For generations, companies have followed tried-and-tested methods to optimize their day-to-day activities and keep their profit margins as high as they can.

As generations pass, these same companies learn from changes in the market and create new iterations to stay up-to-date.

Well, now the workplace itself is changing.

No longer do leading companies allocate one person to one desk. Activity-based working is bringing new benefits to organizations that want to suit their employees with the space around them.

So let’s look at how your company can make the most of activity-based working!

What exactly does “Activity-based working” mean?

After reading the title, you might be sitting there thinking:

“Hold on a moment! My job already involves hundreds of activities, every day!”

Activity-based working involves a lot more than just the activities your teams perform. It is a deep organizational framework that gels your teams perfectly with workspaces that are suited to the task. When used properly, it enhances productivity and engagement.

Gone are the days when “person A” does “job A” in “location A”. Modern business practices have helped companies realize that employees are more engaged and productive when their workspaces suit their tasks.

We won’t get into a long history lesson, but the term “activity-based working” was coined by a Dutch consultant called Erik Veldhoen in his 2004 book called the “Art of Working.” His ABW principles have shined a light on office design over the last 20 years. His work has resulted in massive changes in how companies lay out and structure their physical office spaces.

As an example, a team of digital designers creating a new artistic concept will not produce their best work while each individual sits alone huddled over their everyday laptop. 

Instead, a company would use ABW principles and allocate them to a room more suited to the job at hand. They’re much more likely to produce something unique and artistic in a de-cluttered room with cutting-edge digital screens equipped with the latest design software.

It’s time you got on board with ABW!

Our best plans for activity-based working

Workplaces are developing a more on-demand culture than ever before. Tasks need to be tackled in an optimized setting, so these are our best office environments to help your teams get into ABW:

Loose collaboration and open spaces

One of the most prominent features of ABW is doing away with old norms. Traditionally, an office had a room where the manager sat, desks set into blocks in the middle of the office for workers, and an area where staff could eat some food.

Do away with this! When you understand the strength of activity-based working, you realize that very often in the office, the best ideas simply cannot be forced.

Say for example you’ve got two members of staff who are really close friends with one another. One is a coder and another is a designer. When the two of them chat at lunchtime, they somehow conjure up fantastic work-related ideas. These ideas are then put forward to you, as manager and you like the sound of them.

Couldn’t it be possible that these ideas come to them more often when they are relaxed? Could they generate better ideas in an open, airy area, or even an area with recreational things like a Playstation? Open spaces with big, comfy sofas and small little toys for the mind (like a Rubik’s cube) are conducive to ideation flow. 

So develop and embrace loose collaboration rooms and open spaces for best ABW practices.

Focus rooms (individual and group)

Focus rooms are a great way to start activity-based working. In general, ABW focuses on how a team (or individual) can be best suited to their environment. ABW takes the emphasis off one team (or person) allocated to one desk, and focus rooms are the perfect example.

Focus rooms usually give acoustic and visual privacy (as in, they’re not noisy and can’t be peeped into). Sounds can often be a really important part of focusing on work, especially for presenting, videoconferencing, and even remote work. The added removal of visual distractions provides an added sense of security and a personal touch to work activities.

Focus rooms can come in many different shapes and sizes. You could create rooms suited to teams of 3 or 4, or a private booth made for one. Complete this with a booking system for easily trackable office hoteling, and you could be in for a productivity boost in your workplace. Don’t miss out on the potential of focus rooms for solitary workers or small groups!

Develop your cafeteria and leisure areas

Developing your eating and break-time areas is a surefire way to improve activity-based working for your teams. Think about it. Every member of staff needs a place to chow down, and then to unwind at lunchtime, before heading back to their tasks. Why not make the most of this?

Companies are doing away with stale, boring eating areas, where the only sound to be heard is the dull buzz of the office fridge. An attractive, well-lit dining area invites workers to sit and take a moment of relaxation. Principles of efficient ABW aims to optimize the environment with nice office furniture and decor. Make the eating area more light, with plants and greenery and color-coded seats. Research the power of “feng shui,” what’s there to lose?

You likely have your leisure area right next to your cafeteria, so why does there even need to be any walls? If your work office suits it, take out walls between eating and recreational areas and you’re encouraging people to mingle and relax in their free time. They’ll be returning to their tasks better rested and rejuvenated by your small, subtle changes.

Chillout zones and quiet booths

Leading on from your eating and break-time area changes, consider creating new areas specifically dedicated to relaxation. It’s certainly worth your time.

We get it, you don’t want your staff sitting around doing nothing but playing each other on FIFA all day. That’s not what we’re suggesting (though we are pretty good at FIFA). We’re more interested in creating dedicated zones that young people find attractive.

