174: The Politics of Workplace Design - Angela Ferguson

One hundred years ago, if you worked in an office, you likely would have been crammed into a large room, sitting shoulder to shoulder with your colleagues in endless rows of desks. Designed to maximise productivity, these offices made it easy for managers to supervise staff, but were terrible for morale.

By the 1960s, offices had evolved into a cubicle layout, giving team members small private areas within a larger office space. These three-walled cubicles were intended to create a more personalised experience in the workplace, while still allowing people to converse with colleagues. Unfortunately, this had quite the opposite effect, compartmentalising workers and discouraging interaction. The came open plan workplaces, and hot desking. Then came a pandemic that demanded we work from home more than ever, if our jobs allowed for it.

Since the pandemic, which prompted flexible work arrangements, the function of the office has also shifted to provide more of the experiences we rarely encounter at home – connection, engagement and collaboration, all of which are key elements in creating an inclusive workplace.

Angela Ferguson is one of Australia’s leading experts on Workplace Strategy and Workplace Interior Design. For more than 20 years she has worked with a diverse range of corporate clients across Australia, Asia and New Zealand to strategise and create workspaces that align with an organisation’s business strategy, culture, brand, technology blueprint and wellness initiatives. Angela has been passionate about the future of work since the early days of her career.

As Co- Founder, The Future X Collective and Managing and Creative Director, Futurespace, Angela brings an intelligence to workspace design that is unique and has a global focus - designing workspaces that consider:

· how the business is situated amongst its competitors,

· the challenges it may be facing from outside forces,

· efficient property strategies and,

· how the ‘experience’ of work can be optimized for both individuals and teams.

She is currently undertaking a PhD at RMIT University in Melbourne titled Design at Work: Writing the Future.

Angela shares her insights on:

1. Why are work emails something we need to manage better and can you give us some examples of how that can be done effectively in a 24/7 digital communications-driven world?

2. What principles underlie a welcoming, motivating, functional and workable space for staff in 2023?

3. How have you come to see that thoughtfully designed workplaces can increase productivity by positively impacting employee well-being and experience? Are there studies that prove this?

4. Workplace design has trends – what are you currently seeing for the next few years as flexible and hybrid work becomes the norm?

5. Do big companies do better when it comes to workplace design flexibility by their nature ad budgets? Some examples of great, purposeful and successful designed spaces you rate?

6. Take away: What is your final takeaway message for us on The Politics of Workplace Design?

CONTACT INFO:

LinkedIn: (14) Angela Ferguson | LinkedIn

Website: https://www.futurexcollective.com.au/

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