This is the first of a four-part series based on insights we’ve uncovered while researching and writing our recent data-driven whitepaper “A Study of Credit Union Workplaces and the Future of Work.” We delivered a free webinar on our findings on how credit union workplaces support – or fail to support – their employees. To view the webinar and receive a copy of the whitepaper today, register via the form at the bottom of this page.
Workplace Insight: Employees Want Choice in the Workplace
Your workforce consists of a diverse group of people who perform very different types of work, and as technology advances the nature of their work continually shifts. Where employees once performed routine task-based work they are now responsible for more dynamic and collaborative projects. One of the major consequences of this shift is that workplaces no longer support many people’s day-to-day work.
The credit union industry is no exception to this – through our research, including surveys of nearly 1,300 credit union employees, we’ve found that only 54% of employees perform most or all of their work in a single setting. Nearly half of the workforce is mobile, meaning they work from multiple locations, yet a staggering two-thirds of these workers don’t feel that they are supported in this working style from either a physical or cultural perspective.
These numbers represent a barrier to working productively. But as the current pandemic and shift to remote work has show us, with an incredible 43% increase in productivity, is that employees understand what they need in order to be productive. You can trust your employees to make choices around their workplace, an in return you’ll have a more productive and engaged workforce.
But how can you replicate this freedom and flexibility in the office?
The solution is Activity Based Working (ABW). Breaking away from the false dichotomy of private workspaces and the open office, an ABW workplace strategy empowers workers by understanding the different work they do and offering them a variety of different working environments that they can choose based on the task at hand.
These spaces can include dedicated workstations staff who work mostly from a single location and unassigned quiet places for mobile workers who only focus on solo work for part of their day, with a variety of communal spaces from 1-on-1 meeting rooms to open office hotdesking areas to support collaborative work. The key is understanding the work being done and putting employees in charge of deciding where they can most effectively perform the task at hand.
This empowerment not only leads to higher productivity but greater engagement and satisfaction as well. Why? Because once in control, employees can choose which setting is best for themselves to focus, collaborate, confer, relax, and be inspired. And when they need variation and stimulation, they simply pick up and move.
Today workplaces are in a state of flux as we undergo the largest working from home experiment in history. But this is also an opportunity to step back and rethink the workplace so that when we return, we’re not just returning to the status quo but rather a more modern, thoughtful workplace that elevates your organization to a place that is known for helping people be their best selves at work.
To see more of the data driving this discussion along with a deeper dive into how and why Activity Based Working can boost your recruiting, engagement, and retention efforts, watch our recent webinar on the topic and download our whitepaper A Study of Credit Union Workplace and the Future of Work today! Just fill out the form below.
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