What is activity based working? Activity Based Working is a way of designing a workplace in order that it provides physical spaces appropriate for the range of tasks that employees might carry out. Typical examples of ABW spaces are quiet rooms for focused work, bookable meeting rooms, spaces such as breakout areas and café-style booths for more informal collaboration, and so on. A key principle behind the ABW approach is to acknowledge the effect that space has on how we feel and how well we are able to work - a stark contrast to the more traditional fixed desk way of working.