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The New Workplace Culture/ Canadian Interiors

By Micheline Bartlett

When is it time to work and when is it time to play? Today's workplace blurs the distinction. The home is coming into the office and the office is coming into the home. For some people, the office is simply a laptop and a cell phone, to be used in a car, at a client's office, on an airplane or while grabbing a burger at McDonald's.

The traditional manager who judged an employee's worth according to "face time" has been replaced by one who assesses his or her staff based on results. Expectations have changed and managers have learned that the social and "fun" aspects of the office are significant contributers to attracting and maintaining good people. After all, if employees are being asked to give the company their best, isn't it reasonable that the company should show some concern for their well-being, which will also maximize its bottom-line return on its "people investment"?

Consequently, the goal is to find ways to transform the workplace into a stimulating environment that encourages new ways of working and relaxing. It isn't that the office should replace the home, considering the hours many of us spend there, shouldn't the office provide some of the other elements we need to balance our lives? Cafeterias with healthy food choices, fitness areas, daycare centres and, in some cases, even "nap rooms" are all part of the new culture and sense of family evolving in the workplace.

Then Strateco president Greg Masse saw another Intercede project on the premises. Impressed, he hired the designers, giving Bartlett the mandate, she recalls "to create something unique."

A recent client, Strateco, a Toronto based strategic communications group, encouraged us to build on its informal work style. The firm bought a jukebox-like stereo system and programmed it with each employee's top-five favorites. Inspired by Strateco's non-traditional work style, we designed a cappuccino bar in the centre of the office where staff can take impromptu breaks and sit and watch TV.

At OAO Technology, we designed a cafeteria-lounge linking divisions with an area set aside for a pool table to be used at any time of day.

Today's increasingly multicultural world has added new design challenges to the traditional office environment. In a recent project for the Malaysian consulate, we designed a prayer room with a foot bath because cleaning one's feet before prayer is part of the Malay culture.

Conversely, some people never "go to" work. The number of people working from their homes is on the increase and we now have enough history behind us to have learned some important lessons. For most, working at the kitchen table in your pajamas is simply not conducive to getting into a productive mindset. It certainly won't provide an efficient or ergonomic work setting. In the home office, the same rules that we follow in designing an individual's office workstation must be applied. The space should be a separate and designated area that is equipped to work in an organized manner, with attention to ergonomics being just as important at home as in the office.

Most organizations promote the importance of communication among employees, but with the fragmented way we work, it's a challenge to find new ways to achieve interaction. We all benefit from the ease of communication that E-mail, voice mail, fax and Internet provide. But without face-to-face dialogue, a lot can be lost. We don't need to regress, but we must find new ways to bring people together. Business cannot afford to ignore the power of human contact.

Some companies offer activities ranging from wilderness camping and rock climbing to a baseball team or working together on a charity project. In our firm, we recently volunteered to work on a fund-raising project for the Rose Cherry Home, a hospice for chronically ill children and their families. Toronto design firms were asked to create a Christmas decoration to be auctioned at a gala evening. Our group voted to create a wreath, and it proved to be a great team-building experience. The whole company designed, developed and worked on it together. An added reward came unexpectedly when Don Cherry, the famous television-sports personality (for whose late wife the hospice is named) purchased our wreath.

Our firm was recently awarded the contract to redesign the office of Oxford Properties Group. One of the showroom products the client saw on display was a computer mounted on a lift (Herman Miller's Levity) that looked like a piece of weight-lifting equipment at the gym. The idea is to lower the computer to floor level for several workers to watch while lounging on big floor cushions, like teenagers watching TV. I presumed that Oxford, which is currently housed in generously sized private offices with windows, would find this to be too big a leap. To my surprise, however, the vice-president, project finance, suggested that we look at incorporating this in their hotelling area. Oxford is obviously ready to push the envelope and we can see that working with them will be fun.

Today's workplace isn't static, which makes this an exciting time for designers. Each new project is a journey for the client and the design team.

Micheline Bartlett is president of Toronto-based Intercede Facility Management and a past president of the Toronto chapter of the International Facilities Management Association.

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