Survey - a guide to understanding your workplace today, and what you need tomorrow
To create a workspace that truly supports employees, it’s important to understand how they work and how the office works for the organization.
Surveys are a practical tool for uncovering how employees experience the workplace, providing clear insights into what’s working, what isn’t, and what changes are needed to better support both people and the organization. More than just a way to collect data, surveys help organizations understand how the workplace operates today and what it needs to succeed in the future. By identifying current challenges and uncovering opportunities for growth, surveys lay the foundation for creating an office that supports both the employees of today and the goals of tomorrow.
Surveys provide structured insights into how employees experience their work environment. They go beyond surface observations and help uncover:
How employees feel about the organization: Do they feel proud to work here?
Challenges in work and collaboration: What gets in the way of effective teamwork?
Barriers to productivity: Are there obstacles that hinder focus or task completion?
Access to managers and leaders: Do employees feel supported and connected?
Knowledge sharing and communication: Is information flowing effectively across the organization?
Surveys are often met with skepticism, and it’s easy to understand why. Employees might expect significant changes based on survey results, creating pressure that can be difficult to meet. At the same time, surveys are sometimes treated as a box-ticking exercise, with data collected but never acted upon. This lack of follow-through can lead to distrust, as employees may feel their opinions were solicited without real intention to make changes. For a survey to be effective, it needs to go beyond data collection and serve as a tool for meaningful action.
Understanding today’s situation
Productivity isn’t just about working hard; it’s about creating an environment that supports people in doing their best work. Surveys provide clarity about the current state of the workspace, answering critical questions such as:
Are employees able to focus on individual tasks effectively?
Do they encounter challenges when working with others?
Is the office space enabling—or working against—their success?
Surveys also help identify the gap between where the organization is today and where it wants to be. Recognizing this gap is the first step toward making meaningful progress and creating a workspace that aligns with both employee needs and organizational goals.
Getting to know your organization
Not all employees work the same way, and a one-size-fits-all approach rarely works for office design. Surveys allow organizations to dig into the specific needs of departments and roles. For example:
Creative teams might value open spaces for brainstorming and collaboration.
Engineers or analysts might need quiet zones for focus work.
The ultimate goal of a survey isn’t just to collect data but to use it to drive meaningful change. Surveys are more than just a tool—they are an opportunity to create better workplaces. By understanding today’s situation and identifying opportunities for improvement, organizations can design offices that don’t just meet employee needs but inspire people to come to work, collaborate, and thrive.