What Makes a

Great Workplace?
Learning From The Best Place To Work Companies

White Paper
How do you define a great workplace? How can
you create one? What makes a workplace great?

These questions have been the subject of numerous studies and

awards programs. Fortune magazine has been identifying and
publishing 100 Best Companies to Work For since 1998 with the
assistance of the Great Place to Work® Institute in San Francisco
which has also created a similar ranking for small and medium-
sized companies in collaboration with HR Magazine. Among those
items considered in both national rankings are the “evaluation of
the policies and culture of each organization and the opinion of
the company employees1.” Over the years, studies have proven
that good workplace practices can definitely help to improve a
company’s bottom line.

Kahler Slater, an interdisciplinary design enterprise that creates

transformational experiences and environments for visionary clients
throughout the country, was selected in 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007,
2008, 2009 and 2010 as a Best Place to Work (BPTW) by HR
Magazine and the Great Place to Work® Institute. As designers of
work environments and excellent employee experiences, we set out
to study the characteristics or attributes of the physical workplace
of Best Place to Work award winners. We hypothesized that Best
Places to Work attend to their physical environments (through well
designed workplaces) with as equal an emphasis as they attend to
the experience of culture and HR policies. We believed that there
were certain positive workplace attributes that could be studied that
would be common to these Best Place to Work companies. This
data, then, would be valuable for all companies desiring to bench-
mark themselves against the best in class.

This paper describes fourteen (14) attributes of a great physical

workplace (i.e., a well-designed workplace) and focuses on those
areas where an employee’s ability to act is impacted by the design
of the physical environment. The list is not exhaustive, however, it
is a compilation from many sources and our professional experienc-
es as facility managers and workplace designers. We have built our
study around the theory that great workplaces are the result of care-
ful attention to the entire environment - social, cultural and physical.
Our thesis was confirmed through the results of our research study
and these findings are presented in this paper.

What Makes a Great Place to Work? 2

 DEFINING A WELL-DESIGNED WORKPLACE
A well-designed workplace means different things to different
organizations. The definition is dependent on the business, its
objectives and its culture. One company may have a clear need
for distraction free work 90% of each day, which may result in an
office comprised of almost entirely private offices. In contrast,
a company whose
For our purposes, we have defined a well- chief business requires
teamwork and extensive
designed workplace as one that supports a collaboration may desire
more open work areas.
company’s strategic business initiatives, allows The definition then, of a
employees to perform their work efficiently well-designed, workplace
is subjective and relative.
and productively, reflects and embodies the
values and culture of the company, and is THE PHYSICAL
environmentally healthy. This is the essence ATTRIBUTES OF A WELL-
DESIGNED WORKPLACE
of the physical attributes that our study The work of today is drasti-
attemptes to measure. cally different than the
work processes support-
ing the industrial revolution. Today’s products – knowledge and
creativity, require a different environment in which they are to be
“produced,” nurtured and shared. “Historically the white collar of-
fice reflected the mechanistic mind-set of the factory with work
designed as a linear series of individual tasks2.” New work pro-
cesses can be better described as a network, often collaborative
and non-linear, where “fewer and fewer workers create physical
things. Knowledge is the product of the contemporary office and
information is the primary raw material. A knowledge worker is
a person whose primary function is analyzing, creating, deciding,
collaborating and acting on information3.” How does a workplace
support this process of creating knowledge? Stan Kaczmarczk,
Director of the Innovative Workplace Division of the US General
Services Administration, contends that “your workplace should
not be considered simply overhead, but an everyday tool to sup-
port work practices and organization’s culture. The space should
be capable of adapting to fit the mission, rather than the mission
fitting the space4.”

