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bubble up and social connec- tions are made. A new study by workplace design company Knoll work- ing with UnWired, the British research, publishing and events company, describes the situation like this: "How can a company stimulate innovation when the right people are rarely in the same space at the same time?" To give a sense of how much we've become detached from offices, the study found that desks in companies around the world are occupied only 47 percent of the time and only 23 percent of executives sur- veyed "actively encourage staff to work in the office." "The genie is out of the bottle when it comes to flexi- ble work," said Tracy Wymer, vice president of workplace research for Knoll. "That's an option right now that we don't see going away. So if people are embracing that, how do you get those serendipitous moments where sparks begin to fly and great things happen?" The basic answer presented in the study is to make work- places more "people-cen- tered." Rather than assigned desks, there might be desks available for use when a worker is in the office, but much of the space is dedicated to collaborative work and team meetings. The technology and infra- structure in the office has to be top notch, making it an inher- ently attractive place to work, and the services offered in the office – everything from travel and tech support to dry clean- ing and bicycle repair – should serve to make it a more desir- able hub of activity. Wymer said that making the workplace both appealing and conducive to collaboration can draw remote workers in with- out the company having to be paternalistic about mandating time in the office: "It has to be welcoming. Think of it as the office-home versus the home- office." Patrick O'Neill, director of the organization psychology program at Adler University, said what's at play here are "two fundamental human needs that have been around as long as we have been around." "One is autonomy – our desire to feel we're self-direct- ed human beings," he said. "And on the other hand is our need to feel like we're part of an interdependent community. We're social creatures. We die without social contact – we need it as much as food or water. Yet we also need some degree of freedom." O'Neill posits that the auton- omy brought on by our ability to work remotely – and the 2 GREATERmilwaukeeJOBS • July 2, 2015 the office . . . from page 1 see THE OFFICE . . . page 6 Liz Reyer is a credentialed coach with more than 20 years of business experience. Her company, Reyer Coaching & Consulting, offers services for organiza- tions of all sizes. Submit questions or comments about this column at www.deliverchange.com/coachscorner or email her at lizdeliverchange.com. Determining the barriers to change in your company By Liz Reyer Tribune News Service (TNS) & A Q Many people pose questions about managing change, getting people on board with company cultural shifts or gaining support for new programs. Today, I want to focus on the barriers that may be holding you back from getting change moving and keeping it going. First of all, are you really on board? If you're holding on to any doubts or concerns, this could undermine your ability to build support. People will sense if you're halfhearted and will notice if you're withholding your time, attention or resources. They'll also know if you're trying some- thing new every six months, and then might be waiting for the newest fad to blow over. If that's the case, take a step back and figure out what you really want for your company or your team. Most people who raise this issue are fully committed to change. They're faced, instead, with a variety of challenges that are holding them back. In that case, you need to look at what you're willing to do to bring about the needed changes. Are you giving the change enough visibility? It may be a matter of raising its profile so that your employees are aware of the new direction. It's often stated that you can't overcommunicate; in my experi- ence, people often err on the side of undercommunication, reasoning that they don't want to fill up email, they don't want to bother people, etc. Some employees may conclude that it isn't really important. Are you resourcing the new program appropriately? Too often, projects land on the desk of the busiest people. Making it worse, they don't have other responsibilities taken off their plate.This virtually ensures that the project won't succeed as well as it could. Instead of cre- ating an environment where spe- cial assignments become a burden, offer them as a reward and growth opportunity – minus the 80-hour week. Are you tapping into your company's collective knowl- edge? If you talk to the people who are currently doing the work and give them a chance to con- tribute, you automatically build buy-in. It's now their program. The best part is, you'll likely have a far better outcome because of the insights and information they share. Are you expecting the best of people? Do you expect them to be open to change and willing to give the new approach a fair shot? Some people may be trying, but are truly afraid for their job security or their ability to do their work in a new way. Assume the best of them and give them support. Most of these people will rise to your vision for them. Are you enforcing your expectations? Most organizations have at least a few people who resist change almost on principle. If they have influential personali- ties, they may be able to sour large groups of people on the new direction.You simply cannot allow this to continue. Be direct and clear, including consequences for sabotage. Then follow through if no other steps are effective to prevent potentially dramatic negative effects on the change you're trying to achieve. It comes down to being willing to make choices about where you put your resources and take a strong approach to helping your people move forward. A publication of Conley Media Distributed by: Conley Distribution 262-513-2646 ©2004 by Conley Media, LLC Waukesha County Independent and Locally Owned GREATERmilwaukeeJOBS is published weekly by Conley Media – Waukesha County, 801 N. Barstow St., Waukesha, WI 53186. Contents of this publication may not be reproduced in any form without the written consent of the publisher. GREATERmilwaukeeJOBS assumes no liability for any error in copy or content. It is the advertiser's responsibility to be aware of the laws pertaining to employment advertising. Subscriptions are available for $34 (non-refundable) for a 6-month subscription. Call 262-306-5008 for information. Call Center Director: Cindy Shaske 262-306-5016 cshaske@conleynet.com Account Executive: Julie Sears 262-306-5008 jsears@conleynet.com Story Coordinator: Dan Muckelbauer 262-513-2626 dmuck@conleynet.com Production: Patricia Scheel 262-513-2690 GREATERmilwaukeeJOBS Volume 17 • Number 42 July 2, 2015 To place an ad: Call us at 262-306-5008 or fax us at 262-542-6082 deadline: Noon on Wednesdays Diane Stafford: Plenty of reasons why employees aren't 'engaged' Turnover plagues American workplaces. The revolving door – pushed by attrition, downsizing, fir- ings, retirements of the big baby boom generation, and the tendency of younger gen- erations to change jobs often – makes employee turnover a top challenge for human resource professionals. Forty percent of respondents to the 2015 Employee Recog- nition Report, a new survey by the Society for Human Resource Management and Globoforce, said employee retention and turnover were challenges. Looking closer at the survey responses, I think the next top- mentioned matter – "employee engagement" – is a far bigger problem. Employee engage- ment, cited by 39 percent, nipped at the heels of turnover's 40 percent, but look at other problems listed in the survey: Culture management, cited by 24 percent; performance management, 22 percent; employee satisfaction, 22 per- cent; relieving employee frus- tration, 14 percent; employee enablement, 12 percent; pro- ductivity, 11 percent; employee happiness, 9 percent. Any or all of them are other ways to talk about "employee engagement." Any or all could see PLENTY OF REASONS. . . page 6 By Diane Stafford The Kansas City Star (TNS)

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