HR 101: The history of the activity-based working model

Welcome to HR 101. Class is now in session. Today’s discussion will focus on the history of activity-based working.

The history. The phrase “activity-based working” first appeared in Dutch engineer and author Erik Veldhoen’s 1994 book The Art of Working, according to WeWork. And while the phrase is attributable to Veldhoen, the idea can be traced back to the 1980s, when American architect Robert Luchetti was developing alternative office designs in an attempt to promote greater collaboration and productivity, according to CBRE Group. The commercial real estate firm defines activity-based learning as “a workplace design ethos that offers a variety of work settings geared towards different workplace activities and tasks,” with “small, dedicated, acoustically private enclosed spaces to large, open, team shared areas.”

Interpolis, an insurance company in the Netherlands, was among the concept’s early adopters. In 1995, the firm embraced activity-based working with the help of workplace strategy consultancy Veldhoen + Company (yes, that Veldhoen), according to Martijn Joosten, Veldhoen + Co.’s managing partner in Australia, in an interview with workplace management company Robin.

Interpolis had originally planned to divide its employees between two buildings, but Veldhoen + Co. helped them optimize the space in one building, and create a work environment where “managers were more visible; a range of activities were supported by fit-for-purpose settings and employees had the freedom to choose where and when they worked,” Martijn noted. This resulted in a 24% reduction in yearly occupancy costs, according to Veldhoen + Co.

If Martijn’s description of Interpolis’ office brings to mind images of sweeping tech campuses, there’s a reason why: Google is a prime example of an employer that has embraced activity-based working, even if they don’t necessarily use the term. A 2013 New York Times article described Google’s mission, “to create the happiest, most productive workplace in the world,” and its office environment as “a labyrinth of play areas; cafes, coffee bars, and open kitchens; sunny outdoor terraces with chaises…conversation areas designed to look like vintage subway cars.”

Fast-forward. Today, many employers are creating work environments that cater to their employees’ specific needs. HubSpot, Zillow, and Calm, for example, offer their employees work-from-home stipends to optimize their home offices. And PwC opened, in 2021, a new office designed with accessibility inclusion in mind.

“Collaboration requires connection, it requires conversation,” Rose Gailey, partner at executive search consultancy Heidrick & Struggles, previously told HR Brew. “And so a lot of the spaces we’re seeing opening up are much more casual, much more comfortable, and to some degree informal.”