Deloitte Debate: Will Workplaces Become Productivity Engines or Safe Havens for Slackers?

November 4, 2009

NEW YORK, Nov. 4 /PRNewswire/ --

    What:   "The Workplace of Tomorrow: Productivity Engine or Safe Haven for
            Slackers?"

    Who:    Seth Siegel, director, Deloitte Consulting LLP
            Jeff Schwartz, principal, Deloitte Consulting LLP
            George Bouri, principal, Deloitte Consulting LLP

    When:   Available immediately

    Where:  www.deloitte.com/us/debates/workplaceoftomorrow

Details: The shrinking pool of skilled labor and increased employee demand for flexibility has led many organizations to embrace innovative workplace solutions. Yet, a number of companies are not convinced that a more flexible and mobile workforce is a good idea. Employers worry that employees with too much freedom may not get the work done. So, do companies pursue the workplace of tomorrow, or is business as usual still the right choice?

"Some companies wonder if they are getting the performance improvements they expected in creating the workplace of tomorrow by offering more soft benefits, mobile technologies and shared workspace environments to reduce costs," said Siegel. "But, whatever fears companies might have about bunny slippers and the pajamas brigade, they can set them aside. Organization need to focus on workplace innovation and getting the right metrics in place. Perhaps then companies will be on the path to performance improvements, costs reductions, and a more engaged and productive workforce."

Schwartz and Bouri fuel the debate with perspectives regarding talent, real estate and facilities:

Talent. Schwartz noted that some companies are not convinced that trying to measure whether employees are working or going to soccer games is relevant. The real measurement should be on things that drive business results. This points to the big challenge of changing management perceptions -- from a focus on measuring time-spent to a focus on measuring outcomes.

Real Estate and Facilities. There are two broad approaches for seizing the opportunity of the workplace of tomorrow. The first, known as the pilot or proof of concept approach, uses a series of small projects with early adopter business units to demonstrate results and build the program incrementally. The second, enterprise mandate approach, relies on a compelling business case with executive sponsorship for a large scale, time-bound change. Today's economic climate could be ripe for the high-impact enterprise mandate approach.

To view Deloitte's points and counterpoints regarding the workplace of tomorrow and related issues, please go to www.deloitte.com/us/debates/workplaceoftomorrow.

This topic is one in a series of Deloitte Debates that examine pressing business issues from multiple perspectives. New debate topics are added weekly. To view the full library of Debates, please visit www.deloitte.com/debates.

Deloitte will also conduct a related webcast November 5 at 2:00 p.m. ET, "Technology and People: Understanding the Workplace of Tomorrow." To register for the webcast, please contact John La Place at jlaplace@deloitte.com, or +1 212-492-4267 and Jaime Riley at +1 206-716-6011, or jairiley@deloitte.com.

About Deloitte

As used in this document, "Deloitte" means Deloitte Consulting LLP and Deloitte Services LP, separate subsidiaries of Deloitte LLP. Please see www.deloitte.com/us/about for a detailed description of the legal structure of Deloitte LLP and its subsidiaries.

    Contacts:
    John La Place                 Jaime Riley
    Public Relations              Public Relations
    Deloitte                      Deloitte
    +1 212 492 4267               +1 206 716 6011
    jlaplace@deloitte.com         jairiley@deloitte.com

SOURCE Deloitte Consulting LLP