The next great HR challenge: 4 ways to prep
The recent economic upswing has created an unwelcome, and unexpected, consequence for HR — and no, it’s got nothing to do with employees fleeing into a healthier job market.
The real estate market is on the rebound — especially the commercial real estate market, according to the latest figures from CoreNet Global, a commercial real estate association.
Result: The increased demand for commercial space has not only caused real estate purchase prices to club, but also caused rent to go shooting skyward.
The effect on HR
So where does HR come in? The fallout from the commercial market’s recent surge has many businesses shrinking their offices to save cash.
In fact, CoreNet Global is reporting the average office space per worker in North America has shrunk to around 176 square feet — down from 225 square feet back in 2010.
In other words, employees’ work spaces are shrinking — and their will be consequences.
This is likely one of the reasons more employers have adopted the “open office” concept in which cubical walls come down and employees work at shared workstations. Some researchers suggest that “open” designs improve communication.
But the consensus seems to be this will also lead to more distractions.
What the overall impact on productivity will be remains to be seen. But either way, it’ll fall on HR’s shoulders to provide ways for employees to break free from their co-workers when they need to work uninterrupted.
How to prepare for a shrinking office
Evil HR Lady Suzanne Lucas agrees the working world is trending toward shrinking offices, and she’s even seen the consequences — both the good and the bad — firsthand.
She also acknowledges employers will have to find a way to help workers break away from the “noise” shrinking and shared work spaces will create.
In an article she penned for Inc.com, she offers up for ways to help workers cope with working in close confines:
- Make sure private space is available. When downsizing your office, it’ll be tempting to spread out workers’ assigned seats among all the available work space. But set a few rooms aside and designate them private workstations — to which employees can escape temporarily when they need to work uninterrupted.
- Expand telecommuting. Sure, telecommuting may not be right for everyone, but it works great for a lot of workers these days — and it eliminates all of the distractions of the office. Granted, it’s not as though employees’ homes aren’t without their own distractions. But adding some flexibility to where employees are allowed to work can help those who, on occasion, feel hampered by the bustle in the office.
- Don’t chain them to their desks. When privacy is at a premium, give employees the freedom to step away for a while — whether it’s via a walk around your facility or a long lunch. It can be a big benefit to those who don’t love being in contact with everyone all the time.
- Invest in noise-cancelling headphones. These are very popular among airline travelers for a reason — they’re great at blocking out unwanted, outside noises. Chances are a lot of your employees work while listening to music through ear buds anyway, and this takes that just one step further.
