
o To refine the requirements outlined within the initial brief.
o To identify existing areas of best practice within the business and enhance them.
o To assist a business look at fundamental activities and establish how they affect the business
performance and investigate performance enhancing solutions.
o Identify new ways of working that will assist the business and its staff going forward.
o Identify Business practices that could save space, cost and create a future proof solution.
o Consider look, feel and mood options that will create an inspiring functional and appropriate
environment for the business.
o Look at options to increase staff wellbeing, health and efficiency.
o Look at options to enhance the business branding.
o Identify areas requiring further assessment, measurement and survey.
o Create a focus and consensus.
o Agree a desired output.

Source: Oktra
HOW CAN I CREATE AN AGILE WORKPLACE?

TECHNOLOGY
Source: McKinsey
the year sales of tablets will
outstrip laptops.
2017
The single most important piece of
technology to enable agile working is
wifi and in particular instant connectivity
and available bandwidth.
Improved communication &
collaboration through social
technologies could raise productivity by
as much as 25%

TECHNOLOGY
Source: Oktra
use of mobile apps will
surpass that of Internet
domain names, making
mobile apps the dominant
means of engaging with
brands.
2016
The emergence of collaboration sites,
such as Lync, Chatter, Dropbox and
Skype are leading to new work
practices. Staff can now work together
on documents at the same time in
different parts of the world.

ENVIRONMENTS (COLLABORATION)
Source:Accenture
of middle managers miss
valuable information every
day, simply because they
can’t find it or never see it
59%
Benefits to staff can include developing
employees' skills, abilities and
encouraging staff motivation. The
intellectual capital of a business can
benefit through information-sharing,
engagement in collaborative research,
development, and design activities,
development of new or innovative
products, processes or services.

ENVIRONMENTS (COLLABORATION)
Source:Oktra
of executives cite ineffective
communication as the
reason for workplace failures
96%
Survey by co-working magazine
‘Deskmag’ found that people who work
in a team are more creative, productive
and confident. A total of 71% of those
questioned said they were creative,
62% reported that their standard of work
improved and 90% said they felt more
confident.

ENVIRONMENTS (FOCUS)
Source: Oktra
of UK staff are frustrated by
a lack of privacy
27%
In a recent Forbes workplace study,
63% of respondents said when it comes
time to focus they prefer their personal
workspace over working from home.
70% said they felt healthier than they
did working in a traditional office.

ENVIRONMENTS (SOCIAL)
Source: Oktra
of engaged employees say
that their job brings out their
creative ideas
59%
Why do you need a reception?
A typical London Office Business
demised reception measures approx.
775 sqft (72sqm)
@ approx £60 / sqft that’s £46,500 /
year in rent

ENVIRONMENTS
Source: PricewaterhouseCoopersLLP
PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP
PWC’s approach to agile building design sees almost half of the building given over to
informal spaces ranging from meeting rooms and coffee lounges to acoustic chairs where
people can make phone calls without being overheard by colleagues or having to contend
with background noise.

ENVIRONMENTS
Source: PricewaterhouseCoopersLLP
PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP
.

ENVIRONMENTS
Source: Yahoo
MARISSA MEYER – YAHOO CEO
“Some of the best decisions and insights come from hallway and cafeteria discussions,
meeting new people and impromptu team meetings. Speed and quality are often sacrificed
when we work from home”

FURNITURE SOLUTIONS
Source: Oktra
of meeting room occupation
is for one to one meetings
30%
Impact of Collaboration
o A strong sense of purpose
o Equal participation
o Access to strengths & skills
o Develop employee skills
o Solve problems & innovate faster
o Work efficiently
o Increased job satisfaction & staff
retention

FURNITURE SOLUTIONS
Source: Oktra
of employers do not comply
with display screen
equipment regulations
73%
RSI costs employers £300m / year in
lost working time and sick leave
15 million work days lost in UK through
back pain
131 million work days lost in UK in 2013

SIT. STAND. MOVE. REPEAT
Source: Oktra
we sit for approx. 12
hours a day in the
UK of which 70% is
in the workplace
70%
Our bodies are made for
movement. Standing and moving
are unique biological triggers that
play a key role in being healthy.
As soon as we sit enzymes that
help break down fat drop 90%

NATURAL DAYLIGHT
Source: Sage Saint Gobain
of workers think there is a
connection between office
morale and the amount of
natural light in the office
82%
Exposure to daylight regulates our
bodies re-enforcing natural sleep
patterns.
Studies beginning to identify that your
view has a major impact on your
wellbeing and ultimately your
performance.