What Makes a Great Place to Work? 3

Based on our experience in workplace design, along with our
research and review of current literature regarding workplace
design, productivity, and employee morale, we established a list
of 14 physical attributes associated with a well-designed work-
place. We focused on those issues that may have the most sig-
nificant impact on the knowledge workers previously described.
As business leaders, the challenge is to accommodate the
needs of employees and the ever-changing needs of business.
Adapting to new technologies, supporting health, and reducing
stress while keeping a close eye on costs, offers an unheralded
challenge. Value creation metrics such as productivity can be
harder to measure in a knowledge-based environment, and
facility management metrics have often been relegated to real
estate costs and savings, rather than driving performance and
productivity5 .

Through our study, we have learned about the ways in which

companies designated as Best Places to Work use their physical
environment as another catalyst to achieve great company
performance. The attributes described here are those that have the
biggest positive impact on the physical workplace, and individually
and collectively contribute to productivity measurements and
bottom-line performance. Understanding these attributes and their
impact also can help to create a compelling business case to seek
improvements in your own work environment.

What Makes a Great Place to Work? 4

Well-designed workplaces are  
physical environments that allow:

01. Individuals to perform distraction-free work

02. Collaboration and impromptu interaction
03. Undistracted teamwork and meetings
04. Accommodation of personal work styles
and workstation personalization
05. Individual control of thermal comfort
06. Access to daylight
07. Control of glare
08. Workspaces allocated by function
09. Clear wayfinding
10. Adjacencies that support work flow
11. Accommodation of changing technology
12. Ergonomic accommodation
13. A professionally-maintained plant program
14. Expression of organizational culture

What Makes a Great Place to Work? 5

 01. The ability for individuals to
perform distraction-free work
According to the Buffalo Organization for Social and Technological
Innovation (BOSTI), the average employee spends 50% of his/her
time in the workplace doing “heads down” work, so having the
type of workspace needed to reduce distractions yields benefits
in productivity6.

One can argue that the predominance of open office environments

is a product of developing efficiency with a focus on reducing
costs, and not necessarily with the interests of the user in mind.

Creating a distraction-free workplace can be accomplished by

providing any of the following:

Environmental Features That • Private offices (walls to ceiling) for all employees, or a high panel
Support Distraction-Free Work workstation with a door

Standing privacy height partition panels (>60”)

94%
•
seated privacy
partition panels
• The ability to control privacy at individual workstations with
seated, privacy height partition (<60”), with portable screens,
94% ample number
conference rooms panels or other temporary devices

• White noise
68 % standing privacy
partion panels • Ample conference rooms or other non-assigned private spaces
(i.e. enclaves, patio, etc.) where those in need of temporary
68% non-assigned
private spaces
privacy can seek refuge

The majority of survey respondents reported more than 75% of

48% white noise the workplace is comprised of open workstations.

37% temporary
privacy devices
Most respondents (over 50%) rated their BPTW workplaces
as beyond acceptable or exceptional in allowing individuals to
perform distraction-free work, which is supported in the physical

28% other, unspecified

environment by some combination of seated or higher privacy
panels, conference rooms, and non-assigned private spaces such as
alcoves and enclaves.

What Makes a Great Place to Work? 6

02. Spaces that support collaboration
and impromptu interaction
In today’s business environment, vast amounts of information
needs to be shared, analyzed, distributed and discussed. Workplac-
es that encourage interaction and collaboration are vital to creating
an atmosphere of information sharing and knowledge creation.
Interaction and collaboration also can result in learning experiences
that advance product time-to-market. Depending on a company’s
business goals and culture, teamwork and collaboration can happen
in a variety of settings.

More than 70% of respondents rated their BPTW workplaces

as better than acceptable or exceptional in supporting
impromptu interaction.

This was facilitated by providing ample congregating spaces such

as breakrooms, cafés or cafeterias (98%), and coffee stations with
room to congregate (83%); ample conference rooms (85%); inter-
action areas such as central work and supply rooms (83%); wide
corridors (78%), alcoves and huddle spaces (68%), outside patio
seating (68%); and side chairs at workstations (76%).

