<section><h2><p><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent;">Feeling Unproductive? Take this Quiz to Determine Your Ideal Working Environment</span></p></h2><p><p><span style="background-color: rgb(254, 254, 254);">Finding it difficult to be productive at the office? You could be working in the wrong type of work environment! A lot of people forget to factor this in when considering new jobs or when trying to boost their daily productivity. Take this quick quiz to determine what type of working setting fits your personality and professional needs best. </span></p></p></section><section><h2><h2><strong>You would work best in an activity-based working office</strong></h2></h2><p><p><a href="https://robinpowered.com/guides/improve-open-office-layout-activity-based-working/" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(17, 85, 204);">Activity-based working</a> offices support employee needs by providing different spaces and resources for the different types of work. You would work best in this type of setting because you value flexibility, variety, and choice in your workplace environment. You’re willing to forego absolute autonomy over specific spaces and resources in exchange for a workplace that better suits the organization’s goals as a whole. </p><p><strong> </strong></p><p><strong>Advantages of an activity-based working office: </strong></p><ul><li>Increased flexibility over how and where to work in an office </li><li>Variety of different workspaces with different types of resources </li><li>Ability to customize communal spaces to accommodate desired levels of privacy </li><li>Supports more complex work styles </li><li>Increases social interactions by natural collision points in the office</li></ul><p><br></p><p><em>“ABW environments deliver significant performance improvements on multiple measurement lines for employees who modify behaviors to their new surroundings” - Leesman, </em><a href="https://www.leesmanindex.com/The_Rise_and_Rise_of_Activity_Based_Working_Research_book.pdf" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(17, 85, 204);"><em>The Rise and Rise of Activity-Based Work</em></a><em style="color: rgb(17, 85, 204);"></em></p><p><br></p><p><strong>Drawbacks of an activity-based working office:</strong></p><ul><li>Lack of individual personalization to a workstation </li><li>Without the correct support (technology, guidelines, etiquette) it can be difficult to execute on an organizational level </li><li>Often used as part of an open office layout so noise and visual distractions can still affect productivity if private spaces aren’t provided</li></ul><p><br></p><h2>Want to learn more about how activity-based work can make a difference in your workday? <a href="https://robinpowered.com/guides/improve-open-office-layout-activity-based-working/" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(17, 85, 204);">Find out how with our full guide here. </a></h2></p></section><section><h3><h2><strong>You would work best in a open office setting</strong></h2></h3><p><p>In response to the isolation of the traditional closed office setting, a completely transparent alternative took form: <a href="https://robinpowered.com/guides/improve-open-office-layout-activity-based-working/" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(17, 85, 204);">the open office</a>. Without boundaries between workstations and no hierarchy in the seating arrangement, open offices were attractive to organizations hoping to inspire more candid collaboration in their employees. You likely work well in an open office because you are outgoing and not easily distracted. You also don’t mind sharing office spaces and resources with colleagues and don’t mind having little to no sense of privacy. </p><p><br></p><p><strong>Benefits of an open office setting: </strong></p><ul><li>Transparency between individual contributor and management-level employees </li><li>Easy for ad hoc collaboration </li><li>Can help maximize cost per square foot </li></ul><p><br></p><p><strong>Drawbacks of an open office setting: </strong></p><ul><li>Lack of privacy </li><li>Often noisy and full of visual distractions </li><li>Difficulty finding a place to meet </li><li>A decrease in face-to-face collaboration as employees rely more on instant messages and email </li><li>Can increase social anxiety leading to absenteeism </li><li>Increase in <a href="https://robinpowered.com/glossary/presenteeist/" target="_blank">presenteeism</a> as employees continually feel scrutinized by others in a transparent office </li><li>Often lead to more sick days </li></ul><p><br></p><p>As you can tell, there are more drawbacks to the open office than benefits. While the open office can sound like a nice concept, more often than not this layout is poorly designed with higher focus on cost efficiency than employee productivity per square foot. The best parts of the open office - transparency and easy collaboration - are also achieved with other types of working to avoid the pain points experienced in an open setting. While an open office may be the answer for you, we recommend taking a look into activity-based working -- an office layout that is also open but involves much more flexibility. When designed well, an activity-based workplace environment allows employees to pick the space that best fits the type of work they want to get done at a given time. </p><p><br></p><h2>Want to learn more about how activity-based work can make a difference in your workday? <a href="https://robinpowered.com/guides/improve-open-office-layout-activity-based-working/" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(17, 85, 204);">Find out how with our free guide here. </a></h2></p></section><section><h3><h2><strong>You would work best in a traditional closed office setting</strong></h2></h3><p><p>When you think of a typical office environment, most people picture cubicles, private offices, and boardrooms that seem to stretch on forever. You may work best in this type of workplace environment if you’re introverted or are accustomed to a typical workday routine. These types of offices work best when a company finds value in organizing their employees in a hierarchical manner (think: executives get private offices and immediate access to meeting rooms). </p><p><br></p><p><strong>Advantages of closed office setting: </strong></p><ul><li>Consistent privacy</li><li>Predictable routine </li><li>Few noise or visual distractions </li><li>Easy to personalize workstation</li></ul><p><br></p><p><strong>Drawbacks of a closed office setting: </strong></p><ul><li>Little variety in workstations and resources </li><li>Difficult to book meeting rooms since they typically aren’t designed for specific types of meetings</li><li>Lack of transparency between executives and the rest of the company </li><li>Poor space efficiency from private offices and cubicles </li><li>Little opportunity for spontaneous collaboration or organic socialization</li></ul><p><br></p><p>There’s a reason the <a href="https://robinpowered.com/guides/improve-open-office-layout-activity-based-working/" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(17, 85, 204);">open office</a><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"> </span>trend took over by storm. Many employees didn’t appreciate the lack of transparency created by physical barriers in a closed office environment and wanted more opportunity to socialize and collaborate. That being said, the move to open offices was generally perceived as too extreme and introverted employees became overwhelmed by a constant barrage of visual and auditory distractions.