CICF’s Challenges & Solutions

During CICF’s Research project, DORIS identified and solved for 10 workplace challenges CICF faced in 2018. Here were 3 of their top challenges and the accompanying solutions. If these challenges sound familiar to you and your organization, drop us a line.

CHALLENGE:

Although people said visitors generally like the space, CICF employees didn’t think their space felt welcoming or professional enough to host them. People felt there weren’t good options for meeting with donors because their existing meeting spaces were not modern or clean enough. The wayfinding system for getting into the buildings was not intuitive, nor was there an adequate lobby, making wayfinding difficult for visitors. Due to this, employees often held meetings off-site with donors because the workplace did not meet their hosting needs.

SOLUTION:

During the Prototyping phase of the project, employees developed a social hub hot spot! Their prototypes featured areas where coworkers could collaborate or have a casual chat with a donor, and individuals could lounge on soft seating while focusing on work, or simply take a break. This prototyped hub was multi-functional. DORIS is happy to report that CICF employees got what they wanted. The new space includes a wonderfully designed social hub perfect for relaxation, socializing, and hosting clients, including amenities for food and drinks. It’s a comfortable space near the reception area, with a variety of soft seating. There’s a bar area and community seating that are ideal for events. It also includes a full kitchen with appliances tucked behind a wall so the space can remain tidy for visitors.

CHALLENGE:

Collaboration with both internal team members and external stakeholders is very important to CICF employees, but they couldn’t always collaborate effectively at their previous locations, as there was a lack of adequate spaces to support it. Impromptu collaboration often happened in hallways, the lobby, or outside peoples’ office doors. While some took advantage of things like instant messaging to communicate with people in other building locations, many didn’t always use the technology that was available to them, because they prefer face-to-face interactions and chats. They believed it was easier to read tone and facial expressions in person. This challenge made it especially difficult for employees to collaborate with coworkers in other building locations.

SOLUTION:

The prototypes employees designed directly influenced what was built in the new space. They designed informal collaboration areas located closer to workstations, away from areas for donors. Their ideas for meeting spaces included a variety of sizes, and some had comfortable seating, while others had traditional tables and chairs that were reconfigurable. CICF’s new space contains a variety of meeting spaces, as well as ample informal collaboration spaces. They’re each clearly delineated so people understand their purpose. Meeting spaces are intended for formal meetings. The new space includes a variety of small, medium, and larger capacity rooms to accommodate an array of meeting sizes. Collaboration spaces are either booths or open-space soft seating areas, primarily intended for internal use.

Individual Workstations

CHALLENGE:

While some employees were satisfied with their individual workstation, many felt as though their needs were not met. Some said the configuration of their desks was awkward and uncomfortable, such as those who had more of an L-shaped desk in a corner. Others felt as though they did not have enough storage space for both work documents and personal items. They had to leave many items on their desk, which made their space feel cluttered and crowded. Additionally, since there were not adequate meeting spaces, people with private offices often used them to hold meetings even though there may not have been enough furniture or space to accommodate that function.

SOLUTION:

The most popular idea for workstations during Prototyping was adjustable height desks. Every prototype employees created contained this feature to make sure everyone had ergonomic support. Similarly, additional storage was an idea that was popular. The new space does in fact give employees the flexibility of adjustable height desks, which makes things far more comfortable for all. The desk surfaces are large enough to lay out documents and review them for those that work this way. Workstations also include dual monitors and storage for the various items. Some storage has a cushion that can be used as a stool for a quick conversation with a coworker. Additionally, there’s soft seating areas throughout the workstation areas for impromptu collaboration.