What Makes a Great Place to Work? 7

 03. Spaces that support undistracted
teamwork and meetings
Since the 1990’s, organizations have experienced and are
becoming increasingly reliant on team and group-based work
to meet business objectives. Successful office environments that
support this group work help to achieve an organization’s most
prevalent performance criteria for serving the customer: high
quality, speed-to-market, and added value for the customer7.

More than 60% of respondents rated their BPTW workplaces

as above acceptable or exceptional in supporting undistracted
Workplace Spaces That Support
Undistracted Teamwork & Meetings
teamwork and meetings, facilitated in the physical environment
by providing various types and sizes of conference rooms, open
variety of types & and informal gathering spaces, dedicated team or project rooms,
98 % sizes of conference
rooms
and mobile furnishings.

68% open and informal

gathering spaces

63% dedicated team

or project rooms

54% easily moved,

mobile tables

mobile worksurfaces
44% that accomodate a
small meeting

5% other, unspecified

What Makes a Great Place to Work? 8

 04. Accommodation of personal work styles
and workstation personalization
The ability to configure one’s workspace in a personalized manner,
positively impacts their ability to perform their job efficiently,
productively, and to their fullest potential.

This can be something as simple as the ability to position a monitor

or telephone on either the left or right side of the occupant’s
workstation. It also can mean the ability to personally make
adjustments to one’s workspace to accommodate the occupant’s
physical stature, personal preference, and ergonomic or
environmental conditions, thereby reaping the benefits of a well-
designed workspace. Elements that can accommodate individual
work styles or preferences include:

• Task lighting
Workstation Personalization Policies
• Height adjustable work surfaces

10 % 56 % • Ergonomical chair with adjustable back

Flexible Tightly
enforced
12% • “Handed” workstation choices (right or left)
Loosely
enforced
• Mobile furnishings (i.e. pedestals, side chairs,
22 % wheeled tables)
No policy
• Desktop organizing tools

• A standard accessories program

Most respondents felt their BPTW workplaces were

acceptable or better in terms of adaptability and
flexibility to meet personal styles, which is supported in the physical
environment with a variety of the above elements. Over 55%
accomplished this with mobile furnishings and 39% offered height
adjustable work surfaces.

Although more than half of the respondents reported their

companies as having tightly enforced policies regarding
personalization of workstations, nearly a quarter reported their
companies as having no personalization policies.

What Makes a Great Place to Work? 9

 05. Individual control for thermal comfort
Each year, the International Facility Management Association
(IFMA) surveys facility managers to determine the most common
complaint of building occupants. Not surprisingly, the most
common complaint relates to thermal comfort with occupants
being either too hot or too cold. According to CNN.com, a Florida-
based HVAC contractor estimates that 72 degrees is the optimal
mid-range temperature for the open office, whereas a Cornell
University study found the optimal mid-range temperature to be 77
degrees8. That difference is one example of this problem…

every employee may have different expectations, but share the

same thermal conditions.

One temperature does not suit all. Solutions to address this issue
are varied and range in cost. While Johnson Controls’ Personal
Environmental Modules
(PEM) offer the highest range
Thermal Comfort Options of individual controls, many
companies are unwilling or
51 %
Allow individual devices to supplement environmental control unable to make the investment
to retrofit existing buildings
46 % Small heating/cooling zones with some control at accessible thermostat to accommodate these ideal
solutions. Building envelope
10 % Operable windows
issues such as thermal glass,
solar shade devices, and
7% Individual workstation heating/cooling units
building orientation issues are
2% Other (unspecified)
another approach to working
through this issue. For facility
managers who live with the
results of HVAC design and
value engineering on a daily basis, this issue remains a major focus
for time and investment.

Most respondents (49%) felt their BPTW workplaces were

acceptable, while 39% felt they were better than acceptable in
providing employees the ability to achieve thermal comfort. These
were supported in the physical environment by permitting individual
devices to supplement environmental controls, and through small
heating cooling zones with accessible thermostats.

