20 May 2016 | Herpreet Kaur Grewal

Employees who embrace activity-based working (ABW) report significantly higher levels of workplace productivity (66 per cent) and pride (82 per cent), according to a study of more than 70,000 employees.

The research, conducted by Leesman, also reveals a clear and dramatic increase in satisfaction levels with creative (22 per cent) and collaborative (21 per cent) tasks in activity-based work settings – but only when appropriate mobility behaviours are adopted. 

The research states that 66 per cent of employees who use workplaces designed for ABW in an activity-based way say their workspace enables them to work productively, compared with the 43 per cent that admit to being anchored to their workstations.

But three in four workers (73 per cent) within activity-based environments perform most, if not all of their tasks in the same location, despite the variety of workspaces that are provided for them.

The study, conducted in partnership with IFMA Sweden and financially supported by Tenant and Partner Sweden, has revealed a high level of ‘employee inertia’. The data suggests that this apparent inability to adapt to surroundings designed for working in an activity-centric way could be crippling the productivity gains client organisations thought possible. 

Tim Oldman, Leesman CEO, said: “Activity-based working is a worthwhile venture but only if the workforce in question is able to adapt their mobility profiles accordingly. Variety and mobility is mission critical when seeking to improve business productivity and performance.”

Leesman is one of the organisations involved in the Stoddart Review; a project launched at Wednesday’s ThinkFM conference seeking to ensure business leaders fully understand the contribution of the workplace to organisational performance.