Organisation and industry size have major impacts on the tasks and responsibilities of Human Resources (HR).
Everything regarding people and the difficulties relating to them, from pay and benefits, sourcing, hiring and onboarding employees to performance management, training, and organisational development and culture, could be included.
With the exception of a few organisations, HR’s influence on the physical environment is limited. Workplace design, which significantly impacts employees’ health, happiness and performance, falls within the purview of the real estate or facilities team, which is typically not in charge of HR data.
To determine which metrics are most impacted by office environment and design, we carried out thorough research on key performance indicators (KPIs) for HR professionals. Here are the top four:
Employee input has primarily been obtained through surveys. Surveys gauge how satisfied workers are with their work, such as interactions with co-workers and superiors, incentives and recognition, training and development, resources and facilities, the work environment, and the company's vision and values. Physical requirements for performing your work are always an important factor: Gallup's Q12 survey's second item engages this and the depth and breadth of the Leesman Index are enormous. Individual, focused work is cited as the most significant activity, desks and chairs are cited as the most crucial physical elements, and the top 10 environmental factors include temperature, noise, natural light, and cleanliness. In short, ergonomics affects worker satisfaction considerably.
According to research conducted by the UK's Health and Safety Executive (HSE) last year, musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs), which are attributable to poor workplace design and a lack of ergonomic consideration, accounted for 21.4% of all lost workdays. Stress, despair and anxiety, conditions exacerbated by inadequate ventilation, a lack of natural light, inefficient space utilisation, and subpar office architecture, accounted for another 50% of absenteeism.
A surge in absenteeism is one of the first indicators of a stressed-out and disengaged workforce. This results in a higher turnover and poorer retention rate over time. There is a substantial amount of academic research showing a strong correlation between the effectiveness of the work environment and employees’ intention to leave. Recent studies have found that employees are significantly less likely to quit their jobs if they perceive it to be a good working environment.
It serves as a metric to determine how likely employees are to suggest their place of employment to friends and acquaintances. Employees will not suggest others join if workplace amenities and environment keep them away.
According to our observations, organisational structures that foster stronger communication between the teams responsible for facilities management, human resources, procurement, and on-site operations produce holistic solutions and fair results. The alignment of the physical and social cultures is crucial.