What Makes a Great Place to Work? 10

 06. Access to daylight
Natural light raises the neurotransmitter in the brain called
serotonin, a chemical that has a large impact on mood, disposition
and the ability to handle stress11. The more
serotonin released, the better an individual’s
Workstations with Direct Visual Access to Natural Light
mood, as well as their ability to deal with
stress. In the last decade, workplace design
has shifted away from designs that were based
50 % > 75 % of workstations
on status where fully enclosed, perimeter
offices obstruct daylight. Offices are now
19 % 51 - 75 % of workstations
often designed with offices on the interior,
or with glazed perimeter offices to enhance
the open office work environment with
24 % 21 - 50 % of workstations “borrowed” daylight. Considerations regarding
the placement of obstructions to view and
daylight are now common conversations
7% <20 % of workstations
between workspace occupants and designers.
Consideration of the benefits of daylight, the
reduction of eyestrain, and the potentially
improved personal wellbeing, all point to the importance of daylight
as an element for a great workplace.

Most respondents reported their BPTW workplaces as

providing direct visual access to natural light to the majority of
their employees.

What Makes a Great Place to Work? 11

 07. Control of glare factors
Along with abundant and desirable daylight, there is a concern
that glare causes eyestrain, and is a major cause of headaches.
In a Kansas City study conducted by the Institute for Health and
Productivity Management9 aimed at the effects of managing
headaches, it was shown that headaches can cause a loss of
productivity. When an employee is limited in their ability to
complete their work and they fall behind, stress is created.

According to recent insurance industry studies10 , 27% of workers

say their jobs are the greatest cause of stress in their lives, so if
additional stress is indirectly attributed to glare and glare can be
fixed, it would seem an even more important issue to address.

Most respondents felt their BPTW workplaces were acceptable or

Devices Used to Control
Excess Light and Glare better in allowing employees control of excess light or glare, which is
supported in the physical environment in the manner displayed here.

94% anti-glare devices

for monitors

85% ability to relocate

computer equipment

access to light

57 % switches and window

shading - with group
consensus

45% individual window

shading devices

What Makes a Great Place to Work? 12

 08. Workspace allocation by function
Historically, office design reinforced the concept that size
and privacy of an office were the symbols of status within an
organization. The perimeter private offices of the 1950’s encircled
open bullpen spaces for clerical and support staff. Hierarchy,
department designation, geometry, status, and traditions were valid
reasons to arrange work settings12. Fast forward to the present day,
through the experiments of office landscape and open offices, to a
time where there is a better understanding of workers, teamwork,
and the variety of work settings needed to create a successful
office environment. Today’s well-designed workplace needs to be
a highly flexible environment that can be easily altered to match an
organization’s rate of change13 .

Respondents reported that size and type of workspace were

designated most often, based on hierarchy or title, and less by
function.

So how do facility professionals develop strategies to meet real

estate cost containment objectives during space allocations?
BOSTI reports that on the average, 75% of a person’s time in
Determining the Allocation of the workplace is spent within their own workspace14 . When the
Workspaces in the Workplace
emphasis is placed on addressing “effective human performance,”
rather than status or efficient use of real estate, the workplace
61% by hierarchy or title becomes a tool for higher performance, not just a fixed cost of
doing business15 . Understanding function and business goals also

54% by function
point to the fact that a “one-size-fits-all” approach no longer works
to support business goals.

15% by availability It would seem a logical correlation then, that workspaces should
be designed to be efficient and productive (i.e. designed for
the function performed within) and that by discarding symbolic
12% in some other way status and hierarchy as drivers for space allocation, the workplace
improves.

