Glossary
Enablement
Confused with satisfaction, which measures how people feel rather than what the work environment does for the work.
Enablement is the support of the work by the work environment: the extent to which it helps or hinders the activities people actually do there, measured activity by activity rather than as one overall score. It differs from satisfaction, which measures how people feel rather than what the environment does for the work.
Also called Support of the work by the work environment, Workplace enablement, Activity support
How it is calculated
Enablement for activity a = respondents supported in a ÷ respondents for whom a matters × 100
- Respondents supported in a
- Those who say the workplace helps them do that activity.
- Respondents for whom a matters
- Those who say the activity is part of their work. The denominator is deliberately not everyone.
Expressed as A percentage per activity, reported per activity and never averaged into one number.
This is a Workplaced definition, not a universal industry norm. Counted object: respondents who feel supported in an activity. Denominator: respondents for whom that activity is part of their work. Period: one survey round. Exception: activities are never averaged into one score. Averaging the activities produces a single score that no decision can be taken from. The value of the measure is that it is disaggregated.
Illustrative worked example: one office, one survey round
- Individual focused work
- 41% supported
- Planned collaboration
- 78% supported
- Confidential conversation
- 34% supported
- Overall satisfaction with the office
- 72% positive
Satisfaction is healthy and two of the four activities are failing.
This is the pattern that makes satisfaction a poor guide on its own: people rate the place they like, and separately work around the things it does badly.
Where it goes wrong
Reading satisfaction as enablement
A well-liked office can fail the work done in it. The two measures answer different questions and regularly disagree.
Averaging the activities
One enablement score hides the two activities that are failing behind the six that are fine. The disaggregation is the measure.
Surveying everyone about everything
Asking someone who never holds confidential conversations to rate support for them adds noise. The denominator is the people the activity applies to.
Where this measurement decides something
- How much office space do we need?
Sizing a building on this figure.
- Consolidate or renew the lease?
Taking it to a board.
- Occupancy
How it is measured in practice.
Related terms
- Activity classification
What people are observed doing, alongside what they say.
- Occupancy
How full the space is, which enablement does not follow.
- Presence
Being in the building, which is not the same as being supported by it.
Comparing two suppliers' occupancy figures?
Describe in a message how each supplier defines its occupancy figure, and we will tell you what each one is counting.