Deloitte Debate: Will Workplaces Become Productivity Engines or Safe Havens for Slackers?

Deloitte Debate: Will Workplaces Become Productivity Engines or Safe Havens
for Slackers?

NEW YORK, Nov. 4 /PRNewswire/ --

What: "The Workplace of Tomorrow: Productivity Engine or Safe Haven for
Slackers?"

Who: Seth Siegel, director, Deloitte Consulting LLP
Jeff Schwartz, principal, Deloitte Consulting LLP
George Bouri, principal, Deloitte Consulting LLP

When: Available immediately

Where: www.deloitte.com/us/debates/workplaceoftomorrow

Details: The shrinking pool of skilled labor and increased employee demand
for flexibility has led many organizations to embrace innovative workplace
solutions. Yet, a number of companies are not convinced that a more flexible
and mobile workforce is a good idea. Employers worry that employees with too
much freedom may not get the work done. So, do companies pursue the workplace
of tomorrow, or is business as usual still the right choice?

"Some companies wonder if they are getting the performance improvements they
expected in creating the workplace of tomorrow by offering more soft benefits,
mobile technologies and shared workspace environments to reduce costs," said
Siegel. "But, whatever fears companies might have about bunny slippers and
the pajamas brigade, they can set them aside. Organization need to focus on
workplace innovation and getting the right metrics in place. Perhaps then
companies will be on the path to performance improvements, costs reductions,
and a more engaged and productive workforce."

Schwartz and Bouri fuel the debate with perspectives regarding talent, real
estate and facilities:

Talent. Schwartz noted that some companies are not convinced that trying to
measure whether employees are working or going to soccer games is relevant.
The real measurement should be on things that drive business results. This
points to the big challenge of changing management perceptions -- from a focus
on measuring time-spent to a focus on measuring outcomes.

Real Estate and Facilities. There are two broad approaches for seizing the
opportunity of the workplace of tomorrow. The first, known as the pilot or
proof of concept approach, uses a series of small projects with early adopter
business units to demonstrate results and build the program incrementally. The
second, enterprise mandate approach, relies on a compelling business case with
executive sponsorship for a large scale, time-bound change. Today's economic
climate could be ripe for the high-impact enterprise mandate approach.

To view Deloitte's points and counterpoints regarding the workplace of
tomorrow and related issues, please go to
www.deloitte.com/us/debates/workplaceoftomorrow.

This topic is one in a series of Deloitte Debates that examine pressing
business issues from multiple perspectives. New debate topics are added
weekly. To view the full library of Debates, please visit
www.deloitte.com/debates.

Deloitte will also conduct a related webcast November 5 at 2:00 p.m. ET,
"Technology and People: Understanding the Workplace of Tomorrow." To register
for the webcast, please contact John La Place at jlaplace@deloitte.com, or +1
212-492-4267 and Jaime Riley at +1 206-716-6011, or jairiley@deloitte.com.

About Deloitte
As used in this document, "Deloitte" means Deloitte Consulting LLP and
Deloitte Services LP, separate subsidiaries of Deloitte LLP. Please see
www.deloitte.com/us/about for a detailed description of the legal structure of
Deloitte LLP and its subsidiaries.

Contacts:
John La Place Jaime Riley
Public Relations Public Relations
Deloitte Deloitte
+1 212 492 4267 +1 206 716 6011
jlaplace@deloitte.com jairiley@deloitte.com

SOURCE Deloitte Consulting LLP

John La Place, Public Relations, Deloitte, +1-212-492-4267,
jlaplace@deloitte.com, or Jaime Riley, Public Relations, Deloitte,
+1-206-716-6011, jairiley@deloitte.com