There is a lot of Employee Experience or “EX” information on the internet. For most people trying to make changes to their workplace, it is an overwhelming amount of information to process and a big portion of it trends toward being very abstract. You might understand the “what” and the “why”, but lack understanding the “how”.

POE aims to take those abstract topics and suggest some tactile solutions for your physical space. You know, the things you can actually DO.

Creating an atmosphere of trust, transparency, and psychological safety can be achieved by the attitudes and actions of any leadership team. did you know that furniture placement has a measured effect on human attitudes and actions?

The boss’s office in a traditional sense is shown below. A big desk that creates significant distance between leader and employee which is reinforcing the power dynamic and hierarchy in the workplace. Even if the leader or leadership team is actively working to promote psychological safety, trust and transparency, the physical environment is sending subconscious messages of the contrary.

POE developed the concept below to support an organization’s commitment to trust, transparency and psychological safety. The leadership team remains in a private office for their individual focus work, but their interactions with employees now take place in a shared open meeting space outside their individual workspace. If a boss needs to have a conversation with an employee (or visa versa) the humans are on the same level in a common area that does not “belong” to either party.

This placement of walls, desks, tables and chairs actually nudges users to have more engaged, connected and personal conversation. With the right application you can influence human behaviors, perception, and attitudes.

It is the tactile part of an abstract concept and it is something that should not be discounted for its effect on the human mind.

Stay with us in the next few months as we give more real-life examples of how strategic office design and furniture placement will enhance the Employee Experience.

If you want an evaluation of your office space to identify the behaviors you are influencing, click here!