With many companies reverting to mandatory office attendance, it’s worth paying attention to your seating plan.
Because who you sit with matters.
For example, after studying over 2 years worth of performance data for more than 2,000 tech employees, researchers found:
-
Sitting within 8 meters (25 feet) of a high-performer increased the performance of those nearby by more than 10%;
-
Slower workers got faster when seated near a fast worker, but the faster workers didn’t get slower; and
-
Benefits tended to take about a month to materialise.
The best seating arrangement in this study turned out to be matching people with complementary skills. If someone was great on speed but less on quality, they got most benefit from proximity.
But.
If you have a toxic employee in your midst, the impacts are even more stark.
Not only does their behaviour have a negative impact almost immediately, it spreads further. They don’t just pollute those near them, they infect the whole floor!
Ref: Housman, Michael, and Dylan Minor. 2016. “Organizational Design and Space: The Good, the Bad, and the Productive.” Working paper.
🌟 If you found this interesting, let me know! Buy me a virtual coffee ☕ or forward this email ↗️ to someone who also might like it. Your occasional support means I can keep sharing ideas about behavioural science for free.
🧠 Learn the science of Influencing Action
📈 Be shown exactly what to do to get better results for your small business
Hey, are we connected yet?