What Makes a Great Place to Work? 13

 09. Clear wayfinding
While creating spatial hierarchy in office planning, one can think of
a workplace as a series of well thought-out navigation routes within
the workplace, as well as good directional signage and the creation
of landmarks and intersections. In his New Yorker Magazine article,
Designs for Working, Malcolm Gladwell compared the work of
Jane Jacobs in The Death and Life of Great American Cities with
workplace design. The Jacobs concept proposes that “when a
neighborhood is oriented toward the street, when sidewalks are
used for socializing and play and commerce, the users of that street
are transformed by the resulting stimulation: they form relationships
and casual contacts they would never have otherwise.14”

Applying this thought to the design of workplace wayfinding (the

paths and streets of the office neighborhood) points to the need
to use wayfinding to create opportunities to support interaction
with the network of nodes and intersections. According to
Gladwell, “Innovation - the heart of the knowledge economy - is
fundamentally social.16”

Proper wayfinding and clear spatial hierarchy makes it easier and

faster to find people and departments, saving time and increas-
ing efficiencies. It can be a catalyst for encouraging interaction
among employees by creating intersections or “waysides” along
main navigation routes within the facility.

Appropriate wayfinding design also can enhance security by steer-

ing people away from secure areas. Characteristics that support
the creation of appropriate navigation and encourage casual contact
include consideration of traffic
patterns and navigation routes in
Environmental Features that Support Office Wayfinding
terms of their impact on encour-
61% Signage (Identification and directional)
aging impromptu collaboration
as part of the design.
34 % Low partitions
The majority of respondents
5% Other (unspecified) felt their BPTW workplaces
were better than acceptable
in terms of wayfinding, which
is supported by the physical environment by individual and group
identification signage, and low partitions.

What Makes a Great Place to Work? 14

 10. Adjacencies to support workflow
Good adjacency planning allows for quick face-to-face connectivity
with the people with whom employees need to interact frequently.
It also provides ready access to the physical resources needed to
perform one’s job, which can increase efficiency and productivity.

In an environment where “knowledge work process demands

a high level of interaction and individual autonomy,17”the planning
of the workspace must be flexible to respond to the changing
work of occupants as teams, and as individuals.

To meet these objectives, the design of the workplace must

consider whether:

• Departments that interact with each

Ratings for Adjacency Planning other are located reasonably nearby (these
are typically long-term adjacencies)

• People within departments that frequently

63% Very efficient and highly
functional planning is work together are grouped together
evident; most adjacencies
are met (i.e. several people working together on
a specific project - these could be short-
37% Organized and orderly,
but some adjacencies term adjacencies)
are not always met

Most respondents felt their BPTW workplaces

were better than acceptable in planning and
meeting functional adjacencies of co-workers.
These adjacencies are evidenced through
thorough planning and space forecasting.

What Makes a Great Place to Work? 15

 11. Accommodations for the
changing demands of technology
It is not unusual for the churn rate (i.e. relocation of individuals)
to be 40% in a corporate workplace18. In an office with 1,000
occupants, this means that as many as 400 employees could
move to a new location within the workplace during the course
of a year (or 200 people moving twice, etc.) Although churn is
often necessary, it can be disruptive and cause downtime, which
reduces productivity. The faster a move can occur, the better. If new
cables have to be pulled or even if people from the IT group have
to physically make changes other than plugging and unplugging a
desktop device, the move will take longer and cost more. Flexibility
and adaptability of technology allows for quick changes to be made
at the workspace by the occupant, saving both time and money.

A well-designed workplace will accommodate today’s technology,

and anticipate how tomorrow’s may be different.

Coordination between IT and Facility Management is not only

desirable, it is essential in planning for the future. Current
accommodations to maintain flexibility include:

• Access to power and data, etc., above the work surface

Technology Accomodation
Options in the Workplace • Conference rooms, training rooms, team project rooms with
plug and play capabilities and cable management for quick
access to power changes
100% and data above
worksurfaces • Wireless technology
plug and play cable
management - for The majority of respondents felt their BPTW workplaces were
88 % quick change in
conferences and
better than acceptable in accommodating new technology, which is
supported by the physical environment.
training rooms

59% wireless technology

What Makes a Great Place to Work? 16

 12. Ergonomic accommodations
Ergonomics is an important workplace issue particularly as the
diversity and demographics of the workplace is rapidly changing.
Ergonomically poor seating can cause back pain. Incorrect
desk heights in relation to monitors and keyboards can result in
eyestrain and carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS). Back pain, eye strain,
and CTS over a long period can result in an increase in worker’s
compensation cases, leading to additional company costs related to
healthcare and lost time. They also can lead to increased levels of
employee stress associated with an individual’s inability to work at
their peak performance.