Did you know that by 2025, millennials (currently ages 22 to 37) will make up 75% of the global workforce? Gen-z come after, and employers are going to be competing to recruit them. Some other research shows that over a fifth of young people have rejected a potential employer because of outdated or uninspiring office design. 

Areas to relax and quiet booths provide what young hires are looking for, so make the most of them. Quiet booths with interesting books, magazines, dedicated headphones, and e-readers give youngsters some downtime. 

Take a moment to plan a dedicated recreational space and a quiet booth for more engaged workers.

Conference rooms and private lounges

Our final workspace recommendation that’s conducive to activity-based working is conference rooms and private lounges. ABW generally aims to improve individual and group performance. By creating rooms suited to specific working styles, novel and creative ideas often flow.

However, sometimes you just need some nitty-gritty privacy and standard conference facilities. In most workplaces, meeting rooms are the most highly sought-after. On many occasions, a busy time in the business year leaves work teams scrambling for the office meeting room. 

Activity-based workspaces can address these needs. Conference rooms can be designed in so many ways, there’s no end to the possibilities for conferencing. Your marketing and sales teams can flex their working muscles in pitch rooms with lecture-style seating. Deck the rooms out with the best audio and visual equipment and they’ll really be able to show off. 4K image displays work wonders for illustrating conceptual designs for future products.

Private lounges also offer the chance for your teams to focus. As much as we try to promote cross-departmental and collaborative working, sometimes you really need soundproofed and visually focused rooms to get the job done.

Try out conference rooms and private lounges in your workplace setup for some serious productivity!

The principles to follow in activity-based working

Employees performing ABW often don't use a fixed office, desk, or workstation, and for many companies, the days of one-person one-desk are on a steady decrease. 

If a company wants to optimize its office and work teams, it really needs to get into the core principles of ABW. To get the most out of ABW, a company needs to cover four main elements: Design, change of mindset, sensory experience, and iterative learning.

Let’s take a moment to break those four down:

• Workplace design: When a company gets ABW right, the workspace is designed in a way that covers any kind of activity. You need a place to get your head down and work in silence? That’s what a quiet booth offers. Got an important pitch to practice with your sales team? You have a lecture hall-shaped conference room for that. ABW principles mean that no matter the type of task, there’s a workspace ready to handle it.

• Shifting mindsets: As we let go of generations-old office layouts, now perspectives can emerge. With new foundations for working you might even find a cultural shift in your traditional working ethos. ABW promotes tapping into this shift in mindsets, and capturing this shift can result in big changes to the company. Educate your staff on the coming changes and even involve them in the design and layout of the new office. Your managers will need to get to grips with goal-based management since staff will no longer be getting work done from their “work desk.” Adapt this principle and watch your teams grow!

• Sensory experience: As your employees learn to work in new spaces with a shifted perspective, you should make the most out of enhancing their senses. Optimizing the things they see, hear, and even smell can make a massive difference in how they do their work. Create your rooms with audial distractions down to a minimum, with soundproofing, headphones, and nicely padded furniture. Then consider lighting new workspaces with warm lighting that is easy on their eyes. Enhance work areas with smells that help them focus, like soft citrus scents. With the right visuals, sounds, and smells, your crew is set up for ABW, even if they don’t immediately realize it!

• Iterative learning: The final principle of ABW is focused on continual learning and growth. If you’ve covered the other 3 principles, now’s the time to think about training your teams for whatever the future holds in store. Train your leaders on how to track progress as teams work with unique methods in new locations. The importance of “visible desk time” has changed, so get smart with your collaboration goals (this is especially true for hybrid and remote workers!). Train your teams on how office hoteling and hot desking work, however, you choose to do it. Encourage their feedback on what’s working for them and what isn’t. ABW’s iterative learning principle means you’ve got to keep the long-term in mind!

ABW sets the stage for bonding, try a teambuilding retreat too!

If you’re interested in using activity-based working to bond your teams in new ways then you know the importance of workspaces. A person’s environment can massively impact their satisfaction, so use a team-building retreat for an unforgettable experience! 

Here at Surf Office, organizing team retreats is what we do best.  

Here’s what we offer:

• Stress-free transfers? We got you! ✅
• Quality-assured accommodations? Check! ✅
• Engaging team-building activities? Our speciality ✅
• Restaurant reservations? That's on us! ✅
• Expert retreat planning assistance? Of course, we have this covered! ✅
• Onsite support, tailored to your needs? Absolutely ✅

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Not only this but we also have access to 160+ locations around Europe, APAC, the US, Latin America, and now Africa, meaning the sky is your limit when it comes to choosing the right location for you and your team.

Let your teams know how much you care for enhancing the setting they’re working in, and bring them all on a teambuilding retreat. You can even organize a remote team retreat to bring hybrid and remote workers too!

Let us sort out the tricky logistics for you. Spaces are very limited, so get in touch now!