Five ways to create more productive front office space.

Furniture and interior design can make a big difference in your district's office staff's productivity. Here's what a survey by the American Society of Interior Designers found.

Desks, tables and chairs for students are a major consideration in school planning. By comparison, little consideration is given to the furniture used in the front office, yet it can play as much a part in the district's overall productivity and efficiency.

The American Society of Interior Designers

(ASID) and five of the leading manufacturers of office systems and products - 3M, Cooper Lighting, DuPont, Haworth and Masland Carpet - launched research earlier this year to examine the relationship between office design and employee productivity. In ASID's independent research, 200 business decision-makers - 100 at fast-growing, small- and medium-sized companies and an equal number at the 1,000 largest U.S. companies - were asked their opinions about productivity issues. The findings that follow are the result of that survey, which is detailed in the ASID publication, "Productive Workplaces: How Design Increases Productivity: Expert Insights," available from ASID. While the survey applies to the corporate workplace, the findings are revealing for educational facilities as well.

Of the group surveyed, an overwhelming 90 percent believe that improvements in office design can increase employee productivity. In addition, 36 percent say that office design should be reviewed at least once a year. This shows that decision-makers recognize that effective interior design contributes to overall competitiveness, as well as helps adapt to changing business conditions.

With an increasing number of companies downsizing, restructuring or making other major operational changes, business decision-makers are looking to office design as a tool that will help individual employees work smarter and more efficiently. An increasing number are focusing on the physical work space as a key component of their corporate strategy to improve productivity rather than looking at office facilities only as an expense.

Increasing productivity involves more than just downsizing space and staffing. If cost cutting produces an uncomfortable, poorly planned and inefficient work environment, the amount of money saved may be outweighed by the negative effect on employee productivity, including low morale, increased absenteeism, lack of creativity, more errors and poor internal communication.

Rather than just looking to save space or money, "rightsizing" and office redesign provide an opportunity to create a better fit between the work space, employees and the tasks they accomplish.

The productivity experts who were surveyed identified five key factors for creating and maintaining productive and efficient offices:

1. Focus on people performance. Hire and retain effective personnel. Create a team atmosphere by facilitating communication and interaction. Empower employees and give them input into planning their workspaces.

2. View the workplace as a tool, rather than just another expenditure. Provide adequate access to resources, including team members and equipment. Accommodate ergonomic needs, such as comfortable seating and flexible workstations. Create an inviting, pleasant office atmosphere. Reduce distractions that hinder employee concentration by designing acoustically sound work environments that provide appropriate levels of privacy.

3. Redesign work processes and the physical environment to improve workflow within workstations and throughout the office. Implement process efficiencies and reduce disruptions in workflow.

4. Supply the right technology - computers, software, and other appropriate equipment. Make purchasing and planning decisions with an eye to accommodating future needs.

5. Don't forget the human resource factor. Offer training in designed environment, workflow, technology and human resources. Maintain adequate support staff levels, and provide competitive salaries, bonuses, rewards and other incentives. Adopt flexible policies, such as flex-time.

By following these five steps, administrators can integrate design into strategic planning and develop a comprehensive solution to turn the front office into a pleasant and productive place to work.

For a free copy of the publication, "Productive Workplaces: How Design Increases Productivity:Expert Insights," write ASID Productive Solutions, 609 Massachusetts Ave., N.E., Washington, DC 20002-6006.

RELATED ARTICLE: DOES THE FURNITURE AND EQUIPMENT IN YOUR SCHOOL "FIT"?

To create a more productive front office, you must talk to your staff, analyzing their needs in relation to the tasks they perform. The ASID survey features a number of questionnaires to administer to employees throughout the planning process. They address the four design factors that improve productive: access, comfort, privacy and flexibility.

One of the most telling questionnaires involves the furniture and equipment your employees use.

* Do employees feel their workstation areas are adequate to support their job function?

* Are ergonomic issues addressed - do chairs, desks and work areas provide proper support and offer flexibility to adjust to different workers' needs?

* What equipment do people use and how do they use it?

* What types of shared equipment and services are needed, and where should they be located?

* In what ways do employees feel that furniture and equipment reflect their personal and professional identity or job status?

* What do employees envision as being a functional and efficient work-station?

* Do employees have sufficient access to shared hard copy information (files, manuals, etc.) and equipment?

* Do employees have convenient access to the right types of electronic data tools when and where they need them?