Office planning with work profiles: what an employee survey reveals
Alessandro Nicotra
Workplace Intelligence
In short
— Headcount and attendance rates yield an area, but not a space that suits the people.
— Work profiles describe typical ways of working, such as focused on-site or networked on the move.
— Spatial scenarios with floor area, workstations, and meeting rooms are created from the profiles in direct comparison.
Good office planning does not begin with square meters, but with the question of how a team works. A brief employee survey turns this into work profiles, and these profiles generate space scenarios that can be compared.
If you plan for the average, you build a space that fits no one quite right.
Why is headcount not enough for office planning?
Because the average employee doesn't work anywhere. A headcount doesn't say who wants to write undisturbed on a Tuesday morning and who is in meetings all day.
With hybrid work, ways of working are diverging even further. According to the FHNW FlexWork Survey, almost half of the working population in Switzerland works mobile-flexibly at least some of the time. An analysis by Leesman shows: Those who are in the office two to three days a week rate their workplace most critically.
What does an employee survey for office planning ask?
It asks about what shapes a workday, not about wish-list furniture. SECO also recommends involving employees right from the start. Our survey can be answered on a mobile phone in just a few minutes: concentration, collaboration, meetings, presence, and openness to change.
KAYAK Office, Zurich
What are work profiles?
A work profile describes a typical way of working and what it requires from the space. It does not represent a department, but rather a pattern in everyday work. How many people correspond to which profile varies in every organization, and that is precisely what changes the space.
In addition to the profiles, the evaluation shows on which days of the week the team is on site, which activities shape the day, where the culture stands today, and where it should develop.
How do work profiles turn into space scenarios?
From the distribution of the profiles, up to three side-by-side scenarios emerge: area, workstations, meeting rooms, focus areas. Decisions are made through comparison, collaboratively and traceably. Only then does the design begin, as with our project KAYAK Office in Zurich.
What do employee surveys show in practice?
Concentration requires more space than you might think. Quiet places are lacking in existing offices more often than meeting rooms. The FlexWork Survey shows: Zoned open-plan offices perform significantly better in terms of satisfaction than open areas without structure.
Those who recognize themselves are on board. A profile in which you see yourself takes the uncertainty out of change. Health Promotion Switzerland notes that participation strengthens commitment and motivation.
What happens after moving in?
After the move, we ask again and see whether the space delivers what the profiles promised. Anonymized, these insights feed into our empirical data and make each subsequent project more precise.
KAYAK Office, Zurich
Frequently Asked Questions
How long does an employee survey for office planning take?
For participants, just a few minutes. The survey usually runs for one to two weeks, after which the work profiles are available.
Are the answers anonymous?
Yes. We only evaluate the data in aggregated form; individual responses cannot be viewed by the employer.
From what team size is a survey worthwhile?
From about ten people. There is no upper limit; several hundred workstations are also possible.
Does the survey replace the workshop?
No, it prepares for it. The workshop then begins with results instead of opinions.
Does this also work for hybrid teams?
Especially there. When not everyone is on-site at the same time, the survey shows who needs which space and when.
What is the difference to the Work Environment Check?
The Work Environment Check is an initial assessment in five minutes. The survey captures the entire team and serves as the basis for the spatial concept and space allocation plan.
Sources
FlexWork Survey 2022, Short Report, FHNW School of Applied Psychology, 2022
Making hybrid work, Leesman, 2024
Open-plan offices: How to protect employee health, SECO, 2016
Promoting mental health: Office, Health Promotion Switzerland
Swiss Labour Force Survey 2023, Federal Statistical Office, 2024
A good space doesn't start with a floor plan. It starts with the question of how people want to work.
Contact
Listening is our first draft.
Every project begins with a conversation. Tell us what you have in mind: a new working environment, a restaurant, a space for the future. We bring an open mind, curiosity, and experience in strategy, interior design, and lighting. We'd love to meet at our studio on Gutstrasse in Zurich. Or wherever your project is coming to life.