During the project, staff and management were informed via presentations about the proposed design solutions. In these sessions, staff could put forward their own ideas, many of which were integrated into the concept. According to France, the active involvement of staff and managers was a critical success factor: Loss of personal space can be very confusing for employees. To help them regain a sense of control, you have to turn people from spectators into players. That may sound like a change management clich, but the trick is to put people in the action. Informal meeting area located away from the One of the interesting decisions that came out of thosework floor to avoid disturbing colleagues. (photo: sessions was that there would be no house rulesStphane Dub)concerning to use of the work environment. France: We are all adults, right? So instead of making a long list of rules, we emphasized the importance of basic values such as courtesy, communication, respect and awareness of ones own and each others needs. Evaluations of the project confirm its success. The first survey was conducted three months after move-in and it showed that over eighty per cent of the staff preferred the new office over the old one. A second survey, six months later, showed even better results, with high satisfaction scores on all the aspects that were covered in the survey (noise level, air quality, availability of quiet rooms, etc.). Only one aspect, that of workplace personalization, was unsurprisingly, rated lower than before. The PSPC Montreal project is now a leading example in the wider roll-out of the workplace concept (now called GCworkplace) within the Canadian government. Michael DeKelver, workplace strategist at PSPC, explains: The GCworkplace concept will become the program vision and guideline, so it must be applied in any major office project. But this is not always easy, Michael notes. Change is happening, but we still meet managers who Q&ALiette Brisebois, Administrative Assistant What do you like best about this new way of working?How often do you change places in the office? The flexibility of adapting where you want to workEvery day! I typically make sure I sit in the general area according to what you need to accomplish. It remindswhere my team is; however, I choose spots according to me of a university library; there are quiet areas, noisiermy mood or the tasks I need to get done. For example, if ones, and collaborative spaces for both informal andI have a lot of deadlines and I need to crunch down, I will formal meetings. There is a space for whatever yourtake one of the individual meeting rooms or booths. need may be. What is your favourite workspace within the office? What aspect could be improved?I love this one little cosy, collaborative space, where Not much, as it is really well designed. In terms ofthere are only two chairs and a light dimmer. Since adapting to the space however, I think it would be helpfulthere is no door, you dont feel isolated, yet you have the for new employees to have a go-to colleague who canprivacy of an independent room. I go there for a lot of my familiarize them with the technology and the differentphone calls and one-on-one video meetings.spaces. The technology and open space can make you feel vulnerable at first, so having a buddy would relieve some of the stress that comes with a new job.