Gensler recently released a Workplace Survey that notes workplace effectiveness in the office has dropped since 2008. Even with the downturn in the economy where we saw most business trying to do more work with less employees, Gensler’s survey saw effectiveness drop in all four work modes – focus, collaboration, learning, and socializing – leading to an overall decline in the ability of U.S. workers to do their jobs.

One of the most interesting parts of the article is although most people would argue that this downturn in workplace effectiveness is from a change in design to open office concepts where people can become more distracted by their surroundings, in fact the survey found that all workplaces environments were included – even private offices.

There are many reasons for this downturn that are pointed out, some are individual factors, but many are design related. As designers, we can take from the survey that a balance in work spaces provides the best option for employers to have the most effective employees. As the article notes:

“To really drive performance, companies must create work environments where workers can shift between various work modes and feel comfortable working privately or collaborating with colleagues.”