In summary, workstyles describe how people work and specify the spaces needed to support that work. Individuals are assigned a workstyle through a workplace survey, and the spaces each individual needs are added together to create the space program (“ingredients list”) for their group’s workplace.
What are workstyles?
Workstyles group people by how they work in terms of their mobility and interaction.
Mobility refers to where people work: how much they spend working at their desk compared to working elsewhere. The more time they spend away from their desk, the more mobile they are.
Interaction refers to how people work: how much time they spend working by themselves compared to working with others. The more time they spend working with others, the more collaborative their work is.
How are workstyles assigned?
The infinite combinations of mobility and interaction are divided into 6 different workstyles. Individuals are assigned a workstyle based on their survey answers. Managers then confirm or adjust the workstyle for each staff members.
The chart below shows how each of the six workstyles fall based on % time spent at desk (mobility) & % time spent working with others (interaction).
How do we go from workstyles assignments to designing a new area?
Each workstyle has a recommended mix of individual and collaborative work spaces that supports how the individual works. The spaces recommended for each individual in a group are added together to create a space program that specifices what types of spaces and how many spaces a new Work+ workplace gets.
Based on the group’s specific functional needs (e.g.: key activities, ergonomics), the space program (“ingredients”) is then fine-tuned by the Work+ concept designer and handed over to the architect in a design brief (“recipe”) that describes generally how the spaces should be arranged (how the “ingredients” should be “cooked”).
What spaces are there in a neighborhood?
Each neighborhood, a spatial grouping of ~30-40 desks, in a Work+ workplace includes:
Individual work spaces: Individuals either are assigned a workstationor choose one to work at from a shared pool.
Shared collaborative spaces: Phone booths (small spaces for individual phone / video calls), huddle rooms (enclosed meeting rooms for 2-4 people with writing surfaces), an assortment of formal meeting rooms, and open meeting / work areas (usually with informal seating and worksurfaces).
Shared amenity spaces: Floors (usually = multiple neighborhoods) share working lounges, library / literature rooms, and quiet areas / rooms(area with workstations dedicated to quiet, focused work).
Other (support): Other spaces include storage spaces (personal and central), reception areas, and copy / print rooms / areas.
In addition to what’s listed above, there are often additional specialty spaces, such as multi-purpose meeting rooms.
What mix of spaces does each work style get to work in?
Click on a workstyle category below (bold text) to reveal a description and graphic that illustrates the relative amounts of spaces each type of worker in this category has to work in. Generally, the larger the square, the more time an individual will spend in that space.
(click to expand)
Mobile Individuals
Resident Individuals
Workstyle Assignments
