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Workplace pilot programs: A new tool for creating workspaces employees love

Workplace pilot programs: A new tool for creating workspaces employees love


CannonDesign | November 17, 2014
Photo: CannonDesign

There’s no more critical asset to an organization than its people. That’s the central message of Meg Osman’s newest piece for Fast Company, "How to Create a Workspace Employees Love."

The article focuses on how Zurich is engaging employees in the creation of its new North American headquarters through a workplace pilot program. 

The company has created an extensive testing platform that allows more than 150 employees to experience possible workplace settings now and share feedback that will ultimately drive the future headquarters. Employees are spending three weeks in four different possible workplaces to fully understand if the spaces do or don’t work for them.

Workplace pilot programs are becoming more popular as companies continue to place more importance on workplaces as tools to empower employees and improve recruitment and retention. As successful programs like the one at Zurich continue to demonstrate, one of the best ways to do this is to design workspaces with employees and not just for them.

Read Osman’s full piece for Fast Company.

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