Employee performance return on investment

• US 20090106062A1
• Filed: 10/22/2007
• Published: 04/23/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 10/22/2007
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Herman Miller Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Herman Miller Incorporated
• Inventors: O'Neill, Michael J.
• Application Number:
  US11/975,802
• Publication Number:
  US 20090106062A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/7
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06375 Prediction of business process outcome or impact based on a proposed change

Abstract

An Employee Performance Return on Investment (EP-ROI) tool helps a customer decide where to make investments in workplace design features to optimize employee performance and, thus, maximize the impacts on the financial productivity of the organization. The EP-ROI tool considers many factors in illustrating the impact on predicted business outcome values given various levels of investment in workplace design features. For example, the EP-ROI tool considers the customer'"'"'s workplace environment type, such as a call center or professional\office, and the customer'"'"'s remodeling or construction project type when developing the predicted business outcome values. In addition, the EP-ROI tool considers a customer'"'"'s employee job types and their associated work process characteristics in reaching the predicted business outcome values. Furthermore, the EP-ROI tool allows a customer to create multiple customer models in illustrating the effects investing in different workplace design features have on predicted business outcome values. For example, the customer may refer to previously created models in reaching an informed business decision for investing in workplace design features. Hence, a customer may use the EP-ROI tool to create successive approximations that ultimately permit the customer to optimize the outcomes of the model to support their specific business objectives.

Claims

1. A method for predicting a predicted business outcome value using workplace design feature investment amounts comprising:

receiving a selection of a workplace environment type;

receiving a business specific data value corresponding to the workplace environment type;

receiving a current performance estimate values corresponding to the workplace environment type;

receiving a selection of a project type, where the project type corresponds to the selected workplace environment type;

calculating a plurality of workplace design feature investment amounts for a plurality of workplace design features, where each of the workplace design feature investment amounts correspond to a workplace design feature;

calculating a predicted business outcome value using the received workplace design feature investment amounts and the selected project type; and

,

outputting the calculated predicted business outcome value.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

adjusting a workplace design feature investment amount according to an investment amount adjustment;

calculating an adjusted workplace design feature investment amount using the workplace design feature investment amount and the investment amount adjustment; and

,

re-calculating the previously calculated predicted business outcome value using the calculated adjusted workplace design feature investment amount.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising calculating at least one workplace design feature investment amount using at least one workplace component cost amount.

4. The method of claim 3, where the at least one workplace component cost amount is a plurality of workplace component cost amounts.

5. The method of claim 4, where the workplace component cost amounts comprise at least one workplace component cost amount categorizable as a furnishing workplace component cost amount.

6. The method of claim 4, where the workplace component cost amounts comprise at least one workplace component cost amount categorizable as a technology component cost amount.

7. The method of claim 4, where the workplace component cost amounts comprise at least one workplace component cost amount categorizable as a facility interior design features component cost amount.

8. The method of claim 4, where the workplace component cost amounts comprise at least one workplace component cost amount categorizable as a training and assessment component cost amount.

9. The method of claim 1, where the workplace design feature investment amounts comprise:

a fit of workspace features to work needs investment amount;

a comfort investment amount;

a support for communication investment amount;

a support for collaboration investment amount;

a job and environmental control investment amount;

a support for sense of community investment amount;

or,

combinations thereof.

10. The method of claim 9, where:

the fit of workspace features to work needs investment amount is associated with;

an optimize seating cost amount;

an optimize workstation task light cost amount;

an optimize work surface area and shape cost amount;

an optimize side table cost amount;

an optimize keyboard and mouse tray cost amount;

an optimize storage cost amount;

or,

an optimize monitor cost amount;

the comfort investment amount is associated with;

the optimize seating cost amount;

the optimize workstation task light cost amount;

the optimize keyboard and mouse tray cost amount;

or,

an optimize docking station cost amount;

the support for communication investment amount is associated with;

