Don’t Mess With Texans’ Private Offices

AUSTIN, TX—The Lone Star State is home to a large tech workforce with a worker population continuing to increase. What does all this fast-paced change look like for Texas office workers? Are companies upping the ante by offering more perks in order to attract and to keep employees happy?

To get to the bottom of those questions, Commercial Cafe’s latest study delves into workplace satisfaction. Commercial Cafe asked workers from Austin, Dallas, Houston and San Antonio about the ideal office layout, what makes them happiest or unhappiest in the workspace, which amenities are most popular, which perks are most often used by companies to recruit new employees and what tradeoffs would office workers agree to in exchange for better amenities. The study also pinpointed age, gender, duration of employment, industry and location.

In his 2014 book, “The Best Place to Work: The Art and Science of Creating an Extraordinary Workplace,” Ron Friedman discusses the troubled relationship of American workers with some of the most popular office layouts throughout the years.

“Cubicles are depressing. Private offices are isolating. Open spaces are distracting,” he argues.

In an era when 70% of offices in the US sport an open plan layout, with some employers looking to further cut costs by introducing hotdesking practices, Texans are by and large not in that category. An estimated 37% of study respondents work in private offices, only 18% must contend with the many distractions of an open office, while 26% are working out of a cubicle.

When asked about their ideal workplace layout, 56% pointed to private offices, with home offices trailing behind in second place with 16% of the vote. Coworking seems to have captured the imagination of an estimated 9% of workers, a near overlap with the 8.6% who said they were currently working at offices with this layout.

The push to introduce hotdesking in companies with open offices that also allow for remote working might make many employees more inclined to work from home. Although only 10% said they currently work from home, a study on Gen Zers in the workplace suggests that 38% of them would gladly pick this option. There is a clear change in preferences between Millennials and Gen Zers regarding office setting. Millennials echo the preferences of previous generations for working from a private office, with those just entering the labor market being the first to massively favor working from home over any other setting, something employers would do well to keep in mind in order to accommodate incoming talent.

Some 47% of study respondents enjoy the privacy they get at the office, 43% relish the chance to use creative talents to customize workstations, 40% enjoy a workspace with natural light and 27% would like to have a pleasing outside view. Another 27% of respondents said amiable coworkers make a work day more pleasant.

An estimated 48% of respondents think private discussions that are overheard by colleagues are the biggest disruption at the office. Another 26% complained about overall noise levels and 23% are bothered by the lack of privacy in the workplace. Roughly 15% feel that indoor air quality and ventilation leave a lot to be desired and 18% believe they don’t have control over their workspace.

When it comes to ranking some of the most popular office perks: 44% of Texans love free coffee, tea and snacks in the workplace while 40% are enthused about good parking. Should the on-site freebies be insufficient for the hungry employee, being close to restaurants, eateries and coffee shops is important to 38% of respondents, while 31% are interested in the area’s walkability in general.

“Open offices have become such a staple of our working lives that it is quite easy to forget that some employees are still typing away at their stations in a cubicle or a private office. In Texas, roughly 37% of respondents reported working in a private office, and 56% think of it as the ideal layout for their workplace, as it provides increased privacy and allows people to leave their mark on the space they inhabit for several hours a day,” Diana Sabau of Commercial Cafe tells GlobeSt.com. “When it comes to shaping the modern office, the stakes are increasingly high. It isn’t solely about providing the right environment for employees.”

Sabau says combining design solutions that boost productivity and contribute to the general well-being of the workforce in addition to attracting new talent are very important.

Some 40% of Texans said employers highlighted the walkability of an office location and 34% said they received information about on-site beverage and food choices.

“Word about workplace amenities at different companies gets around and this leads to ever more discerning and demanding workers at least in terms of office perks,” Sabau tells GlobeSt.com. “Roughly 42% of Texas office workers said they heard about offices that provided their employees with standing desks, while 37% knew about food trucks brought in by companies to satisfy their workers’ palates.”

Only 14% of Texans said they find proximity to public transport to be a particularly attractive amenity and roughly 5% were excited about bike-sharing systems and on-site bike racks. Despite recent investments to improve and expand infrastructure, services and walkability, most of the Lone Star State and indeed no less than 85% of Americans still use cars for the daily commute to work.

The urban sprawl of metropolitan areas in Texas is infamous, with Houston dubbed a “geographically absurd land mass,” similar in size to the entire island of Oahu and dwarfing distances in major coastal cities such as New York or San Francisco. These long daily commutes and the lack of a robust public transportation system means many people rely heavily on cars.

As a result, 39% of Texans listed private parking as another important amenity that employers advertise. Again, this was something respondents emphasized in the additional survey comments, citing it as the number one deal breaker when looking for a new job, barring a very generous salary that would make up for the employee’s time spent commuting.

When asked about how they feel about their workspace, 55% of Texans say they are happy, with 10% declaring themselves unhappy and 3% feeling very unhappy about their current arrangements. Grievances aside, most respondents indicated they wouldn’t quit their jobs over dissatisfaction with office layouts. Only 5% were determined to leave current employers over working conditions, with 30% entertaining the idea. In contrast, 65% of respondents said they probably won’t or definitely won’t quit their jobs because of it.

What tradeoffs would workers accept for a more suitable workplace? Roughly 49% wouldn’t mind working for a smaller company and 34% said they would endure a longer commute. Only 16% would accept less flexibility in working arrangements and 14% would be willing to make do with a lower salary if it meant working in a more pleasant office.