Merry Xmas and Happy New Office!

More recent data from the Gallup consulting firm indicate that US professionals have very low levels of engagement with the location where they do their jobs (31.5% in 2014 and 32% in 2015: GallupReport: Employee Engagement in U.S.). This index has been increasing timidly in recent years, but it is still far from acceptable considering the time we spend in the office every day.

How are companies contributing to increasing happiness in the workplace? Following the example of hundreds of companies that have been awarded by the Great Place to Work Institute, there is a clear tendency for companies to bet on spaces that value the well-being of professionals, either through rooms where one can work with greater privacy and Leisure areas and relaxation areas, or lounge areas where professionals can take breaks during the day and drink coffee or tea while resting on a comfortable sofa. The creation of several work environments in the same place is one of the key trends of the new workspaces, clearly meeting the needs of professionals who appreciate this versatility and, above all, the opportunity to work where they feel happier and Productive.

But these measures should be accompanied by other initiatives. For example, ROFF, a Portuguese company specializing in management software solutions consulting, which is among the 25 recognized organizations at the European level of the Great Place to Work Institute, highlights the flexibility of working hours, the possibility of remote work or opportunities for Working from abroad, as factors that make the company a good place to work.

Coworking spaces are part of this new reality, and more and more companies are choosing this model of work, not only for the sake of cost rationalization, but above all for the flexibility it provides and for the well-being. These factors will be increasingly decisive for companies wishing to avenge in the modern economy. And the workplace - wherever it is - is decisive for this happiness.

Teresa Jacinto

Chief Research and Development Officer AvilaSpaces