New Research Reveals Latest Trends in Alternative Workplace Strategies
(PRWEB) April 28, 2010 -- Recessionary pressures are expediting the adoption of alternative workplace strategies in the workplace. This was a major finding in a benchmarking study released by New Ways of Working (New WOW), a member organization focused on alternative workplace solutions.
Based on a global survey of 103 organizations including Fortune 100 companies, New WOW’s research reveals how leading organizations are employing alternative workplace strategies to keep their edge in a challenging economic climate. The study, now in its second year, reports types of alternative workplaces and work options used, status and length of program, business drivers, provisioning, barriers, change management, values, benefits, and recessionary impacts.
Alternative Workplace (AW) is the combination of nontraditional work practices, settings, and locations that supplement or replace traditional offices. AW practices include mobile work inside and outside the office, hoteling, work from home (telecommuting), and work from third party places, among others.
In the past two years, AW adoption has accelerated. More than four in every ten companies report starting their AW program within the past two years.
Not surprisingly, the recession has pressured companies to reduce overhead expenses, such as travel and real estate, and encourages worker mobility and other remote work options. When asked to assess the lasting impacts of the recession, companies reported increased remote collaboration, implementation of mobile-enabling technologies, reduced business travel and the replacement of assigned one-to-one workplaces with AW.
Obstacles remain for the wider use of AW. Similar to last year, the top three barriers are organizational: organizational culture (entitlement, trust), management concerns, and resistance/fear of change. Compared to 2008, the primary business drivers of Alternative Workplaces have shifted toward cost savings and away from employee-centric issues such as work/life balance and attraction/retention.
Though many employers are leveraging alternative workplace options, increased employee mobility continues to leave workspaces underutilized. Organizations reported that 76 percent of their employees continue to use assigned workspaces while 35 percent of the employees use alternative locations. This indicates an 11 percent overlap of workers who use alternative workplaces, but still occupy an assigned workspace. Last year’s study yielded similar results. This suggests that some companies still provide assigned workspaces for those with alternative options to lower the cultural resistance to "losing one's desk."
More and more organizations are mainstreaming AW practices. "We don't even give it a name. It's just the normal way of working here," observed one survey participant. “These results leave little doubt that alternative workplace programs are becoming valuable and perhaps critical initiatives as organizations strive to be more competitive by lowering their costs while attracting and retaining the ‘best and the brightest,’" says Dr. Joe Aki Ouye, co-founder of the New Ways of Working Network.
About the study
The study, Alternative Workplace Strategies in the Current Economy: A 2009 Global Benchmarking Study by New Ways of Working summarizes the results of a benchmarking survey conducted in December 2009 of alternative workplace practices in 103 organizations including leading Fortune 100 companies. Key decision makers were invited to participate. The study was made possible through financial contributions from Smart Technologies Inc., the industry leader in group collaboration tools, Tekes, the Finnish funding agency for technology and innovation, and in-kind consulting support from Haworth, a global leader in the design and manufacture of office furniture and workspaces. Report preparation was supported by Microsoft, the worldwide leader in software, services, and solutions that help people and businesses realize their full potential, and Haworth, who provided copyediting and graphic design.
About New Ways of Working
New Ways of Working is an interactive network of organizational innovators - people who are transforming their work environment – or preparing to do so. New WOW researches and exchanges knowledge of how the integration of the worlds of human resources, information technology, and the workplace can lead to greater productivity and engagement. For more information on New Ways of Working, please visit www.newwow.net
Note: An Executive Summary (http://www.newwow.net/public/alternative-workplace-strategies-current-economy) of this study is available online at http://www.newwow.net/public/alternative-workplace-strategies-current-economy
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