This is a place to find reference to ground breaking Guides and papers on Agile Working and agility in the workplace. If you find this Page and the material useful please let us know by leaving us a note on the Contact Page:
Recruiting for the Agile Workforce
Online recruitment company Jobsite.co.uk surveyed 400 recruiters and over 2500 candidates to build a picture of the state of the British agile workforce in producing their White “Paper Recruiting for the Agile Workforce”. Download
Smart Working: Smart Buildings and The Future of Work
Unwork consider the benefits and cutting edge methods that technology is increasingly providing to make buildings smarter. For most companies, buildings need to help them attract the best talent, support business aims and energise and inspire their staff. Smart buildings do all of these things, and more. Leveraging cutting-edge technologies, such as the Internet of Things, Big Data and intelligent software, smart buildings enhance the experience of occupants, and create more attractive and desirable places to work. Download
This 2017 research by Regus based on the opinions of over 20,000 senior managers and business owners, explores the increasing trend in flexible and remote working around the world. This report reveals how businesses are adapting to this change, one of the most significant developments in working practices for decades.
The world of work is being dramatically propelled into the future faster than ever before by a heady mix of new technologies and the demands of a workforce that is increasingly calling for a better work:life balance. In fact, over 50% of workers now report that they work outside the main office 2.5 days a week or more. Download
HR: Getting Smart about Agile Working
The key challenge of agility is directly linked to people management practices. This research report by CIPD (Chartered Institute of Personnel & Development) in association with the Agile Future Forum focuses on the role of HR in developing and implementing agile working practice into organisations. Download
Making Agile Working Work for You: Strategy Guide
MITIE brought together their clients’ experience to produce this strategy guide as a reference document to give insight and ideas to organisations looking to gain the rewards of this exciting and innovative approach to work.
The guide takes an holistic look at the wider aspects of creating, delivering and managing an agile working environment. It also documents some examples of organisations harvesting significant gains in productivity and profitability from successfully introducing an agile working. Download
The Flex Factor: Realising the Value of Flexible Working
The Flex Factor report published by think tank RSA and Vodaphone UK in July 2013 is based on a national survey of 2828 employees and employers. The report finds that employees estimate they could gain on average five productive hours per week (eg from commuting) through better ways of working, which equates to around £4200 per employee per year.
Julian Thompson, Director of Enterprise at the RSA, said: “Our report aims to capture some of the value better ways of working can bring at all levels of the economy. It’s got to be something that organisations and employees develop together as part of a strategy to increase the value of their work. Our findings show that there is no ‘one size fits all’ approach, and that there are costs to be considered. But enabling people to work flexibly can make a significant difference to our economic and social prosperity, both now and in the future.” Download
WCO Guide to: Utilisation & Occupancy Studies
Space utilisation and office occupancy studies consistently show that around 50% of workstations are unused at any hour during the working week – this is a considerable waste. The WCO have developed this guide to help organisations implement and understand utilisation studies so they can calculate how much of their workspace is unused or under utilised and take measures to reduce this waste. Download
Flexible Working Benefits: Collated Evidence and Case Studies
Despite a focus on space and associated cost savings by the property community, there are many more worthwhile benefits to implementing flexible or agile working. Indeed the best project examples tend to be ones where primarily focused on a change in culture or work-style, rather than being promoted purely as a means of simply saving space.
This 2012 paper focuses on Productivity, Personal, Sustainability, Business Continuity, Staff Enticement and Efficiency benefits through numerous short case studies that evidence achieved benefits by organisations in both public and private sector. Download
Quality not Quantity: Workplace Effectiveness
Is the current emphasis on workplace cost reduction and efficiency diminishing the ability of the workplace to provide environments that enable peak performance of work activity and the workforce? This WCO paper explores the issues,trends and opportunities in workplace design that can enhance work effectiveness. Download
Corporate Strategy driving Workplace Design – The changing Face of Property
A paper produced in September 2011 by Smith Madden, Australian Architects on corporate strategy and agility and how this impacts on workplace design. This paper follows and references a number of Paul Allsopp articles on agile working and ”agile property”. Download
The State of Telework in the U.S.
A study published in June 2011 by the Telework Research Network and sponsored by Citrix Online looks at telework trends over the past five years. The report reveals who’s really teleworking, what they’re doing, and where they’re doing it. US Teleworking is growing but not significantly. The conclusion is that although a majority of large companies offer telework, it’s largely granted as an occasional accommodation for only a handful of employees. While 80% of employees want to some form of teleworking what is preventing widespread adoption is that most companies simply don’t have the culture of trust that comes from measuring performance by what people do rather than when, where, or how they do it. Download
Interesting report published 2010 by Unwired and Regus which sets out to predict the future of work.Their research not only looks at evidence based on case studies from early adopters of radical workstyles across the globe. It follows new trends and also discusses issues with leading heads of real estate from global companies to understand their thinking, concerns and aspirations for the new world of work. Download
Property in the Economy: Agile Working
The RICS commissioned research in its Property in the Economy series culminating in an interesting article in June 2009 entitled “Agile Working” which explores the complex relationships and drivers behind business agility, and at ways the property industry can better connect with and support business growth. Download
Working Beyond Walls: The Government Workplace as an Agent for Change
A guide produced by The Office of Government Commerce (OGC) and DEGW in 2008 aimed at modernising Civil Service ways of working. It outlines measures to ensure the Civil Service adapts to meet the challenges of the modern age, and is set to radically enhance ways in which civil servants deliver high quality services. It paints a picture of the Civil Service in 2020 where home-working and mobile working is commonplace, and Government office workspaces are used more efficiently and operations are more sustainable.
The guide encourages new thinking on information and communication technology, styles of working, estate transformation, strategic asset management, sustainable design and human resource issues. It is intended to lead to the further development in the Civil Service of diverse workspaces and innovative ways of working that deliver greater productivity, attract talent, and ultimately provide better value for money for the taxpayer. Download
The Agile Workplace: Supporting People and their Work
In 2000 Gartner and Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s (MIT’s) launched a one-year project to study the “workplace industry”. The result a report entitled “The Agile Workplace: Supporting People and Their Work.” It found that Change is a recurring feature. New developments in the business economy, new technologies, and new attitudes about what can be accomplished by workplace development all suggest significant change in the workplace in the years ahead. It identified “twelve emerging practices” – compare these with the actual experience of the last decade. A visionary paper. Download
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