Video: No desk, no office - Microsoft experiments with future of work
Date: Jun 30, 2010Microsoft is using its Dutch headquarters as part of a radical experiment that the company believes could demonstrate the future of the workplace.
The company's office in Schiphol airport has done away with dedicated desks and offices. It has given employees the freedom to choose where, when and how they work.
The experiment is underpinned by sophisticated technology which allows Microsoft staff to communicate using chat, e-mail, social networking tools and video conferencing wherever they are.
Microsoft, backed by research from the Rotterdam School of Management, says the result is a happier workforce, improved staff retention rates, increased productivity and lower building costs.
Visitors to the complex are struck by just how unlike a traditional office it feels. Receptionists don't sit behind desks, for example. The entrance hall leads straight into a large, open-plan coffee area, where staff and managers work at communal tables or sit on soft chairs with their laptops. The whole building is bathed in natural light.
There are big family tables and open areas with fruit and coffee machines for people who want to be sociable. Employees who want to focus can borrow a cubicle or work in glass-walled offices. They can choose to curtain-off a section of the office if they want to hold an impromptu meeting. No-one has their own desk or office, not even managers.
"The building adjusts itself to the sort of work you want to do," says Theo Rinsema, general manager. "If I want a meeting I can go to a large room. If I want a more formal meeting I can go to formal room. If I want to be approached, I can work in the communal area. If I want to work concentrated, I can go to a concentration area."
Microsoft has underpinned what it calls its new way of working with sophisticated communications technology.
Each employee has a laptop which acts as a communications hub, allowing them to send and receive phone calls, e-mails, instant messaging and take part in video conferences.
They can access every business application - ranging from invoicing systems to logistics systems to sales information - over the web, whether they are working from the office or from home.
They can integrate Facebook, Twitter, and other social media services into Outlook. Microsoft claims that the technology has reduced the quantity of e-mails each employee has to deal with by 30%.
| Microsoft's business benefits. |
|---|
| Sales at the Dutch subsidiary are up 51% |
| Office space costs reduced by 30%, equivalent to $644,000 a year |
| Employee satisfaction has increased, according to a study by Rotterdam School of Management |
| The proportion of employees with a "mobile workstyle" has risen from 70 to 77% |
| Source: Microsoft |
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