This makes the sharing of workstations easier. Working fromEMPLOYEE PROFILEShome is another factor, but it was not an explicit motivationTo calculate the required number of for the project. The council prefers to emphasize the notionworkstations per team, a distinction was made of working in a workspace that suits the task at hand, whichbetween three employee profiles. could be anywhere: their own activity-based workspace, Profile Descriptionat home, in another council office, at the library, in a cafe Fixed Worker Primarily works at or some other place that suits their needs. a single base or location 80-100% of the time.A formal evaluation of the project is not yet available, but Flexible worker Able to work at anecdotal evidence suggests that the new workplacedifferent/ multiple concept is a success. This is not surprising as the Westlocations and Dunbartonshire Council has been developing its smarterout of the office working concept (known as Workplace of the Future)approx. 50%. Occasionally works for some time. Back in 2012 the council undertook aat home 1-2 days pathfinder project on the top floor of their previous buildingper week or directly in Dumbarton to explore the potential of activity-basedhome to external working. Since then, the council has refined the conceptappointments.and its delivery via six other projects. So many employeesMobile worker Able to work at home had already experienced this new way of working beforeor travel directly moving to the new Dumbarton office. Another positivefrom home to other locations and client factor was the councils extensive change managementvisits out in the field.programme (called Focus, Engage and Deliver), whichOut of the officeinformed employees about the proposed changes60-80% of the time.via events, workshops, FAQs, issue logs, newsletters, and information boards and gave employees plenty of opportunities to provide input and influence their workplace design.The role of the councils chief executive, Joyce White, was crucial for the success of the change process as well. She was very supportive of the concept and works within the open-plan workspace, just like the rest of the organization. In one of the case study videos for the project, she states,I dont need to sit behind a big desk in a room with the door closed, clearly implying that others dont need that either. The building provides employees with a range of work settings, including breakout acoustic sofas, touchdown stations and access to quiet rooms. (photo: Jim Stephenson)Q&ALouise Hastings , Human Resource Business PartnerWhat do you like best about this new way of working?How often do you change places in the office? I like that its open and encourages people to talkwe can seeWe have team zones, so I tend to change desk a couple of times a each other and go over and chat rather than sending an email andweek. We have daily 10-minute meetings at 10am every day so the this is helping us build better relationships. I like the opennessbreakout spaces work well for that and I also use the atrium and and natural light of the building. We have a place to go for lunchquiet rooms regularly. now and we eat together as a team which has really helped with team dynamics.What is your favourite workspace within the office? The desks mostly have screens but there are some banks of desks What aspect could be improved?that are more like tables with display screens, but no barriers. There isnt much that could be improved. The quiet booths can beThey are my favourite as they provide a big open space, its easy busy so a few more would be useful, particularly for my role, but Ito talk to colleagues and different people tend to sit here.find ways to work around it. 96