Alternative officing was one area of expertise in which I participated while with the Hok consulting group in St. Louis MO, Hellmuth, Obata, Kassabaum (HOK) headquarters.

Alternative officing involves satellite facilities, shared space, team environments, and at home telecommuting. Alternative officing study consists of addressing the time and function of individuals and groups; using this information to implement a change in the space plan to allow these alternatives to function within the company.

In an effort to understand the changing needs of their employees EDS initiated a project to analyze their facilities and compare themselves to the competition.

Methodology:

We interviewed the executive division of EDS to gain an understanding of the dynamics involved in implementing alternative officing strategies within specific divisions worldwide.

Additionally the team studied the existing facilities and utilized standard benchmarking practices to compare EDS to their stated competition.

Design:

We presented the results of the interviews that indicated a strong desire (from 90% of those interviewed) to participate in some form of alternative officing. The highest ranking alternatives were telecommuting and virtual officing. In addition, teaming environments were believed to be necessary for project directed groups such as engineering.