Everybody breathe in now...

Although such thoughts may often pass through the mind of an office manager, it is an unavoidable fact that space is all about people. Valuable staff having what they need means they can work better, will stay around longer and may be attracted in the first place.

Improving productivity is a big issue, but measuring it is difficult. Staff turnover and sickness are simple to monitor, but there are so many elements to staff performance that, as Denice Jaunzens from the Building Research Establishment recently said, 'The best you can do is controlled subjectivity'.

It is a fact that call centre workers moving to a new environment work more efficiently. But is this due to the new workplace, or just a response to getting some attention? Newness does have an enlivening effect. Plans are even under way to give staff the power to change office surface decor at the click of a mouse. However, while people welcome events that liven up the working day, we are all nervous of change. When asked to work in a new way or in a new place, most of us would be apprehensive.

So how can we help people to move forward? One approach is to make use of people's knowledge and involve them in the process. Staff's input into the process of moving to new offices or refurbishing existing ones can often be crucial. They can contribute to providing information for the design briefing; they can test pilot projects; they can also provide useful feedback on design proposals.

People can also come up with a whole range of ideas that will help them work more productively, in terms of technology, furniture, equipment and space.

Good communication is an essential part of this process, as well as providing time and money at the right time. Group discussions, newsletters and visits all help.

No longer are desks rolled out by the yard. Now, layouts are the result of individual and group needs

Leadership is also essential – that's leadership with a small as well as a large 'L'. The chief executive getting down to work on the floor with the guys may, or may not, be a practical idea, but it certainly provides the right message: 'I'm doing things differently. How about you?'.

Even more critical is a network of leaders with vested interest and enough weight to be involved in the decision-making. These leaders may represent, and relate to, business units, departments or specialised functions, but they will be the arteries that feed a lively project.

These network leaders are concerned with both the comfort of the individual and the efficiency of the firm. They are near enough to the ground to balance the realities, but they can say with authority 'Squeeze here, but keep the fat there'.

'Individualised mass production' is a term that applies strongly in the workplace situation. No longer are desks rolled out by the yard. Now, layouts are the result of individual and group needs. A simple inventory is put together in any number of different ways, allowing for the sort of flexibility that is economic, but also humane.

The success of squeezing more people into an office space depends on managers' understanding of how they might react. Yet many of the issues at stake are not fully understood. How can journalists hammer out incredible articles in the noisy environment of a newsroom? Likewise, how do traders clinch top deals in deafening conditions. In contrast, many of us write reports at home, and like a shut door for a difficult telephone call – not just for confidentiality but because our brains work better like that.