ISSUE 68 Boosting Employee The Quiet Ones Too Much Noise! Engagement Exploring workplace Best-selling author Susan Cain on The importance of designing research, insights and Place Matters workspaces for introverts for ears trends 360.steelcase.com Issue 6 8 T h e Pr ivacy C r i s i s THE PRIVACY CRISIS Taking a Toll on Employee Engagement Ste el c a s e HONG KONG +852 2520 0160 TOKYO +81 3 3448 9611 SYDNEY +61 2 9660 5511 MELBOURNE +61 3 9670 1555 SHANGHAI +86 21 6137 6288 BEIJING +86 10 5911 3988 SINGAPORE +65 6738 5225 BANGALORE +91 80 3055 0300 DELHI +91 124 3077 200 HYDERABAD +91 40 67046400 About this Issue No organization can succeed if its workforce isn’t a select few. As work has become quicker paced engaged. And yet the signals are stronger than and more demanding, workers’ unmet needs for ever that far too many high-potential employees privacy have escalated. Lack of privacy is most are chronically disengaged at work—unmotivated, employees’ number-one complaint about their unproductive and overly stressed, with little workplaces, and the imbalance has now reached capacity to think creatively, collaborate success- crisis proportions. fully and generate the innovative solutions that By researching the privacy crisis globally, Steelcase organizations desire. researchers have identified the various types of Usually, the problem isn’t that the wrong people privacy experiences that workers are seeking. were hired. Instead, the problem is that workers We’ve then applied these insights to create concepts aren’t getting enough of an ingredient that’s for how privacy can be achieved through workplace essential to the formula for engagement: occasional design in order to amplify the performance of indi- privacy. Most workplaces today are designed to viduals, teams and entire enterprises. provide collaboration for many and privacy for only Content Features Departments 9 ​Power of Place 84 Flipping the Classroom 6 Trends 360 Yes, it’s now possible for people to work al- Same space, different results: how one high Exploring workplace 61 Sustainability Spotlight most anywhere there’s a power outlet. But school “flipped” its learning protocols and research, insights and trends 360.steelcase.com 91 Learning Curve CEOs at leading organizations are asking space with amazing results. 108 Introducing their employees to come to the office for flippedhighschool.com good reason, says Gale Moutrey, Steelcase Join the conversation vice president of global communications. steelcase.com/flipped Connect with Steelcase via social Being together builds trust, trust builds en- media and let us know what gagement, and engagement is absolutely 92 NEXT Design Competition you’re thinking. Or email us at vital for business success. Over 600 students entered, five made it to [email protected] the finals, and one ultimately won. But the big 52 ​Q&A with David Rock winner will be the design industry. Author and consultant David Rock spends steelcase.com/next a lot of time thinking about how the brain works and the impact distractions can have on people at work. Understanding how to 100 Case Study: Rethinking Privacy focus and think better has important impli- A new headquarters in Abu Dhabi empow- cations for business, and offers the potential ers TAQA employees to take traditional to help everyone’s wellbeing. corporate values to a higher level by col- laborating more with each other. blog.davidrock.net 78 New Space helps Digital Agency The Privacy Crisis find its Groove 14 Most organizations know that they aren’t achieving the full potential of their workforce day- An old industrial building is now “the coolest to-day, but fewer have figured out how to achieve the level of engagement they need. New space in Baltimore,” designed specifically for Steelcase research sheds light on the impasse: In addition to needing places that support cocreation, brainstorming and engagement. group work, workers around the world also need private places to focus and recharge. With privacy woefully scarce in most offices today, getting beyond the crisis requires new thinking about workplace design and new ways of optimizing space. 56 Too Much Noise! 62 The Quiet Ones Science now warns that too much noise To be at their best, introverts need quiet, negatively affects our hearts and brains, private spaces. 360 Magazine is published by Steelcase Inc. All as well as our ears. For individuals as well rights reserved. 