Why flexible seating isn't the key to employee freedom
What is the most progressive thing a central Stockholm office can do in 2023? Reintroduce assigned seating.
Activity-based workspaces have become the norm, a trend that accelerated during the pandemic. In my field, the communications industry, terms like "nimble," "flexible," and "agile" are buzzwords, and there's a constant fear of becoming obsolete if you don't embrace the latest trends.
At the agency where I serve as CEO, we weren't exactly quick to adopt activity-based working. However, after testing it for two years, it’s time for an evaluation. In short: it hasn't been outright bad or inefficient, but it hasn't been beneficial either.
"Right now, we crave stability, to make as few unnecessary decisions as possible and to dedicate all our energy during work hours to delivering results."
Flexible seating didn't make our employees feel freer. In fact, they often chose the same spot, day in and day out. While there were slight variations, their chosen seat was rarely far from where they sat the day before. Perhaps ingrained habits or a desire for consistency meant that the hoped-for rotation and dynamic never quite materialized.
An American study shows that adults make 35,000 decisions every day. For Swedish office workers, one of those decisions is apparently which desk to pick today. This seems like a fairly unnecessary decision if there is enough space to provide a dedicated workstation for every employee.
With global uncertainty, a weak economy, and high carbon emissions, we find ourselves craving stability. We want to minimize unnecessary decision-making and focus our full professional energy on delivering value, directing our focus where it matters most. As CEO, it is my responsibility to ensure my team has as much room as possible to do exactly that.
Furthermore, who wants to work in an empty office? In addition to assigned seating, we have introduced fixed office days. The policy of "any three days a week" has been replaced by everyone being in the office on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays. After all, who wants to eat in an empty restaurant? And who wants to work in an empty office? I certainly don't.