After the conversion of the territory of the A. Goštautas quarter in Vilnius, transforming it into a modern centralized complex of 9-10 ministries, modern workplaces will be created for approximately 4000 civil servants. Turto bankas, which is implementing the project, found out what the employees in the public and private sectors value most in their offices and what they miss, so that new workplaces would not only allow the state to save on property maintenance costs, but also provide a competitive advantage as an employer and contribute to the motivation of civil servants.
The ministries that will be located in the new complex currently occupy 90 square meters. sq. m of administrative premises - these buildings were built half a century ago, so they are energetically inefficient and difficult to adapt to modern workplace standards. It is calculated that now in the mentioned buildings, on average, one employee is allocated a little more than 20 square meters. m of area, office room planning prevails with many inefficient spaces such as long corridors, non-functional halls and staircases.
The new complex will be developed as modern offices, rated with the highest sustainability certificates for harmony with the environment and well-being for employees. Looking at the workplaces, about 13 square meters are provided for one person's workplace. m of area, which is planned taking into account the application of the hybrid work model.
"A. The conversion of the Goštau quarter will affect many jobs, and the change is often accompanied by fears and unfounded myths, one of which is that a smaller area allocated to an employee will worsen the quality of the workplace. This is not true, because the modern complex will provide an incomparably better level of comfort that meets the highest workplace standards. Our survey of residents in three big cities showed that those who work in budget institutions miss the attributes of modern offices the most", says Ernestas Česokas, temporary manager of Turto bankas.
The working environment is one of the most valued things
Commissioned by Turtus Bank, market and public opinion researchcompanies Spinter Research according to the survey conducted, approximately one third of those working in offices in Vilnius, Kaunas and Klaipėda - both in the public and private sectors - most value the aesthetic workplace environment and comfortable office furniture - things that directly determine people's physical comfort and health and psychological and emotional state at work. Almost a quarter of both private and public sector employees consider the wear and tear of the building to be an important disadvantage of the workplace, so one of the biggest advantages is an office in a new or renovated building.
"Most of the administrative buildings in the state real estate (NT) portfolio are of old construction - we are consistently modernizing them in order to reduce maintenance costs and create a more attractive work environment. What a huge influence the modern working environment has on the motivation and self-esteem of employees, we found out when we opened a new police administration building in Vilnius - it is currently the most modern in the state real estate portfolio managed by us. A. Goštaut's quarter will raise the quality bar even higher and significantly contribute to the motivation of several thousand state employees", says E. Česokas.
The cabinet is important, but more spaces for socialization are missing
According to E. Česok, there is a widespread opinion that public sector employees are afraid of changes because they do not want to lose the private offices they currently have due to the specifics of the planning of old buildings.
"It was interesting whether the survey would confirm this and it showed that the private cabinet is nevertheless an important aspect, but not only for the employees of budgetary institutions," comments E. Česokas on the results of the survey.
A third of those working in budgetary institutions and 28 percent of private sector employees indicated having a private cabinet as one of the most valued conditions. From the survey data, it can be concluded that a quarter of those working in budget institutions and 22% of those working in budget institutions would like to have a private office, but do not have one. private sector workers.
"I think it has more to do with the changing work culture in general, focused on teamwork, cooperation, sharing. Own office is no longer an expression of status, its meaning has become more functional. It may be difficult for some employees to adapt to it, the nature of the work of others really requires a private space", thinks E. Česokas.
However, he points out that the majority of public sector employees in their current offices do not miss offices, but spaces for socialization.
"The survey revealed that people working in public sector offices miss the recreation and socialization areas the most - 32 percent cited this as a lack of an office. of respondents working in budgetary institutions and 21 percent. of those working in the private sector. This shows that the administrative premises of the old construction hinder the adaptation of the attributes of today's work culture in the public sector, although a very significant part of the employees would like to do so", says E. Česokas.
A fifth of the respondents working in public sector offices miss a comfortable kitchen where they can have lunch, the same percentage would like to have showers and changing rooms in the office - this is no longer a novelty in modern offices.
"I want to emphasize that the complex of state institutions in the A. Goštau quarter will be developed in order to achieve the highest rating in the international sustainable building assessment system BREEAM, which means great attention to the well-being of the people who will work in the buildings - physical workplaces will be created in this complex, which TOP employers are currently competing for in the market" , - says E. Česokas.
