Dive Brief:
- Apple is constructing a new state-of-the-art facility with open-office space, but some workers aren't happy, SFGate reports. They've even threatened to quit.
- Apple Park, a $5 billion campus, will be equipped with green technologies, energy efficiencies, a 100,000 square foot fitness center and other lush amenities. The 175-acre complex will provide open-work space for 12,000 employees, who will move in during the next three months.
- About 70% of offices in the U.S. have open-office space to encourage collaboration between workers, according to Gallup's 2017 State of the American Workplace report.
Dive Insight:
Open-office spaces aren't for everyone. An anonymous study of 2,000 high-performing workers found that 58% said they need private workspaces for problem-solving. Apple workers include creative thinkers who obviously feel the same.
A one-size-fits-all approach to office design can't work for all employees. General Electric also built a new open-office complex last year, and was joined this year by Northwestern Mutual. Both of those spaces featured a blend of open and closed work space to accommodate all needs.
Architects are using neuroscience to make workspaces more appealing through colors, aromas and open designs. But if private work areas aren't included in the mix, creative workers like those at Apple will exit the company. This means big replacement costs and recruitment challenges for employers.
Another thing not included in the humongous new Apple campus: On-site childcare. It's made a few experts raise their eyebrows, as it could have sent a signal to Apple employees that the company respects and cares for their lives outside of work. Patagonia has seen great success in implementing on-site childcare; retention there is at all-time highs.
