Over Christmas I read an interesting little book. “Yes! 50 secrets from the science of persuasion” by Noah Goldstein.

The book describes a series of controlled psychological experiments to test out various views on how people are persuaded.  As well as underpinning some apparently obvious ploys, there are some less predictable ones. One that struck me, particularly, has implications on the behavioural outcomes to benchmarking comparisons.

In the experiment, the researchers sought to encourage 300 householders to reduce their energy wastage use. They sold the idea on the basis of environmental arguments and cost savings and provided a service for measuring the individual householders baseline use of gas and electricity. The householders were then given advice on means of saving energy and the trial began. Over several weeks the researcher collected weekly data on use and the analysis provided back to the participants. Each householder was given a report on their own use and that of the average use. The trail was then repeated and over the next few weeks it was clear that those households which used more than the average had significantly improved - but, what about those who had been better than the average?

They had got significantly worse!

The results support a frequent psychological trait. People are most comfortable when they feel themselves not to be outside of what they consider to be normal.

There is a magnetic attraction to the middle ground.

That prompted a further trial in which those that were better than the average were given a small acknowledgement of their superior performance. Just a smiley on their results report! The results were equally dramatic in that those who were better improved still more.

Interesting!

Graham Jervis

There has been an interesting and lively debate on LinkedIn on the pros and cons for this. The arguments against charging user departments centre around bureaucracy and/or unfairness of a system that would penalise business units that cannot afford the space they occupy.

http://www.linkedin.com/groupAnswers?viewQuestionAndAnswers&discussionID=11875044&gid=1959879&commentID=11869531&trk=view_disc

Although these are undoubtedly real concerns, these seem to be negative arguments and suffer from their neutrality in changing the way in which we view the use of space. We do need to have drivers that encourage space to be seen as an expensive resource that needs to be managed and that means that the cost of that space needs to visible to those who manage businesses.

I have given this some thought over the last few days and offer some best practice pointers that might encourage FM managers to use cross charging:

1. Do your financial management accounting accurately to ensure that all the costs are defensible and openbook.
2. Be clear about why you want to cross charge and how that works to achieve your workplace strategies.
3. Open up the debate with your CFO and sell the benefits to him.
4. Ensure that you achieve consistency in the basis for your cross charging with other service departments such as IT. (This is particularly important if you are seeking to achieve the benefits of more flexibility in the use of desks as this may require additional IT investment that in turn may be recovered by IT cross charging.)
5. Determine, and get accepted by senior business executives, workplace standards to avoid the excesses that highly profitable businesses may be able to afford to the detriment of others that cannot afford the same.
6. Prepare for the next budget cycle to get cross charging measures set up. It will no doubt lead to some active discussions.
7. Use the costs of space to assist in business cases that require investment to achieve space savings.

I would welcome any additional contributions.

Graham Jervis

Yvette Cooper, the Work and Pensions Secretary revealed last month that the government is working with employer organisations to extend the rights to flexible working for all employees from the day they joined in response to an EU Equality and Human Rights Commission ruling.

This means that these rights will not just be for carers and parents with children under 16 but for everyone.

Leaving aside the growing criticism of these changes from small businesses, and with the growing popularity of Flexible Working, just how will this impact the already poorly utilised workplace in offices?

Will there be a large increase in the number of people electing to work part time from home?

Will it extend the hours each day that offices need servicing?

How will it change the services that FM provide?

Another set of issues that need to be evaluated in formulating FM and Workplace Management strategies for the future and another good reason for routinely monitoring the actual use of office space and services over time as such changes take hold.

Graham Jervis 17 Feb 2010

The recent annual CES jamboree in the US this month strongly features the introduction of 3D TV in 2010. With Sky expected to introduce premier football matches in 3D by Oct there could in theory be 1.6m watching 3D.

LG may be the first manufacturer to release its 3D model, a 47 inch LCD screen, expected to cost about £2,000. The 3D TV’s require viewers to wear polarised glasses but for some the inconvenience would probably be worth it to feel almost on the pitch with the players of your favourite footie team.

But even if it is a great step forward in watching tv and in playing video games, will it transform business videoconferencing? Would we see the value of viewing the boss in glorious 3D? Would it work well for remote supervision of complex tasks such as sugical operations?

What are your views?

Graham Jervis

Wondering about just how much things have changed in terms of accessing information. Yesterday I found myself following sporadically on my PC a live transmission of Blair’s appearance at the Chilcot inquiry, and this morning we learn that Margaret Thatcher’s papers from 1979 are now available on the web.

