By John Arenas | October 17, 2013

The #1 Thing Employees Want More of at Work

Workplace Diversity #2: Spatial Reasoning

Life at a Serendipity Labs is constantly in flux. Fresh faces and wide range of facilities and seating areas leads to what we call serendipitous interactions between like-minded businesspeople.

Based on the rapid growth of shared workspaces around the world, the coworking model is working. People feel that they are able to work efficiently and feel more fulfilled when given a greater amount of flexibility.

In his video interview, Serendipity Labs founder John Arenas cites a study in which workers were asked what they wanted more of in their workplaces. The most common response was “choice.”

“To be able to traverse different ways of working,” he says. “Not just in the home versus the office, but where people can work within the office.”

In other words, it was important to people that they had range—or diversity—in the way that their space was defined. Space should not be restricted to one cubical, but rather encompass a variety of places within the workplace.

Supplementing a long, communal table set up with separate reading nooks, for instance, could allow people to feel connected and feed off of one another, but also give them the space to retreat for awhile. Alternatively, those with a cubicle arrangement might consider converting part of the layout—perhaps an area that is near a window or the kitchen—to serve as a lounge, where people can talk or plug-in and gain new perspective.

If space won’t permit, try an hour or two of free period (yes—like in school) where employees can set up at a park, coffee shop, or library in the vicinity to break up their day. Let us know how you fare!