an optimize enclosure of workstation cost amount;

an optimize signage for way-finding cost amount;

an optimize meeting rooms cost amount;

or,

an enhance color, brightness, and texture of walls, floors, and doorways cost amount;

the support for collaboration investment amount is associated with;

an optimize technology in meeting space cost amount;

or,

the optimize meeting rooms cost amount;

the job and environmental control investment amount is associated with;

the optimize seating cost amount;

the optimize workstation task light cost amount;

the optimize keyboard and mouse tray cost amount;

the optimize storage cost amount;

the optimize enclosure of workstation cost amount;

the optimize monitor cost amount;

the optimize docking station cost amount;

a provide workstation ergonomic assessment cost amount;

or,

a provide ergonomic training cost amount;

the support for sense of community investment amount is associated with;

an optimize signage for way-finding cost amount;

or,

an implement custom corporate graphics program cost amount;

or,

combinations thereof.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

creating a first customer model identifier for a customer;

associating the business specific data value, the current performance estimate value, the workplace design feature investment amounts, and the calculated predicted business outcome value with the first customer model identifier; and

,

storing the business specific data value, the current performance estimate value, the workplace design feature investment amounts, and the calculated predicted business outcome value for later retrieval using the associated first customer model identifier.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

creating a second customer model identifier for the customer;

retrieving the business specific data value, the current performance estimate value, the workplace design feature investment amounts, and the calculated predicted business outcome value using the associated first customer model identifier;

adjusting at least one workplace design feature investment amount of the workplace design feature investment amounts;

re-calculating the predicted business outcome value using the adjusted workplace design feature investment amount and the workplace design feature investment amounts;

associating the business specific data value, the current performance estimate value, the adjusted workplace design feature investment amount, the workplace design feature investment amounts, and the calculated predicted business outcome value with the second customer model identifier; and

,

storing the business specific data value, the current performance estimate value, the adjusted workplace design feature investment amount, the workplace design feature investment amounts, and the calculated predicted business outcome value for later retrieval using the associated second customer model identifier.

21. The system of claim 1, where the workplace design feature investment amounts comprise:

a fit of workspace features to work needs investment amount;

a comfort investment amount;

a support for communication investment amount;

a support for collaboration investment amount;

a job and environmental control investment amount;

a support for sense of community investment amount;

or,

combinations thereof.

22. The system of claim 21, where:

the fit of workspace features to work needs investment amount is associated with;

an optimize seating cost amount;

an optimize workstation task light cost amount;

an optimize work surface area and shape cost amount;

an optimize side table cost amount;

an optimize keyboard and mouse tray cost amount;

an optimize storage cost amount;

or,

an optimize monitor cost amount;

the comfort investment amount is associated with;

the optimize seating cost amount;

the optimize workstation task light cost amount;

the optimize keyboard and mouse tray cost amount;

or,

an optimize docking station cost amount;

the support for communication investment amount is associated with;

an optimize enclosure of workstation cost amount;

an optimize signage for way-finding cost amount;

an optimize meeting rooms cost amount;

or,

an enhance color, brightness, and texture of walls, floors, and doorways cost amount;

the support for collaboration investment amount is associated with;

an optimize technology in meeting space cost amount;

or,

the optimize meeting rooms cost amount;

the job and environmental control investment amount is associated with;

the optimize seating cost amount;

the optimize workstation task light cost amount;

the optimize keyboard and mouse tray cost amount;

the optimize storage cost amount;

the optimize enclosure of workstation cost amount;

the optimize monitor cost amount;

the optimize docking station cost amount;

a provide workstation ergonomic assessment cost amount;

or,

a provide ergonomic training cost amount;

the support for sense of community investment amount is associated with;

an optimize signage for way-finding cost amount;

or,

an implement custom corporate graphics program cost amount;

or,

combinations thereof.

