Dale’s Revised Research Proposal

Dale’s Revised Research Proposal

To: Erika Paterson
From: Dale Miller
Date: June 22, 2022
Subject: Proposal for Determining the New Office Plan for OP Media Group

Introduction

While the COVID-19 pandemic was at its peak from 2019 to 2021, many office-based businesses switched from traditional in-office working environments to working remotely. Now that the pandemic is stabilizing in most parts of Canada, many businesses are considering their options with regards to a return to office plan.

OP Media Group is a publishing company with 15 full-time and dozens of contract and freelance employees. They have an office in downtown Vancouver with workstations for 15 people. Like most businesses in Canada, OP Media Group went completely remote in 2019, and since the beginning of 2022 have been functioning largely as a hybrid work environment with approximately different eight people on site each day, who choose to come into the office or not depending on their work schedule.

Statement of Problem

OP Media Group’s office lease expires at the end of 2022, and the company’s president needs to decide whether to renew the lease for the current space, seek to get a space with reduced capacity to match the number of people using the office with the hybrid model, or get rid of the office altogether. Some implications of this problem are the monthly rental costs to OP Media Group, as well as staff safety, productivity, and satisfaction.

Audience Description

This report will be addressed to OP Media Group’s president, Mark Yelic, who has the ultimate responsibility for the company’s financial and employee wellbeing, as well as deciding whether to renew, reduce, or get rid of its office space.

Proposed Solution

One possible solution is for OP Media Group to continue with the hybrid work environment it has used since the beginning of 2022 and seek to have the size of its current office reduced to match the average number of people who are using the office on a daily basis. This will allow the company to decrease the amount of rent it pays each month, offer its employees flexibility for when they are sick or when they need to collaborate with others, and allow employees who want to be in the office to do so, and vice versa, which should increase staff satisfaction.

Scope

To help determine the correct course of action, this report will pursue the following areas of inquiry:

1. What are the office-space-related costs associated with renewing, reducing, and getting rid of the current office space?
2. Does the work environment have an impact on employee safety?
3. Does the work environment have an impact on employee productivity?
4. Does the work environment have an impact on employee satisfaction?
5. What is the result of a cost-benefit analysis of each of the three options?

Methods

Primary data sources will start with a satisfaction survey of all OP Media employees, including questions with likert scale responses, which will provide quantitative data for analysis. There will also be consultations with select OP Media Group employees, both management and general staff, who have specific knowledge into the issue. This will give insight into both the productivity and qualitative satisfaction levels of the employees on both the previous and current office setups. These consultations will also give pricing and other logistical information on what each of the three office options will entail.

Secondary data sources will include publications with research on office safety for COVID-19 and otherwise, as well as employee productivity from home or hybrid working environments.

My Qualifications

I was a fulltime employee of OP Media Group for more than 10 years and have firsthand knowledge of the working conditions at the office before and during the pandemic. My continued association with the company, its ownership, and employees will give me the opportunity to do an in-depth analysis on the company’s new office plan.

Conclusion

As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to change the way companies do business, OP Media Group needs to come up with a new plan to address this new reality. By addressing the five areas of inquiry I mentioned earlier, this report should help determine the best course of action for both the company and its employees.