Efficient Workplace: Do you need a workplace strategy?

By Mark Hanson, president, M. Hanson & Co., Cedar Rapids

Do you need a workplace strategy?

First of all, what is it? A workplace strategy treats the workplace - the physical environment - as a strategic asset, which of course it truly is.

This assessment enables organizations to align how they plan, design and manage their workplaces with the business goals and objectives of the organization. A good workplace strategy will allow organizations to get the greatest return from their investment.

A bad workplace strategy - usually the result of poor or non-existent planning - will cost organizations a reduction in this asset through excess costs, reduced productivity and innovation, employee churn and much more.

A good workplace strategy, however, leads to:

•  Reduced real estate and facilities costs

•  Improved work performance

•  Increased organizational agility and flexibility

•  Improved communication and collaboration

•  Increased creativity and innovation

•  Increased employee satisfaction

•  Improved employee work-life balance

•  Improved brand, image identity and culture

•  Recruitment and retention of talent

•  Reduced environmental impact

•  Improved healthy work environment.

Business and workplace changes will usually drive the need for a workplace strategy. However, without a financial benefit - for example, reduced facilities costs - research shows organizations seldom consider developing or changing their workplace strategy.

Fortunately, there is almost always a financial benefit to doing so.

Economics

The current economic downturn is prompting organizations to want to be as efficient and effective as possible. Real estate, facilities and personnel are the largest expenses of any business, so a successful workplace strategy seeks to both improve worker performance and organizational effectiveness, while reducing real estate and facilities costs.

Examples of real estate, facilities and personnel change drivers:

•  Reduce office costs

•  Lease/ownership review of space needs

•  Increased need for flexibility and speed

•  Increased collaboration and innovation

•  Changes in the number of employees

•  Changes in ownership of corporate building(s)

•  Mergers or outsourcing

•  Building improvements

•  Leadership, organizational or brand changes

•  Strategic location move/presence

•  Regulatory changes.

Change initiatives offer an opportunity to assess the efficiency and effectiveness of workplaces to better meet the new realities.

Major initiative changes that warrant a review of workplace strategy:

•  New technologies

•  New work processes

•  Changes in work flow

•  New markets

•  New products

•  Organizational restructuring

•  Lease expiration

•  Acquisitions and mergers

•  Divestitures

•  Property ownership.

A recent IBM survey polled 1,500 CEOs about the state of the future of business. The study reported that today's world of work is substantially more volatile, uncertain and complex.

On top of that, 79 percent of CEOs anticipate greater complexity in the future.

How do you prepare for that? Sixty percent indicate the best way to defy complexity is with creativity.

Work is increasingly multimodal. Discussions of office work mix work behaviors, including independent and collaborative work modes.

Examples of redesigned office strategies can include:

•  Multipurpose space - Using space for different activities over time reduces the need for dedicated, specific function spaces.

•  On-site/flexible/drop-in spaces - Unassigned workspaces available on a first come, first-served basis.

•  Hotelling - Treating work spaces like a hotel where workers reserve a space for the time needed, then release it to be used by others when they are finished.

•  Zones and neighborhoods - Creating activity-based spaces that are clustered together, such as quiet spaces zoned together and buffered from spaces where activities create more noise.

Once an organization has decided to review its workplace strategy, step one is to address these questions and, most importantly, seek input from others:

•  How much space do we need?
•  Is it in the best location?
•  What types of work spaces will best support our employees?
•  Do we have the right mix - both individual and collaborative spaces?

The greatest benefit of workplace strategy lies in redesigning office workplaces to better support how work currently and actually gets done.

Research for this column came from Tim Springer, president and founder of Human Environmental Research Organization Inc.