Authors (including presenting author) :
Lam KY(1), Tung MK (1), Kan WY (1), Leung PY (1)
Affiliation :
(1)Administrative Services Division, Kwong Wah Hospital
Introduction :
Efficiency has been addressed in terms of resources allocation. In the case of office planning, space efficiency performs as an important parameter to evaluate wasted space and productivity from every usable inch. In the foreseeable future, the Administrative Services Division of the Kwong Wah Hospital will be facing a severe space shortage due to manpower growth. The SoA approved can only provide 50 workstations while it is expected the manpower will be expanded 1.6 times of the existing due the service expansion. In view of this service gap, space has been found at a premium by the project team and a forward-plan for future growth has been devised - coworking space design.
Objectives :
To address the space insufficiency due to unmatched approved SoA and actual headcount due to hospital expansion.
Methodology :
The initiators had reviewed published literature on the reasons for promoting flexible office planning. In order to search for the most suitable design model and design strategy for the workplace, the initiators remodeled a trial site. Meanwhile, interviews, focus groups and trial participants observation would be conducted to gather necessary data, in terms of both statistical and psychological impact.
Result & Outcome :
The initiators started a site trial project by deploying a flexible coworking space in the existing office space (25.7sqm). Based on the standard of accommodation, only 5 workstations (mixing of HAIIs and EAs ranks) could be provided. In this trial project, by adopting coworking design and leveraging the advanced technology, the same area can accommodate 1.6 times of staff number of the original plan (total number of workstations had been increased from 5 to 8 with 38% of space efficiency increased) but not sacrificing the daily need of the staff. A discussion area and a mini pantry had been created in the meantime. In our interview conducted, positive feedback was received. 100% of interviewees affirmed that the coworking design actually provokes ideas exchange and collaboration. On the downside, privacy and noise distraction have been spotted from the trial. By deploying a better segregation design and introducing furniture, e.g. quiet booths, helped soothe the drawbacks and staff was allowed to choose the working environment that best suit their needs. This small scale trial enlightened how flexible coworking space design may contribute to space efficiency and workforce’s working attitude. Addressing space efficiency was our initial intention while developing a “staff friendly” workplace and boosting employee productivity are ongoing visions. Furthermore, maximising space efficiency in the back office could even release space resources for the clinical area. The initiators hope that the concept could be further promoted and widely adopted in the hospital, in the cluster and even HA regarding office planning in the future.
