10 California Buildings News • Q2 2019
Workplaces that Boost Productivity Investing in Better Designed Facilities Impacts Profits & Productivity If companies and organizations can figure out how to make people happier and more productive at work, the increase in the value of their output will far exceed the cost of real estate and the products and interior design features crafted to boost employees’ productivity. Especially STEM-type companies that average huge profits per worker. That’s why so many California design firms and commercial real estate companies are doing all they can to enhance the bottom-line value of workplaces. Commenting on a recent study by Steelcase, Inc., company CEO Jim Keane says, “Employee engagement is a serious bottom-line issue. It fuels organizations during times of economic growth and, more critically, when market conditions are uncertain and volatile. “When workers become disengaged, it costs companies money, slows projects, drains resources and undermines company goals, as well as the efforts of their engaged counterparts. This is why employee engagement is one
of the key issues facing leading global organizations today. “Organizations might be able to absorb the effects of a handful of disengaged workers, but many business leaders don’t realize how significant the problem is. This study found that more than one-third of workers in 17 of the world’s most important economies are disengaged and another third are somewhere in the middle, not working against their companies but not driving better business results either.”
Above: HKS' design for Capital Brands was guided by the company's mission of promoting health and wellness. Photo: Benny Chan, fotoworks.