Embracing office diversity with personality profiling

Everyone is different, and that’s what makes the world go round. Businesses employ staff with a whole spectrum of personalities, skill sets and styles of working; but different skills mean different traits and potentially different working requirements. Many companies are embracing the future of workspace; an office is no longer a place with rows of desks and nothing but a bleak grey wall to stare at, equally it is not about the gimmicks. Recognising that people are more comfortable and more productive in a certain environment and then making these available in the right balance, is something that businesses are looking to accommodate when re-working their space.

Research by The Myers-Briggs Company Limited, one of the world’s largest business psychology providers, has revealed that different personality types work more effectively when certain conditions in their workspace are met. They have provided some useful strategies which can make the difference to how people feel at work.

Here we highlight some of the things to consider when designing your office space to help meet the different personality types’ needs in relation to how people gain their energy.

• Open plan offices allow employees the option to bounce ideas off each other and see how every area of the team works. This type of space works better for those who gain energy by being around and interacting with others (Extraverts)
• Offering ‘quiet zones’ provides a comfortable space with less distraction for employees who gain energy from quiet inner reflection (Introverts) and ensures Extraverts also have somewhere to get their head down for a particular piece of work

Also consider an inviting and inclusive breakout area; these spaces allow employees to really relax, switch off and also encourage interaction in a more natural and comfortable environment.

It’s important to understand your workforce; what they do, who they are and what do they need?  We carry out an anonymous staff satisfaction survey prior to designing a workplace, as this is a great way to extract this information.

Gaining valuable insights into how happy staff are and what they really think of their workspace is vital; doing this anonymously will allow true opinions to flourish and bring ideas which may have previously not been considered. Don’t be afraid to ask employees for their suggestions, we use this insight to influence our design. We then carry out a post project survey, so we can measure the results and effects of the fit out for your staff.

In future blogs we will look at other ways in which understanding the different personality types and preferences of your staff, can positively influence what changes to make to their workspace, how to make them and most importantly, how to introduce them to make the most productive outcome.

Embracing diversity is important for an employer, but so is their bottom line. Getting the environment right the first time avoids multiple disruptions to staff, and multiple changes to the design which could be costly. Investing in a new office space is a big leap, so do your homework first by asking staff their opinions and make sure you lead by example; use the new areas and encourage staff to do so too, hold an office opening party and ensure that everyone feels like this is the start of something positive!

If you are looking to uplift your workspace to suit a diverse range of employees and personalities, get in touch with our team for a free consultation on 01344 290290 or enquiries@cbs-plc.co.uk.