</p><p><br></p><p>So what’s the happy medium? There are ways to bring the privacy, comfort, and customizable nature of the closed office to a more flexible workplace environment. Activity-based working balances the need for autonomy and transparency by offering employees the option to choose where they want to work depending on the specific task they want to complete at a given time. <span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">Based on your past work experience, you might be most comfortable in a closed office setting. However, flexible work has experienced significant growth recently in the US, so, with the right change management tactics, it could be worth considering. </span></p><p><br></p><h2>Want to learn more about how activity-based work can make a difference in your workday? <a href="https://robinpowered.com/guides/improve-open-office-layout-activity-based-working/" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(17, 85, 204);">Find out how with our free guide here. </a></h2></p></section><section><h3><h2><strong>You would work best in a coworking space</strong></h2></h3><p><p>Whether you work remotely for your company, work freelance or under contract, or are trying to get a new idea off the ground, you value the flexible and temporary nature that coworking solutions provide. Coworking spaces are similar to <a href="https://robinpowered.com/guides/improve-open-office-layout-activity-based-working/" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(17, 85, 204);">activity-based working</a> environments in that they often provide a variety of spaces meant to accommodate different types of organizational needs. But, they also have the added benefit of providing a community so if networking or external opinions are important to your work, coworking could make a lot of sense for you. </p><p><br></p><p><strong>Advantages of a coworking setting: </strong></p><ul><li>Increased flexibility over how and where to work in an office </li><li>Built-in professional community for networking and external opinions </li><li>Variety of different workspaces with different types of resources </li><li>Supports more complex work styles </li><li>Often have extra amenities like food, drink, and recreational spaces </li><li>More cost effective than owning or renting </li></ul><p><br></p><p><strong>Drawbacks of a coworking setting: </strong></p><ul><li>Lack of individual personalization to a workstation </li><li>Often use an open office layout so noise and visual distractions can still affect productivity </li><li>If in high growth mode, difficult to predict how much space your organization needs in the future </li><li>Not often found outside of major cities </li><li>Company culture and personalization can suffer in a shared space </li></ul><p><br></p><p><br></p><p>With major providers like WeWork, <a href="https://robinpowered.com/glossary/convene/" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(17, 85, 204);">Convene</a>, and Knotel looking to provide professional communities with high end spaces designed to bolster productivity, it’s no surprise coworking is on the rise. You probably work best in this type of space because you’re part of a young company in a development phase before laying down roots in your own office space. If you work well in a coworking space -- an amenities-rich space with a variety of workspaces provided -- it’s likely you and your colleagues would enjoy an activity-based work environment once you expand. </p><p><br></p><h2>Want to learn more about how activity-based work could be the solution in your next office? <a href="https://robinpowered.com/guides/improve-open-office-layout-activity-based-working/" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(17, 85, 204);">Find out how with our free guide here. </a></h2></p></section><section><h3><h2><strong>You would work best in a remote work setting</strong></h2></h3><p><p>You likely excel in a <a href="https://robinpowered.com/case-studies/video-health-catalyst-remote-workforce/" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(17, 85, 204);">remote work setting</a> because you gather energy from yourself instead of from the presence of coworkers around you. Location or networking possibilities don’t currently factor in the success of your job. You appreciate your own space and privacy and would rather not have to share office resources with colleagues. As technology has evolved with more portable devices and improved video and phone conference abilities, remote work is a full-time possibility for many people today. </p><p><br></p><p><strong>Advantages of remote work: </strong></p><ul><li>Flexibility and control over work environment </li><li>Very few distractions like office chatter, colleagues walking around, etc </li><li>Savings (both monetary and headache-wise) from not having to commute </li><li>Predictable daily routine </li></ul><p><br></p><p><strong>Drawbacks of remote work: </strong></p><ul><li>Can be difficult to separate professional and private life </li><li>Lacking in variety of space and resources to complete tasks </li><li>Can feel disconnected from the greater company </li><li>Easy to experience technical issues like WiFi disconnectivity or video conferencing bugs which detract from productivity </li></ul><p><br></p><p>As technology continues to improve, remote work will only become easier for more of the workforce. Working remotely takes a specific type of person, however. Generally, you need to be very self motivated, self starting, and manage time exceptionally well to be successful without the structure a more typical workplace environment naturally provides. If remote working is for you, make sure your next company is equipped to help remote workers excel, including planning for everything from day-to-day logistics to career advancement. </p><p><br></p><h2>Want to learn more about what it takes to create a workplace equipped to handle remote work? <a href="https://robinpowered.com/guides/future-it-facilities-management/" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(17, 85, 204);">Find out how with our free guide here. </a></h2></p></section><section><h2><p>For your job, do you need to physically be in the office to be successful?</p></h2></section><section><h3><p>Do you like the presence of others around you at work?</p></h3></section><section><h3><p>Would you say your role is complex, meaning you do many types of activities throughout the day? </p></h3></section><section><h3><p>Can you cope with open office distractions by using solutions like dividers, sound buffers, headphones, or signals to indicate focused work time?</p></h3></section><section><h3><p>Do you like having control over how, when, and where you do your work throughout the day?</p></h3></section><section><h3><p>Do you prefer working in a traditional office setting where seating configuration indicates seniority level? I.e. private offices for executives and cubicles for all other employees. </p></h3></section><section><h3><p>Would your work benefit from potential in-person networking opportunities?</p></h3></section><section><h3><p>Are you comfortable sharing office spaces and resources with other people?</p></h3></section>