Working from the Other Office: Trialling Co‐Working Spaces for Public Servants

Abstract

AbstractThe proliferation of digital connectivity and mobility is having a profound impact on nomadic and collaborative work practices in our cities. In the past few years, we have witnessed a shift in the way that organisational entities in both the private and public sector put emphasis on the allocation and use of office space. In this paper, we report on our evaluation of a trial of co‐working spaces also referred to as Flexible Work Centres (FWC) led by the Queensland State Government. The trial provides insights into such changes towards new work practices.The trial tested how FWCs can be used by Queensland Government employees, and its impact on productivity, staff retention and work–life balance of employees. The 47 trial participants from 10 different government departments completed a series of four surveys and were invited to keep diaries of their impressions and experiences. Supervisors were involved in a series of focus groups to reflect on the trial at the end of the 12‐month period.The benefits of the flexible work arrangement and specifically the provision of an alternative work venue was highly praised and appreciated by participants and supervisors. There were noted key qualities of staff and work types that this arrangement works best for, and trust in employees was paramount. The positive results of the trial saw a continuation of the provision of the flexible workspace arrangement and investigations into further extensions of the program.