Workspace Strategy
Having worked in the design and build industry for over 15 years, we've helped thousands of companies with their workspace projects. Many of these companies had impressive offices. However, they were struggling with irrelevant, obsolete, or ineffective workspace designs.
Why? In many cases, it came down to mistakes in their workspace strategy. Your workspace decisions have a major tangible effect on the success of your company. Unfortunately, your mistakes are no different. If the foundation for all your major real estate decisions is misguided (or non-existent), then the results will be ineffective, or even damaging.
While you can't eradicate past mistakes, you can remedy them and prevent your company from being impacted by them in future. In this article, we'll go through the 5 major mistakes we see in many workspace strategies. These are at the root of almost all office design issues we encounter. By the end of this article, you'll know how to identify them, why they matter, and how to resolve or avoid them at your company.
What is a Workspace Strategy?
A workspace strategy aligns your company’s workspace(s) with your company strategy, culture, and processes. Your workspace strategy is much more than a high-level plan for your next project. It’s an overall vision and framework for your workspaces over the next 3-10 years.
There are 7 key elements of a good workspace strategy: working model, location & size, layout & environments, aesthetic design, technology, culture, and cost. You need to have a clear plan for each to ensure your offices are relevant, inspiring, and effective. To learn more about each of these 7 parts, read What is a Workspace Strategy and Why Do You Need One?
Workspace Strategy Mistakes
1) No Workspace Strategy
Despite the importance of workspace strategy, many companies don’t have a full workspace strategy. As a result, their office designs are often outdated, driven by cost and based on obsolete concepts. This means their office is merely somewhere (unpleasant) for their people to work, rather than integral to achieving company goals.
To solve this situation, you need to take the time and effort to develop an effective workspace strategy. A specialist workspace consultant may be helpful for this. They will be able to analyse the way your staff currently work and communicate, as well as study your real estate costs and needs. They can then work with you to create a comprehensive plan covering all aspects of your workspace strategy.
By creating a unique workspace strategy tailored to your people and company, you will ensure your workspace(s) are a strategic asset. This means that they contribute to the future growth and success of your company.
2) Not Data-Based
Another mistake many companies make with their workspace strategy is that they don't collect enough data. As a result, their strategy is based on assumptions and emotions. Without data, you run the risk of creating a strategy that doesn’t meet the needs of your people and company. This will be ineffective at best, and damaging at worst.
The are several ways to make your workspace strategy more data-based. The first is by using staff surveys to understand how your people work currently and what they think would make them more productive. You could even use space utilisation studies to analyse exactly how your people work.
Depending on your company size, it may not be realistic to use data to inform every part of your workspace strategy. However, using as much data as possible will make your strategy a lot more grounded and relevant.
3) Not Aligned with Company Strategy
One of the most common mistakes we see with workspace strategies is that they aren’t aligned with the overall company strategy. For example, your company might plan for aggressive headcount growth in the next 3 years, but you sign a 5-year lease on a space with little growth potential. This can lead to poor decision-making and serious office design mistakes.
To avoid this situation, review your workspace strategy every 6-12 months to ensure it is in line with your overall strategy. The key points to consider are working model, headcount growth, and new locations. It is also important to ensure you are aligned with leadership on your working model, as this will not only affect how much space you need, but how you use it.
4) Lack of Employee Input
A workspace strategy is ineffective if it doesn’t consider the needs of your people. To get the most out of your real estate, your people need a space that reflects and enhances the way they work. Their input is an essential part of this. An opportunity to contribute to your workplace strategy will also help them be more engaged with the space.
To ensure your staff are engaged with your workspace strategy, you can carry out regular surveys to monitor their feelings about their workspace. Conversations can also be helpful to get a better insight into how your workspace can support your staff. It’s also important to implement a change management plan for any significant changes.
By consulting your staff, explaining to them the reason for the change, and supporting them with any issues, they will be much more engaged with your workspace strategy. As a result, they will be more productive, making your workspace strategy more effective.
5) Inflexible Strategy
The final mistake we see in many workspace strategies we review is a lack of flexibility. Making long-term decisions in a constantly changing environment is difficult, so if you don’t build flexibility into your workspace strategy, you risk it becoming irrelevant.
Real estate and staff needs are constantly evolving. Your workspace strategy has to evolve at the same speed so that it doesn’t become irrelevant or even worse, hold your company back. To do this, you need to set a clear plan for your future workspace, with timelines and criteria for reviews and changes. To learn more, read 5 Ways to Future-Proof Your Workspace Strategy.
Improving Your Real Estate ROI with Workspace Strategy
An effective real estate strategy is essential to maximise your return on your investment in real estate and staff. To do this, you must avoid the common missteps that make many workspace strategies ineffective or damaging. By avoiding and preventing these mistakes, you can ensure your workspace is a strategic asset that contributes to the success of your company, both now and in the future.
To learn more about what goes into a workspace strategy and how to create one, read What is a Workspace Strategy and Why Do You Need One? and How to Create a Workspace Strategy.
To take the next step on your workspace strategy journey, download your Ultimate Workspace Consultancy Guide. If you're creating or improving your workspace strategy, then a workspace consultant can be an invaluable source of experience and assistance. Download the consultancy guide to find answers to your most pressing workspace consultancy questions, from cost to outcomes.
