The workplaces of the world are undergoing a rapid change. Technology is driving process and system evolutions that, in theory, can lead to much greater efficiencies. The problem is, the physical design and structure of most workplaces represents a major obstacle to tapping into that potential. And designers should be playing a larger role in creating a workplace that reflects how employees want to do their work.

So says Joyce Bromberg, vice president of innovation and design for Convene. Until office designers gather data and input from the users of offices themselves, facilities will continue to inhibit productivity rather than enhance it.

"We need to allow people to work in the way they need to work, and not create rules that force them to work in some other way," she said at the Agile Workplace Conference in Arlington, Virginia this week. "If you give people the opportunity, they will tell you how the workplace should be designed."

Continue Reading for Free

Register and gain access to:

  • Breaking benefits news and analysis, on-site and via our newsletters and custom alerts
  • Educational webcasts, white papers, and ebooks from industry thought leaders
  • Critical converage of the property casualty insurance and financial advisory markets on our other ALM sites, PropertyCasualty360 and ThinkAdvisor
NOT FOR REPRINT

© 2024 ALM Global, LLC, All Rights Reserved. Request academic re-use from www.copyright.com. All other uses, submit a request to [email protected]. For more information visit Asset & Logo Licensing.

Dan Cook

Dan Cook is a journalist and communications consultant based in Portland, OR. During his journalism career he has been a reporter and editor for a variety of media companies, including American Lawyer Media, BusinessWeek, Newhouse Newspapers, Knight-Ridder, Time Inc., and Reuters. He specializes in health care and insurance related coverage for BenefitsPRO.