Vic council offers mobile work stations

Increased productivity is just one of the benefits stemming from a Victorian council initiative to free its staff from designated workstations, a university study has found.

Deakin University says Cardinia Shire Council's provision of different workstations at its headquarters in Melbourne's southeast - be they outside, on a couch by a window or in any number of quiet spaces - has also required less floor space per staff member.

And it has increased organisational learning, which drives better decision making and customer service, the university found.

Activity Based Working is a relatively new idea but since putting it into place late last year, Cardinia Shire chief executive Gary McQuillan says the council has noticed many positive changes.

"We wanted to achieve better collaboration, better teamwork, improve our decision making, better service delivery and that's already starting to be generated through this new way of working," he said.

"It's a bold move."

The council says it has been able to reduce paper use, decrease operational energy costs and improve staff retention.