Mobile trial aims to find best spot to do your work
Who says the public service is stuffy and old-fashioned? The Department of Human Services has joined the throng of companies adopting the trendy, activity-based working (ABW) principles in an effort to provide a more flexible work environment.
Instead of allocated seating and desktop computers, employees in ABW organisations predominantly use mobile devices and are seated according to the activity or project they are working on.
The department will trial ABW in its Louisa Lawson building in Canberra.
The trial, which involves 110 staff, is the first of its kind among federal government agencies and puts the department in the same work-style league as Microsoft, Bankwest, KPMG, PwC, Macquarie Bank and Commonwealth Bank.
A DHS spokesman said the variety of work environments now available enabled staff to choose the most appropriate work space from day to day.
Whereas the traditional work environment offered only two work space options - desk or meeting room - staff could now opt for individual desks, focus desks, team areas, collaboration areas and quiet areas.
"The aim of the trial is to encourage cross-collaboration, team interaction, and to give staff the opportunity to learn from others by exposure to different business groups," the DHS spokesman said.
"It will investigate new and alternative ways of working within the corporate office environment with the aim of fostering creativity and innovation."
The work style appeared in the Netherlands 15 years ago but business consultants only recently began suggesting it as a strategy.
Few public service organisations around the world have adopted ABW. The UK is one of those pursuing a similar approach in its civil-service reform plan.
While not a pure ABW approach, the aim in Britain is to allow public servants to move freely between government offices (bit.ly/14IczlA).
The most recent report on the British reform plan notes that this strategy has the "greatest potential to improve civil servants' day-to-day working lives", but little progress has been made.
The British government's chief technology officer, Liam Maxwell, told IT Pro the flexible working strategy would be underpinned by mobile and collaboration technologies, with cloud services critical to its success.
In Australia, human services staff will be given personal and movable storage "caddies" and laptops that connect to a wireless network so they can work from any location in the building.
Other technologies include follow-me printing and voice-over internet protocol (VoIP).
The DHS trial is not hot-desking, the practice in which staff share the same desk or just an open-plan office.
Instead, there will be more work points than staff across a range of settings.
Although activity-based working has been shown to provide benefits in employee engagement and the utilisation of real estate, it is not without its challenges - most notably change management and ensuring that employees support the required cultural and behavioural change.
Without this, there is a risk of employees viewing the adoption of the work style as merely a cynical attempt to save money on real estate.
The University of California San Francisco discovered this attitude the hard way when it faced a backlash from employees (bit.ly/18EHiB7).
Frequently Asked Questions about this Article…
Activity-based working (ABW) is a flexible work approach where employees choose seating and tools based on the task or project rather than having an assigned desk. ABW organisations provide a mix of individual desks, focus areas, team zones, collaboration spaces and quiet rooms, and rely on mobile devices so staff can move around and work from the most appropriate spot each day.
The DHS is trialling ABW in the Louisa Lawson building in Canberra with 110 staff. The trial replaces fixed seating with movable storage 'caddies', laptops on a wireless network, and a range of work points meant to encourage cross-collaboration, team interaction and on-the-job learning between business groups.
Unlike hot-desking—where staff simply share the same desk—or traditional offices with fixed desks and meeting rooms, ABW offers more work points than staff across multiple settings and focuses on matching workspace to activity. The DHS trial is explicitly not hot-desking: it provides diverse settings (focus desks, team areas, collaboration and quiet zones) rather than just shared desks.
The DHS trial uses laptops that connect to a wireless network, personal movable storage 'caddies', follow-me printing and voice-over-internet-protocol (VoIP). These technologies let staff work from any location in the building and support the mobility and collaboration central to ABW.
The article notes ABW-style work has been adopted by major organisations such as Microsoft, Bankwest, KPMG, PwC, Macquarie Bank and Commonwealth Bank, putting the DHS trial in the same work-style league as these companies.
Investors may want to watch ABW adoption because it can affect employee engagement and the utilisation of real estate—two factors that influence productivity and operating costs. Well-implemented ABW can boost engagement and improve real estate efficiency, while poor implementation can create cultural issues that undermine those benefits.
Key challenges include change management and securing employee buy-in for cultural and behavioural shifts. Without this support, staff may view ABW as a cynical cost-cutting move rather than a productivity improvement. The University of California San Francisco experienced employee backlash when changes weren’t managed well.
Very important. The article cites the UK civil-service reform approach and a comment from the British government’s CTO, Liam Maxwell, who said mobile and collaboration technologies—with cloud services critical to success—underpin flexible working. Reliable cloud and collaboration tools make it feasible for staff to move between locations and maintain productivity.
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