The New Office

Rethinking the old structures

Bachelor Thesis from the year 2007 in the subject Business economics - Business Management, Corporate Governance, grade: 1, University of Applied Sciences Kufstein Tirol, 7 entries in the bibliography, language: English, abstract: Abstract The importance of designing effective structures of office workplaces is becoming a fundamental task in Facility Management. If the office design does not respond to the needs of the user, the workforce will never be as affective if it could be; the consequence is a loss of money for the company. At the moment there is a huge need for research in this field because many enterprises are forced to occupy to new structures and designs but still use old fashioned ways of working. An office that is not adjustable to the individual needs of the worker causes dissatisfaction and less efficiency. If the workplace does not support the user by providing the appropriate environment and equipment, the workplace will hinder the employee instead of motivating him. As the influence of the effect of the office on the employees is still underestimated, the rethinking of the old structures forms the center of this work, as well as becoming aware of the coherencies between office features and the satisfaction of the user. The third chapter examines the psychological impacts of office design, such as human behavior and stress, besides the psychological, positive effect of ergonomic interior is mentioned. How can the performance of the employee be motivated is the important question. If the employee feels able to meet his or her own decisions and bears more responsibility in the specific scope of duties the work environment becomes more relaxed and productive in general. Often side effects like face-to-face internal communication are getting neglected and underestimated although they could be reached by improving the office shapes or utilizing Space Management. The crucial effect of such factors on business performance holds a lot of potential for improvement. With the corresponding furniture and equipment new styles of working become leading in the future, the old fashioned office types and types of working are getting replaced. Facility Management has the vital function to support this change in attitude towards work and make working more flexible by finding solutions in occupancy of space or office shape designs.