Our access to masses of information in digital form is growing at phenomenal rates, available at the touch of an IPad, a computer or mobile phone at any time and place you choose. Facebook users now number in 100’s of millions and a 2009 US Department of Education report said that on average online students outperformed those receiving face to face instruction.

and yet…

Nick Robinson commented yesterday that being physically in view of Tony Blair he could detect the “fear” in Blair’s eyes and hand movements that didn’t come over on the broadcast.

So just how far will we be able to live our lives and do our business digitally?

The benefits to business and people of remote and advanced working we are just at the tip of realising. Much more can, and should be done, to exploit the technologies and public interest in advanced working. But it is equally important that the leaders of our businesses put old prejudices aside and consider carefully just what sort of working style suits their organisation and customers best. Workplace strategies do need to be based upon accurate evidence and entirely consistent with business strategies. This means that not only do we need to understand accurately how our offices and workplaces are used over time but we have to get behind the personal behaviours and processes involved in the business. We need a process for collaboration between business leaders and infrastructure executives in Real Estate, IT and HR much different from the past tactical engagement.

The role of the Corporate Real Estate and FM executive has never been more exciting and challenging and a more extensive model of management practices and capabilities is needed to encourage and support these managers to take on the challenge.

In my blogs over the coming weeks I shall be exploring thoughts on these capabilities.

In the meantime I would be most interested in your own wonderings….

Graham Jervis 30^th January

Are you thinking of desktop virtualisation to encourage more agile working and desk sharing in offices?

Now could be the time to talk to your IT colleagues about the benefits of better space utilisation that desktop virtualisation could enable. Now that Windows 7 has been released, IT Departments will be considering how in future they are going to migrate their desktop operating systems from Microsoft XP to Windows 7.

‘So what!’ you might say?

Well there are complications here. Microsoft XP cannot be simply upgraded to Windows 7 and IT departments will have to consider how they apply the changes. This means that they may well be considering changing their IT architecture to a virtualised platform and this could benefit both FM and IT.

So I think it is opportune to develop your workplace utilisation strategies in time to fully debate the case for virtualisation.

Graham Jervis

This snowy weather might bring excitement to the eyes of kids who are hoping for a day off achool, but for the pressurised employee there’s a need to find a way to work somehow…..lets face it the work still has to get done doesn’t it?;….business life goes on regardless…doesn’t it!?! 

But I guess the only way many of us are going to be able to operate in the next few days/weeks…is to work at home …. theres’ barely any point trudging through the snow to Canary Wharf only to find that all your colleagues are smugly working at home! Most smart companies now have their IT systems set up so that many of their employees can work quite effectively from home….so why not take up the option. After all its a good test of your BCP arrangements if nothing else! 

So as a veteran home-worker I thought I might offer a few very personal tips for effective working at home in the snowy weather when the kids are also around. Here are my top tips.

TIP No 1

You probably don’t have an office at home separated from the distraction of the household…so first base is finding somewhere in the house that is separated from the rest of the house (as spare room, your bedroom, the toilet!, garden shed!  etc.) where you’ll have limited distraction and can get a wireless data connection or a cable connection and ideally somewhere where your mobile phone works! Trying to work in the dining room while kids are on the PS3 or listening to music in the lounge is a nightmare! Theres plenty of evidence that distraction is a Productivity killer   

TIP N02

Sit down with wife and family members and agree some protocols…e.g. you are not at home to do washing up or household chores or get involved in snowball fights.

TIP No3

Tell the family and friends that just because you are still in your dressing gown at 11.00AM that you are not terminally ill, on holiday, drunk or available for coffee. It is still possible for people to work quite well in a dressing gown!

TIP No4

Tell Kids/wifes’ that music and noise must be kept at reasonable (undistracting) level whilst you are ‘on duty’.

TIP No5

Tell the kids to keep off the phone because your calls may be coming through…may save you a few quid too!

TIP No6

Tell the kids (and your wife) not to scream in the background when you are on the phone on conference calls to colleagues or clients!

TIP No7

Make sure you have told people how to contact you, when you will be available and when you won’t be available with mode (mobile hone, home land line etc) and that you have a conference call number and PIN and even MSN or SKYPE set up ….

TIP No8

Set targets for what you want to achieve in the day and focus on it….otherwise email and phone calls will consume all your time and brain power. 

