Workplace productivity: IPD intranet tool measures impact of offices on staff

A tool designed to help facilities managers assess whether their workplaces are contributing to staff productivity will be launched at the IPD Occupiers Property Databank conference this month.

The tool, which is accessed by a link from the IPD's offices to the user's company intranet, asks how managers believe factors such as temperature, storage and furniture are contributing to their productivity, whether they think their offices are suitable for their work, and what factors cause downtime.

'We were noticing that the more progressive facilities managers were not just looking at the provision of infrastructure, but on the impact of that infrastructure on people themselves,' said the IPD's Glen Corney.

Once the answers to the questions have been collated, a weighted 'acceptability score' is produced, which can be contrasted between buildings or departments.

The system was tested at a number of firms, which led to some useful observations. In one case, it revealed that staff were embarrassed to bring clients back to their office.

The OPD conference, entitled Defining, Measuring and Achieving Occupier Performance, is due to take place on Thursday 8 March in London's Canary Wharf.

For further details, call 020 7643 9250