An Opinion
BY DATUK STEWART LABROOY

Over the years, many visionary CEOs have sought while a few have tried to create the perfect workplace. Over the past five years, this vision has grown by leaps and bounds as we witness huge changes to the office as we know it. Three years ago, I undertook the task of moving our corporate office to Menara Axis, and played the role of creating a workplace that was productive, sustainable and which focused on employee satisfaction.

This required a paradigm shift from the conventional designs of boxed in workplace cubicles, large storage areas for filing purposes and little in the way of interaction.

Armed with a bold new layout, we took a step further to put in place a paperless environment with the introduction of a cloud-based software to manage our activities. This holistic approach took time to achieve but the results have been remarkable as we have had a jump in our productivity and now feel that we are on par with the world’s best practices in office design.

Here are some of the top workplace trends I believe we need to watch in 2014:

Collaborative Work Environments

A recent poll by Jones Lang LaSalle showed that employees spend most of their time on e-mails, phone calls and formal meetings – all of which are conducted in the traditional workplace with fixed desks, meeting rooms and phone/quiet rooms.

The study identified that creative collaborations, concentrated work and face-to-face interactions create the most value for an organisation. Many offices in traditional settings are not equipped to facilitate the required balance of focused and collaborative work. Getting this delicate balance wrong can inhibit an organisation’s ability to grow. The modern workspace needs to allow a variety of areas where workers can comfortably complete different types of tasks.

Catering to Gen Y

The current generation entering the workforce today is demanding a better work-life balance. Oftentimes, they sacrifice pay for a healthy worklife balance and this is causing companies to relook into their workplace policies as well as consider a change in office design. The days of “clocking in” are replaced with flexible working hours as well as having a choice to work within or outside the office. Integration of technology which enables this freedom will play a role in physical office space design of the future.

Freelancers and temporary staff

According to Forbes, by 2020, as many as 65 million Americans will be freelancers, temps, independent contractors and solopreneurs, making up 40% of the workforce. The use of these co-working spaces will likely rise this year and beyond as independent and contractual workers may opt to work out-of-office.

This will have an impact on the “traditional” view and structure of the physical office. I am not sure how soon this will arrive at our shores, but with the shortage of talent in the market, we could see an increase in this class of employment in the near future.

Going Green

The rise of sustainable practices at the workplace is putting an enormous strain on property owners to  respond with outcomes that are in sync with their tenants’ policies. The implementation of low energy lighting and air conditioning systems, use of natural light in designs, water conservation, and use of sustainable materials in an office fitout, charging stations for electric vehicles, double glazing and energy saving lift systems are all necessary to reduce carbon footprint.

Many landlords are also requesting that tenants practise sustainable initiatives, and these clauses are now appearing in tenancy agreements for the first time in Malaysia.

The traditional office isn’t dead but is disappearing; replaced by smaller private offices sharing collaborative spaces. In the process, businesses have successfully reduced their real estate space requirements, resulting in lower rental costs and a much happier and productive workforce. These new offices are amazing as they have created a brilliant working environment, successfully reducing the use of paper and storage spaces resulting in a reduction of office space– sometimes as much as 30%.

In Malaysia, office space is largely taken up by the service sectors. This new approach will enable them to relocate to better premises with a smaller footprint while reducing costs. It then begs the question that if we keep on building for a market that is finding ways to reduce their space requirements, surely we are headed for an inflection point in the supply/demand curve.

It is no secret that productivity in Asia has not caught up with the West and there are many examples of poor workplace practices in Malaysia staring us in the face. If you happen to read this article, perhaps you should take a hard look at your own office environment and ask if it is time for your organisation to change to catch up with a highly competitive global landscape that is evolving faster than the speed of light.