WHAT IS A WORKPLACE STRATEGY?
A workplace strategy is the study of workplace environments and how to set the physicality of an office as it relates to the business objectives.
According a study from Deloitte, the goals of workplace strategy are:
- To align the physical office space with the company’s business strategy, goals and culture.
- To view the organization as a whole and how the physical office should be set-up, including spacing, branding, furniture, technology and more.
- To design a space with thoughts that will support the company’s business goals.
A Workplace Strategy is a ‘Blueprint’ that sets out how to get the most from your people, technology, and places. It will be tightly in line with your business objectives, behaviors and culture. However, don’t forget that there’s no one “right” strategy for all. It’s the study of one’s experience while working in an office setting so your strategy will be as unique as your company values and business goals.
WHO NEEDS A WORKPLACE STRATEGY?
- Large organizations or large scale corporations that have a lot of space to manage. It’s essential to maintain a productive and comfortable working environment to make sure meeting and working spaces are secure, comfortable and inspiring enough to encourage productivity.
- Smaller businesses and startups: Sometimes they may think the space is too small for workplace management. However, smaller businesses indeed need solid workplaces to give their people the best and healthiest conditions to enhance innovation. They need to understand how space facilitates or hinders work.
Either for large or smaller businesses, the financial burden of a wrong workplace can’t be ignored. Everything from energy utilization to space management and security will be a potential cost if it isn’t right. Moreover, for businesses that share the same building, a good workplace strategy will ensure equitable treatment and good relationship between different organizations in one space.
WHY DO A COMPANY NEEDS A WORKPLACE STRATEGY?
Workplace strategy is defined as the dynamic alignment of an organization’s work patterns with the work environment to enable peak performance and reduce costs. A smart strategy will help to streamline the environment and put the system in place.
There are further benefits of workplace strategy such as:
- Better satisfaction at work: With efficient and workable spaces, staff are better prepared for the working day. They have a workplace that they know will support their work, make them more comfortable and more engaged.
- Easier automation: Workplace strategy will make automation easier and help ensure that unplanned downtime is reduced. Major issues or workplace obstacles are kept to a minimum.
- Reduced overhead: Overhead refers to the ongoing business expenses not directly attributed to creating a product or a service. Strategic management of a workplace will help reduce overall costs. It will also prepare for future expansion or other potential situations.
HOW TO CREATE AN EFFECTIVE WORKPLACE STRATEGY?
There is no single solution or strategy. Every company will approach it differently. A study from Workplacefundi said that a workplace strategy is ‘one size fits one approach’ and it will be as unique as your company’s mission, vision, values and business goals. Therefore, the first step in developing a workplace strategy is defining the things that you and your company’s needs and merging them with research and design.
Initially, a workplace strategy needs to cover these main components: People – Place – Process – Technology
- People: This is the key ingredient to the success of your workplace strategy. People’s input will guide you in the required changes. Starting by optimising every touchpoint in the employee day, actively engaging with your employees to understand them and encouraging their feedback, and improving the employees’ experience will build trust and create a sense of ownership.
- Place: The employers should consider the workplace (the building of the company) and the workspace (obviously the physical space of the office) as well as different environments such as working stations, meeting rooms, creative rooms, etc. They should also pay attention to how the space can enhance productivity or company culture.
- Process: The most important thing is to understand how work activities and communication go in your company. They can identify the current work practices and measure the adoption of the new working practices.
- Technology: Modern workplaces extensively rely on technology for efficiency. These tools help cut down both the time and cost needed for getting the job done. Employers can facilitate the employees with the latest tools in the workplace helping them to be more creative and efficient. After the Covid-19 pandemic, remote working became more and more popular, and technology is increasingly being involved to ensure optimal working style and an effective and seamless workplace.
