Office Productivity Network Survey
Basics
What is it?
It is a questionnaire that asks building occupants to rate aspects of their work setting such as environmental conditions and office facilities. The main premise of the questionnaire is to determine how the variables listed might affect occupant productivity in the workplace.
Useful where?
In new builds and refurbishments to ascertain occupant opinion and productivity following changes to a workspace. A before and after surveys can be carried out to measure the impacts of change.
Related activities
Similar in principle to the BUS occupant survey method and Overall Liking Score (q.v.) but has more emphasis on self-assessed productivity of occupants.
In what sectors?
It was originally developed to be used in offices.
Development status
Who developed it?
Nigel Oseland and Paul Bartlett using government funding.
Stage of development
Originally it was a four page paper-based questionnaire that was included as an appendix in ‘Improving office productivity : a guide for business and facilities managers’ (see references). Since then it has been developed into an online questionnaire and used on a consultancy basis.
Examples of its use
Used by Investment Property Databank (IPD) for benchmarking the Government Estate.
Further development happening?
No as it is designed to be a base for those who use it to develop themselves.
Development contacts
Nigel Oseland.
Benchmarks?
As it is used by a number of consultants, they all have their own benchmarks and datasets. E.g. Swanke Hayden Connell Architects (SHCA) have a dataset of 70 buildings and the IPD database has 1800 individual responses.
How it works
Brief description
The original questionnaire covered eight areas of the office environment:
- office facilities,
- environmental conditions,
- environmental control,
- productivity elements,
- downtime factors,
- personal details,
- final comments.
This has been condensed now due to the natural evolution of the technique. Each section contains a number of questions that asks respondents to rate variables against a scale. A detailed breakdown of time and task requirements is also asked for. The results are presented in a report with 'spider graphs'.
The survey is usually accompanied by a walkthrough and follow-up workshops, but these are not standardised.
Is there software?
Each consultant has their own software.
How long does it take?
The questionnaire reportedly takes approximately 20 mins to complete.
Can I do it myself?
It can be done by a client but is usually done by consultants.
Can someone else do it for me?
Yes as several consultancies offer the service.
References
OSELAND, N. & BARTLETT, P. (1999) Improving office productivity : a guide for business and facilities managers, Harlow, Longman.
This book contains the original questionnaire.
Is the technique in the public domain?
Yes, older versions of the questionnaire are in the public domain.
Cost
Typically 3000 GBP per building for the standardised survey; this does not include modifications or follow up workshops etc.
Are the results in the public domain?
Only in occasional published papers.
Organisations offering
Alexi Marmot Associates
, Contact name: Nigel Oseland
.
Office Productivity Network
, Contact name: Nigel Oseland
.
Swanke Hayden Connell Architects