A company that pays attention to stress-induced conditions of

Workplace Options for
Accomodating Ergonomics employees also will reap the benefits of high productivity and
employee wellness.

83% provide ergronomics

solutions on request With business health care costs continuing to rise, this proactive
attention to ergonomics can increase overall profitability by lowering
insurance claims and other health care costs.
66% ergonomics instruc-
tions to employees
The majority of respondents felt their BPTW companies were

34 % formal ergonomics
training for employees
acceptable or better than acceptable in addressing workplace
ergonomics, providing ergonomic solutions and instructions in a
reactive rather than proactive manner.

17% annual employee

ergonomics audit

eye

head/neck
monitor

back
mouse

keyboard

chair

What Makes a Great Place to Work? 17

13. Professionally maintained plant program
It is widely believed that interior plants can increase workplace
productivity, decrease employee stress levels, and improve overall
employee health.

Scientific studies performed at Texas

A&M, Surrey University in England
and Washington State University
verify that plants significantly lower
workplace stress and enhance worker
productivity. In the Texas A&M study,
participants working in an environment
with plants present were 12% more
productive and less stressed than
those who worked in an environment
without plants. Both women and
men demonstrated more innovative
thinking, generation of more ideas
and original solutions to problems in
the office environment that included
flowers and plants.

Several conclusive studies were performed regarding health claims

in work environments at the Agricultural University in Oslo, Norway.
When reviewing 12 of the common symptoms related to poor
indoor quality and “sick building syndrome,” there was a 23% lower
complaint rate during the period when participants had plants in
their offices.

With all of these positive aspects, one could readily assume that
a well-designed workplace will include a professionally maintained
plant service to provide and maintain plants throughout the
workplace.

Not surprisingly, a large majority of respondents (80%) reported

having professionally maintained live green plant programs in their
BPTW workplaces.

What Makes a Great Place to Work? 18

14. Expression of organizational culture
The study also asked companies the following question: “In what
ways is the organizational culture of BPTW companies perceived
to be reflected in the physical environments?” More than half of
respondents felt their BPTW workplaces supported and expressed
their culture well. Content analysis of open-ended responses
distilled common themes that describe how organizational culture
is expressed in the physical environment of BPTW workplaces.

The top themes describing the expression of culture in the

BPTW workplaces were openness, color, team/collaborating
spaces, and “fun” touches, throughout.

On many visits to BPTW companies, the authors observed

visible manifestations of the culture of an organization. For one
midwestern manufacturing company, the family culture was
reinforced and supported by providing a large enough dining area so
that all 400 employees could share meal times and co-mingle when
the plant was closed for lunch. Companies engaged in promoting
wellness offered bikes for employee use and rewarded employees
with on-site car washes. Though the simple acts of offering an
accessible hose bib or large dining room does not create a culture,
it helps to keep the spirit of the culture visible to everyone.

What Makes a Great Place to Work? 19

 SUMMARY
The physical workplace can be a critical factor in the success
of an organization. It is an important factor in supporting an
organization’s business initiatives and it can be proven to be an
effective tool to improve performance, rather than being seen only
as a cost of doing business. The physical workplace is often the
second largest asset of an organization and this asset can be used
to effectively attract and retain talent, which is typically the largest
and most expensive asset
of any organization19. In today’s world, the role of the workplace
is about:

• Enabling new ways for people to work within an organization

• Valuing the individual

• Implementing new technology

• Shifting or reinforcing culture and change

• Leveraging facilities as assets

• Facilitating faster and more simple change

• Achieving financial objectives - tracking how workplace changes

help achieve the organization’s goals

• Expressing a constant brand and culture from all realms of an

organization – its people, perception, delivery of products and
services and its PLACE.