13. A system for predicting a predicted business outcome value using workplace design feature investment amounts comprising:

an input device operative to receive input from a user;

a storage device operative to store executable instruction sets, the executable instructions sets operable to implement;

a workplace environment type selection module operative to receive a selected workplace environment type;

a business data module operative to receive a business specific data value corresponding to the workplace environment type and a current performance estimate value corresponding to the selected workplace environment type;

a project type selection module operative to receive a selected project type, where the project type corresponds to the selected workplace environment type;

a workplace component cost amount module operative to calculate a plurality of workplace design feature investment amounts for a plurality of workplace design features, where each of the workplace design feature investment amounts correspond to a workplace design feature; and

,

a predicted business outcome module 214 operative to calculate a predicted business outcome value using the received workplace design feature investment amounts and the selected project type;

a processor in communication with the input device and the storage device, where the processor is operative to execute the executable instruction sets and process input received from the input device; and

,

an output device in communication with the processor and operative to output the calculated predicted business outcome value.

14. The system of claim 13, where:

the workplace component cost amount module is further operative to calculate an adjusted workplace design feature investment amount using the workplace design feature investment amount; and

,

the predicted business outcome module 214 is further operative to re-calculate the previously calculated predicted business outcome value using the adjusted workplace design feature investment amount.

15. The system of claim 13, where the workplace component cost amount module is operative to calculate at least one workplace design feature investment amount using at least one workplace component cost amount.

16. The system of claim 15, where the at least one workplace component cost amount is a plurality of workplace component cost amounts.

17. The system of claim 16, where the workplace component cost amounts comprise at least one workplace component cost amount categorizable as a furnishing workplace component cost amount.

18. The system of claim 16, where the workplace component cost amounts comprise at least one workplace component cost amount categorizable as a technology component cost amount.

19. The system of claim 16, where the workplace component cost amounts comprise at least one workplace component cost amount categorizable as a facility interior design features component cost amount.

20. The system of claim 16, where the workplace component cost amounts comprise at least one workplace component cost amount categorizable as a training and assessment component cost amount.

23. The system of claim 13, where:

the workplace environment type selection module is operative to create a first customer model identifier for a customer;

the predicted business outcome module 214 is operative to associate the business specific data value, the current performance estimate value, the workplace design feature investment amounts, and the calculated predicted business outcome value with the first customer model identifier; and

,

the storage device is configured to store the business specific data value, the current performance estimate value, the workplace design feature investment amounts, and the calculated predicted business outcome value for later retrieval using the associated first customer model identifier.

24. The system of claim 23, where:

the workplace environment type selection module is further operative to;

create a second customer model identifier for the customer; and

,

retrieve the business specific data value, the current performance estimate value, the workplace design feature investment amounts, and the calculated predicted business outcome value using the associated first customer model identifier from the storage device;

the workplace component cost module is further operative to calculate an adjusted workplace design feature investment amount using at least one of the workplace design feature investment amounts;

the predicted business outcome module 214 is further operative to re-calculate the predicted business outcome value using the calculated adjusted workplace design feature investment amount; and

the storage device is configured to store the business specific data value, the current performance estimate value, the calculated adjusted workplace design feature investment amount, the workplace design feature investment amounts, and the calculated predicted business outcome value for later retrieval using the second customer model identifier.

25. A system for predicting a predicted business outcome value using workplace design feature investment amounts comprising:

means for receiving a selection of a workplace environment type;

means for receiving a business specific data value corresponding to the workplace environment type;

means for receiving a current performance estimate values corresponding to the workplace environment type;

means for receiving a selection of a project type, where the project type corresponds to the selected workplace environment type;

means for calculating a plurality of workplace design feature investment amounts for a plurality of workplace design features, where each of the workplace design feature investment amounts correspond to a workplace design feature;

means for calculating a predicted business outcome value using the received workplace design feature investment amounts and the selected project type; and

,

means for outputting the calculated predicted business outcome value.