The Art of Crafting The Ideal Workplace Environment

by Mike Petrusky on October 12, 2018
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“You can have everything in life you want if you will just help other people get what they want.” Shouldn’t that be the facilities management mantra? Such wonderful words spoken by Zig Ziglar shared with me by Steve Todd during our recent podcast. During my last two interviews, I was reminded how much of an art form workplace management can be. The work is never really done, is constantly changing, and may not appeal to everyone. But in the end a perfectly crafted workplace can be appreciated by all. 

Workplace Strategies That Elevate The Employee Experience

Steve Todd | Head of Workplace Strategy at Nasdaq

“Project by project we’ve taken what we would call the workplace experience from each location that were building out – and trying to better understanding how they work, how they operate and then trying to provide them [the employees] an environment that actually allows them to excel.”

The Next Generation of Healthy Workplaces

Leigh Stringer, LEED AP | author, researcher, workplace strategy expert for EYP

“We should really be outdoors at work, I mean why do we work indoors all the time and save our outdoor time for weekends and evenings? We’re mobile, you know? We’ve got our devices, we can take conference calls from anywhere, we’re in trains planes and automobiles all the time being really effective.” 

If “thinking outside the workplace box” could be part of job a description, it would fit into Leigh Stringer’s perfectly. A beloved author, researcher and current workplace strategy expert for EYP, Leigh is constantly evaluating how and where we spend time and looking to alternative methods to help keep us healthy and productive during what consumes most of our daily lives, work. 

I recently hosted a webinar interviewing Leigh titled, “The Next Generation of Healthy Workplaces: Coworking, Biophilia and Working Outdoors, where we discussed the overwhelming research suggesting being outside actually makes us not only healthier, but better workers. We took a look at a few modern organizations like Microsoft and Apple and evaluated how they are trying new ways to bring the great outdoors inside. From strategic use of plants to creative space designed to feel like you’re outside, it’s clear workplace leaders are expanding the idea of what it means to be a workplace. 

Leigh also participated as a spokesperson for L.L. Bean’s recent campaign, “Be An Outsider” where they set up pop-up outdoor coworking spaces across the country to encourage people to try working outside for the day. Despite some initial pushback, it was a huge hit, people loved how they felt after their workday, and many even reported an increase in productivity and satisfaction when the day was done. It just goes to show the next big workplace idea could be around the corner, and we should always be open to and thinking of new ways to do our best work. 

Want to watch the complete webinar with Leigh Stringer? Download the recording here. 

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Mike Petrusky

Mike Petrusky is host of the “Workplace Innovator Podcast” and Director of Events and Growth Marketing at iOFFICE. He joined iOFFICE in March of 2018 with a mission to energize the company’s live events. He is a dynamic speaker, podcaster, and seasoned marketer who has a passion for sharing iOFFICE’s unique brand of thought leadership to CRE & FM leaders in the digital workplace.

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