Being a “Best Place to Work”, whether you are Companies that leverage
their facility assets by giving
designated so or not, must include attention to thoughtful consideration
the physical, cultural and social aspects of an to what a well-designed
workplace means for them,
environment. Our site visits and survey results are thinking strategically. They
are putting a plan of action
indicate that organizations who have been into place that is intended to
acknowledged by the Great Place to Work® improve their business, they
are doing so by utilizing their
Institute are making this total commitment. assets to the fullest potential,
and they are being proactive
in terms of how to best support their largest, most expensive, and
most important asset, their people.

What Makes a Great Place to Work? 20

REFERENCES
1 Robert Levering, Milton Moskowitz, “How We Pick the Top 100 Best”,
Fortune Magazine January 24, 2005: 97
2 Jan Johnson, “The Knowledge Workplace: Designing for Interaction”,
Interiors & Sources May 2004: 44
3 “Understanding Work Process to Help People Work More Effectively”,
Steelcase, http://www.steelcase.com/na/knowledgedesign.
aspx?f=10257&c=10952
4 Stan Kaczmarczyk, “The Business Case for Innovative Workplaces”,
International Facility Management Association, World Workplace
Conference, October 2003
5 Steve Lockwood, “Is There More to Facilities Management than Cost
Cutting Efforts?”, International Facility Management Association Audio
Seminar, 24 June, 2004
6 BOSTI Associates, Disproving Widespread Myths About Workplace
Design (Jasper, IN: Kimball International, 2001): 29
7 “Office Environments, The North American Perspective”, Herman Miller,
2001: http://www.hermanmiller.com/CDA/SSA/WhitePapers/0,1599,a10-
c77-k15,00.html
8 Laura Morsch, “Why You’re Always Cold (or Hot) at Work”, CNN, May 20,
2005, http://www.CNN.com
9 Katie Hollar; “Study in K.C.: Better Management Means Fewer
Headaches”, The Business Journal Serving Kansas City, May 1, 2002
10 Barbara Bartlein, “Minimizing Stress Can Lead to Better Work
Environment”, The Business Journal Serving Greater Milwaukee, May 6,
2005: A22
11 Ibid
12 Judy Voss, “The Recent History of the Open Office”, Haworth, February
26, 1996, http://www.haworth-asia.com/resource/ad/openoff.htm
13 Ibid
14 BOSTI Associates, Disproving Widespread Myths About Workplace
Design (Jasper, IN: Kimball International, 2001): 29
15 Jan Johnson, “A Case Study: Nortel Networks Reinvents Its Work
Environments”, Interiors and Sources September 2000: 114
16 Malcolm Gladwell, “Designs for Working”, New Yorker Magazine
December 1, 2000: 60, 62
17 “Understanding Work Process to Help People Work More Effectively”,
Steelcase, http://www.steelcase.com/na/knowledgedesign.
aspx?f=10257&c=10952
18 International Facility Management Association, Benchmarks III, Research
Report 18, (Houston, TX: IFMA, 2004): 36
19 BOSTI Associates, Disproving Widespread Myths About Workplace
Design, (Jasper, IN: Kimball International, 2001): 6

What Makes a Great Place to Work? 21

What Makes a
Great Workplace?
Learning From The Best Place To Work Companies

For further information, please contact Barbara Armstrong,

Principal at 414-272-2000 or [email protected].

111 West Wisconsin Avenue

Milwaukee, WI 53203

P 414-272-2000
www.kahlerslater.com

COPYRIGHT © 2010 KAHLER SLATER, INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.