The Federal Office of the Future

An exclusive Federal News Radio online survey shows feds are happiest when they work in offices where they can close their doors. Cubicles and open spaces with little separating them from colleagues are a recipe for distraction and lower productivity, they say. “My colleagues just pop up like prairie dogs and ask me questions all day,” said one respondent. The survey is part of Federal News Radio’s latest special report, The Federal Office of the Future.

After a four-year renovation, the Edith Green-Wendell Wyatt (EGWW) Federal Building is a model of success for the green construction movement. The building now uses about half as much energy as it previously did and 60 percent less water than typical office buildings. Federal News Radio goes inside the building in part 2 of our special report, The Federal Office of the Future.

Eco-friendly construction is a priority, and in some cases a requirement. for future office planning in the federal government. Federal News Radio’s special report, The Federal Office of the Future, explores how LEED certification standards are sweeping the country in new and current federal offices.

In the future, federal offices could be more like patios – where furniture is adjustable and moveable for whatever task or project is at hand, say experts at the General Services Administration. In our special report, The Federal Office of the Future, we examine the research behind the decision to make office spaces more flexible.

Claire Gainley of Humanscale talks with Federal News Radio’s Tom Temin about how to best design chairs to fit the people who will use them.

Simply ensuring offices have views to the outside, contain plants, receive adequate daylight or have nature-inspired art all help create a more inviting, healthy environment. Bill Browning offers tips on making your office a more productive place for employees by bringing the outside in.

Ensuring effective office space accommodations for people with disabilities necessitates increased understanding of what accommodations really are, says the Labor Department’s Jennifer Sheehy. And that starts with the words we use.

When you create a bureaucracy as large as the federal government, you’ve got to have a place for all those employees to work. From rural post offices to giant office buildings, federal workspaces have evolved over 200-plus years. As part of Federal News Radio’s special report, The Federal Office of the Future, this photo gallery takes a look at the way federal offices have changed over the years.

As part of Federal News Radio’s special report, The Federal Office of the Future, we take a look at 10 unusual places where federal workers clock in at every day.