RMIT experts available to comment on the future of workplaces

Associate Professor Guillermo Aranda-Mena (0422 970 812 or guillermo.aranda-mena@rmit.edu.au)

Topics: client driven innovation, design management, building information modelling, applied design research

“Modern offices often neglect the human element of what supports us to be ourselves and work well together.

“Throughout the lockdown, it’s becoming clear what people truly miss from their workplace is not being in the office itself, but the human interaction with colleagues and likeminded people.

“For years we’ve applied the one size (open plan) fits all rule to workplaces. In a post-COVID-19 era we have the opportunity to learn from remote working and apply lessons before employees return to their offices.

“Modes that I see returning include ‘activity based working’ which allows organisational teams to arrange spaces to suit different tasks and working styles.

“These set-ups are also meant to make us feel, think and act in different ways that promote wellbeing, collaboration and innovation.

“Biophilic design which involves use of discrete elements such as water features, vegetation, sunlight or even pets, is another approach makes shown to reduce stress and increase serotonin levels in office workers.

“There is an emerging research field that suggests our physical environment can impact our oxytocin levels, which can in turn increase engagement and empathy.

“Working from home has enabled many people to create a personalise work environment that supports not just their productivity and engagement as well as their general wellbeing.

“There are many simple design strategies we can introduce into our offices including natural elements like plants, light, fresh air, sounds, water and even fire that can help bring some of the benefits of home work spaces into our offices with us when we return.”

Guillermo Aranda-Mena is an Associate Professor in Property, Construction and Project Management at RMIT University.

Distinguished Professor Sara Charlesworth (0412 889 122 or sara.charlesworth@rmit.edu.au)

Topics: gender equality in employment, job quality and decent work, social care workforce, industrial and anti-discrimination law and practice, intersection of work and care

“It is important to put remote working in context and not ignore the many people who are not able to because of the nature of their work.

“The high rates of job loss in retail, hospitality and in the arts points out that working remotely is only possible for some workers. Indeed, a recent Centre of Future Work study points out that only around 30% of the Australian jobs could ever be undertaken from home.

“For most of the jobs where workers are able to work from home, quite a few adjustments are required, not only from employers and workers but also from workers’ families and households.

“Not everyone has a quiet space to work in and a lot of women in particular are having to juggle the demands of paid work with caring for small children and also having to manage the requirements of home schooling.

“I have also heard anecdotal stories where in dual earner households there are disagreement may be about who gets to use the quiet space in the house, or the home office where there is one.

“Earlier research on the pros and cons of ‘teleworking’, as remote working used to be called, pointed to the problems of both ‘intensification’ – where we work longer hours while glued to our computers and phones, taking fewer breaks and not having social catch-ups with colleagues – and also ‘extensification’ – where we find it hard to cut off from work.

“There is concern that working from home blurs the lines between work and non-work. Without some limits to the work day and to workload, many of us are not getting the time to switch off completely, which is crucial to our mental well-being.”

Sara Charlesworth is the Director of RMIT’s Centre for People, Organisation and Work and a professor of work, gender and regulation in the School of Management.

Dr Julian Waters-Lynch (0412 819 960 or julian.waterslynch@rmit.edu.au)

Topics: co-working, emerging technology, entrepreneurship, organisational design, changing character of work

“The benefits of remote work have been discussed for nearly half a century but despite rapid advances in the technology required to do so, uptake has been slow.

“Australian statistics state almost a third of people do some work from home, but this number is inflated by the inclusion of all those who work at home to catch up outside the office.

“There have been two main barriers to greater uptake, the first is organisational culture and second is that people actually like to be around each other.

“How we organise often lags behind what technology permits. Many organisations still cling to traditional ideas about managing people. If managers can’t see their employees working, they assume they won’t be.

“Ultimately though, we’re social creatures and a direct consequence of remote work is the co-working movement, a response to the psychological and social challenges of working alone from home.

“Current circumstances should shift organisational and cultural barriers with home working simply, for now, the new reality. Businesses have no choice but to make it work.

“Perhaps the future will see the growth of local co-working spaces, designed not to overcome the limits of technology but to meet our needs as social beings.”

Julian Waters-Lynch is a lecturer in entrepreneurship, innovation and organisational design at RMIT’s School of Management.

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