TASK LIGHTING
Source: Oktra
improvement in
productivity with
good lighting
6%
The right level of lighting depends
on a persons age. People in their
20’s have eyesight 8 times better
than those in their 60’s

TASK LIGHTING
Source: Oktra
THE RULE OF TWENTY
Too much light can be as debilitating as not enough. Glare is known to cause headaches.
Inadequate light leads to eye strain.
20
look 20 metres away for 20
seconds every 20 minutes
to avoid eye strain
eye doctors have determined
that you should be able to
read from a chart normally
from 20 feet away
20 20
20/20 vision just means
your vision is normal

TEMPERATURE. VENTILATION. CONTROL. SOLAR GAIN
Source: Oktra
increase in productivity
when appropriate levels
of fresh air pumped into
a building
18%
Traditionally office buildings
constructed to accommodate 1
person / 107sqft (10sqm) but
improvements in design and
technology to AC coupled with IT
hardware generating less heat is
enabling developers to
accommodate 1 person / 87sqft
(8sqm)
You breathe in about 11,000 litres
of air a day.

ACOUSTICS
Source: Oktra
of UK employees find the
acoustics of their workplace
unpleasant and blame noisy
open plan environments
77%
1.dB (Decibel) is a term used to
describe sound pressure level
2.An increase of 3dB in sound
pressure level requires twice the
power. Likewise, a drop of 3dB
cuts the sound power in half
3.3dB is the smallest amount of
sound pressure change normal
people can discern
.

ACOUSTICS
Source: Oktra
have hearing loss. This can
not be repaired.
1 in 6
Its not just about collaboration – its
also about concentration.
Place – collaboration spaces away
from work areas.
Reduce staff density – too many
people = too much noise
Sound scape – use noise to mask
Educate – avoid loud speaking /
obnoxious ring tones

BIOPHILIA
Source: Identity Realisation Research
increase in wellbeing and
38% increase in productivity
47%
Over the last 20 years, scientiﬁc
studies have produced convincing
evidence that integrating nature
into the workplace can have a
positive effect on productivity by
increasing individuals’ energy and
concentration levels.
IDR

COLOUR
Source: Oktra
A factory in the United
States changed the colour of
the bathrooms to an
unpleasant green and saw
production increase by 8%
8%
Customers of a coffee house
constantly complained about the
cool temperature in the room. At
that time, the walls were painted a
light blue. After changing the
colour to orange, there were no
more complaints.

AGILE WORKPLACE CASE STUDY
Source: Oktra

Source: Oktra
CONCLUSION
Wellness The state of being comfortable, healthy or happy.
Agile Workplace is an environment bringing people, process and technology
together in the most appropriate surroundings to fulfil a specific task.
Evidence based decisions only 7% of business’ who take action
bother to assess if its working. Review and don’t be afraid to make changes.
Considerations
o Staff Demographics
o Interior Layout
o Look & Feel
o Technology
o Air Quality / Thermal Control
o Daylight / Task Light
o Acoustics
o Biophilia

Source: Oktra
CONCLUSION (FUTURE)
Corporate Culture
o In the future workplace, there will be added pressure to adapt quickly to change, work
smarter, increase productivity and perform duties outside of one’s job description.
o Technology will continue to reshape the workplace, changing how and where we conduct
business, as a result, flexibility and adaptability will be sought-after attributes in employees
at all levels.
o Companies must be aware of the demographic shift and how it will impact on their business.
The workforce is getting older and work patterns will alter to accommodate part time and
flexible working.
o Brand enforcement will become more and more important as employees will seek the
security of identity and a sense of belonging.
o Coupled with a heightened awareness of design, employees will be more demanding of the
quality and functionality of the work environment as health and wellbeing become a major
driver in employer selection.

Oktra - Wellness and the agile workplace

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