14-0000240. Copyright 2014. thepowerofintroverts.com Trademarks contained herein are the property of as teams, whenever a task is complex 360 on the ipad Steelcase Inc. or of their respective owners. Quiet or requires creative thinking, less is definitely Revolution™ is a trademark of Susan Cain. Search “Steelcase 360 Magazine” more. Design by Plural, in collaboration with Steelcase. on the Newsstand. Compatible Material in this publication may not be reproduced with iPad. Requires iOS 3.2 or later. in any form unless you really want to help people love how they work—just ask us first, okay? 360.steelcase.com | Issue 68 | 5 Trends 360 Boosting Employee Workplace Satisfaction + Engagement The Steelcase-commissioned survey conducted by the global research firm IPSOS of 10,500 workers shows a strong correlation between employees’ satisfaction with their work environment and their level of Engagement: Place Matters engagement. Those most engaged were also the most satisfied with their work environment. At organizations throughout the world, employ- Gallup’s findings indicate that one important way Countries surveyed : ee disengagement is like a bad virus—difficult to help boost employee engagement is to focus France Russia % to diagnose, contagious and tough to cure. on their wellbeing. And Steelcase studies have Germany Turkey 11 Highly Satisfied Worldwide, actively disengaged workers con- shown that place matters: The physical work Belgium US tinue to outnumber engaged ones at a rate of environment can have a strong impact on em- Netherlands Canada Engagement nearly 2-to-1, according to Gallup's most re- ployee wellbeing and engagement. Spain Mexico cent 142-country study, “The State of the Global Data from a recent Steelcase commissioned UK India Workplace.” Unhappy and unproductive, disen- study conducted by the global research firm Poland China gaged employees are unlikely to make positive IPSOS of 10,500 workers in 14 countries contributions and their negativity tends to spread throughout the world provide a wake-up call % with alarming ramifications. Conversely, engaged for any leaders who think work environments 20 employees are more productive, have lower turn- Satisfied are not a high priority—employees who are over rates, lower absenteeism and drive higher highly satisfied with the places they work are profits—they’re what every organization needs also the most highly engaged. to thrive. 33 % Somewhat Satisfied Highly-disengaged employees are not satisfied with their work environment. My work environment does not allow me to: 69% % % % % % Employees who are not 85 84 85 57 79 fully engaged at work % are also the most unsatisfied Concentrate easily Easily and freely express and Feel relaxed, calm Physically move during the Accommodate mobile with their work environment share my ideas day and change postures workers 27 Dissatisfied % % % % % 84 87 86 59 65 Feel a sense of belonging Work in teams without being Choose where to work within Move around easily through- Socialize and have informal, to my company and its interrupted or disrupted the office, based on the task out the day relaxed conversations with culture I am doing colleagues 9% Highly Dissatisfied Workplace Satisfaction For more detailed information on the study findings, get the 360 iPad APP or go to 360.steelcase.com. 6 | Issue 68 | 360.steelcase.com 360.steelcase.com | Issue 68 | 7 YAHOO CEO MAyeR NOW ReQUIRING RemOTE Power of Place: EMPLOThe Office yeeS TO NOTRenaissance By Gale Moutrey, vice president of global communications for Steelcase Inc. Yahoo CEO Marissa Mayer caused a media stir A recent study by Gallup showed that worldwide, in 2013 when she asked her employees to come 87 percent of employed people are “not engaged” BE (Rem“back to the office.” Her edict created a great deal orOT “actively disengaged” at work, whichE means ) ALL THINGS DIGITAL of speculation about her intent. Was it because she that they’re emotionally disconnected from their didn’t trust that her employees were working? Or workplaces and thus less likely to be productive. was it a strong signal to her employees about her Sometimes these disengaged employees are out- belief that people need to come together in a phys- right toxic to the organization. The cost is high ical place to be more collaborative and innovative? for countries as well as companies. In the United States alone, Gallup estimates that the cost of In our work with leading organizations around disengaged employees could be between $450— the world, we find leaders nodding their heads $550 billion per year. In Germany, that cost is in agreement with Mayer because they are wor- estimated at 100 billion euros per year. ried about an increasingly recognized issue that has bottom-line impact: employee engagement. 360.steelcase.com | Issue 68 | 9 Physical Wellbeing Emotional Wellbeing Cognitive Wellbeing Conversely, Gallup found that organizations with a In offices of the past, the focus was primari- Neuroscientists have learned that the quantity Work today requires that people spend high degree of employee engagement are deep- ly on employees’ ergonomic needs because and quality of social interactions have signif- their day processing information, solv- ly focused on creating value for their organization. their work caused them to sit for long peri- icant impact on our wellbeing. When people ing problems, creating new ideas and Their contribution allows these organizations to ods of time, gazing at a computer that was don’t have enough quality interactions, they innovating.