TIP No 9

Make sure your posture is in line with Health and Safety guidelines and that you are not putting yourself at any H&S risks.      

TIP No10

Take breaks away from the desk. Walk about have a cup of tea….chat with your partner (bless).  

TIP 10A

And if all else fails….join all the other ‘home-workers’ down at the local pub for a couple of beers and a long lunch and build snowmen with the kids (making sure that you have gloves on!…..(but don’t tell anyone I recommended that one!)

Enjoy!

If you’ve any top tips of your own it would be great to hear them…serious or otherwise!!

Andrew Mawson

Pranav Mistry is the inventor of SixthSense, a wearable device that enables new interactions between the real world and the world of data. Will we soon see the walls of our workplaces, the palms of our hands and even our clothes become the access to sources of information?

You must see this video and let your imagination run..

Graham Jervis

Over 1 billion mobile phones were sold last year and in the next few years over 50% of these will be ’so called’ smart phones and in January this year Steve Ballmer of Microsoft revealed that they invested 8bn $ in R&D in 2008 in convergence of the phone, PC and TV in accessing information and unifying communication through the internet cloud.

According to US research group Nemertes, 84% of companies are now planning or deploying unified communications (this is where all voice calls, messaging, emails etc are used over a computer network using IP).  Dispersed workgroup locations, rising travel costs, and new telepresence technologies (high quality video-conferencing) mean more than 47% of IT executives say they are deploying or planning to deploy unified communications, up from 17% in 2007.

 “A life without walls” to use a Microsoft strap line. 

In the next few years many consumer technology products will be able to react to natural input such as your behaviour, gestures, touch and speech

The opportunities to advantageously employ the products from these developments in both the consumer and business world depend upon the innovative mindsets we build now.

Are we as Infrastructure Managers (and in my case an ex manager!) of UK corporates making the case for IT strategies and implementations that encourage flexible use of space and in supporting business colleagues in making the change in business practices that result a reality?

Graham Jervis

We would like to wish all our readers and friends a very good Christmas, wherever you may be.

We can’t offer you gifts for the 12 days of Christmas, but we may be able to offer you something in 2010, if you can give us 12 numbers….intrigued?

Its not a trick! If you can give us 12 numbers, we may be able to tell you how to save a lot of money for your organization, with no loss in effectiveness.

First four - you need 4 office buildings, or 4 leases, within commuting distance of each other. Or just 4 floors, where one could be sublet or released back to the landlord.

Let’s say its 4 offices. Now I just need three numbers from each…

(1) Total occupancy cost per workstation

(2) No of workstations

(3) Desk share ratio (DSR); I.e., number of people per workstation.

That’s 12 numbers….

Now, you have to accept the principle that all the people in those 4 offices are occasionally, some perhaps regularly, away from their desk. Even a 9-5 administrator, at their desk all day, every day, will be on holiday for four weeks a year. At the other end of the spectrum, some people will only occasionally be in the office, as they are out with clients, or elsewhere.

From many AWA studies, we know that offices are rarely occupied more than 45% on any day. In deep recession, can we afford this level of waste?

Returning to your 12 numbers. If you have 4 buildings, and an average occupancy of 50% or less, you CAN close one office. What you then do with it, is covered below. But if your DSR (desk-sharing ratio) is around 1.0, or less, you CAN increase this to 1.33. Then you can happily accomodate people from 4 buildings, at a DSR of 1.33, into 3 buildings. Or 4 floors onto 3…same principle.

The prize, of course, comes with the release of office space to the market. Not easy right now, but the market will eventually pick up, and you will be ready when it does. In the meantime, you will save energy and operating costs by ‘mothballing’ the space.

If you have taken 4,000 people into space with 3,000 workstations, at £10k per workstation, if you can dispose of the space, you may save £10m…..straight off the bottom line costs, and into pre-tax profit.

In the current market, depending on your business, you may have to do £100m+ of business to make the same bottom line impact!

And what’s the risk? Some people have to occasionally sit at a different workstation, as “theirs” is occupied? Oh, dear. I’m sure they will understand when you tell them that £10m you saved has significantly eased pressure on staff costs. For some, it could be ‘lose desks, or lose a few more staff’ next year?

Now, have a great Christmas from all the AWA team…..and after the 12 days are over…

drop Paul Carder an email, to pcarder@advanced-workplace.com, titled “my 12 numbers…”