The pandemic induced the working from home experiment drawing to a slow, bumpy close, many businesses are planning their back-to-the-office strategy. The change can feel incredibly daunting to some, whilst it is exciting and positively disruptive for others. Workplace consultants have been doing for years, guiding clients on the shift from traditional work styles to a more progressive approach. If you are looking to redefine your workplace strategy to ensure your office brings the best out of your people and business, then you have come to the right place.
People first, business aligned.
The alignment of your business and your people’s needs is vital to your success. Our Office23 guide is your future of work, whether that means fully back to the office or a hybrid solution– redefining what the office means to your business and your employees is essential. From reinvesting in your corporate culture to refitting space to building a solid digital toolbox – we can help youvisualise your Office23 strategy. The positive impacts on individuals resulting from working and collaborating where they are most productive lead to enhanced personal development and
brand stewardship. Therefore, the workplace becomes the peopleplace.
The return-on-investment of involving your people in the Office23 strategy will come back ten-fold. Aligning people, team and business needs brings people along the journey together, improving buy-in later down the line.
Luke Philpott, Equity Partner at DeVono, has recently shared his insights on how businesses can make the office more enticing to workers and prospective employees.
Focus on Culture
Your culture is the embodiment of your organisation, and it exists whether you define it or not. It is both the foundation and the glue that holds your business purpose and strategy together. We passionately believe that the office is the physical manifestation of your company culture and use this as a fundamental insight within our workplace consultancy process. Workplace consultancy essentially defines the vision, approach and strategy for how your environment should enable and support your business in achieving its long term goals and objectives. We work closely with our clients’ leadership teams and employees to carry out surveys that help us establish your existing and ideal culture. This, combined with further employee feedback, working style insights and understanding your future business aspirations, allows us to help you define your workplace strategy and office requirements.
Office Design
We know a -designed workplace is not just about how it looks, but primarily about how it works. ‘How, who and when’ are fundamental considerations for creating a functional, productive and engaging workplace. Taking the time to understand how people use a space and the different working needs of your workforce allows business owners to delve deeper into what actually works about their current surroundings and, more importantly, what doesn’t. For example, do they need more meeting rooms, or distraction free zones, to support those ‘head down’ moments, or is it having more social and collaborative areas to encourage togetherness and a sense of community?
Understanding ‘who’ is using your space is about waking up to your employee’s needs. This goes beyond profiling their working needs based on their roles and responsibilities and is more about gaining insights into their personality nuances and unique requirements. What are their needs based on who they are and how they behave? How comfortable are they in loud environments? How physically able they are? And how often do they want to be surrounded by people?
‘When’ is knowledge of how often the space is used. People and businesses alike have realised that different roles can be more efficient when people get to choose where they complete certain tasks. Be that working from the office, their home or any number of ‘thirdspaces’ such as cafes, coworking spaces, hotel lobbies or frankly anywhere that supports them doing their best work. Knowing the when will allow you to successfully understand which working model, whether its hybrid, flexible or something else, is best for your business.
Technology
The workplace is currently in a heightened state of evolution with changes in job roles, working patterns, movement in demographic trends, and a fundamental shift in how we interact with our colleagues and clients. Layer in advances in technology, connectivity, and the hybrid workplace, and the effects in how we work become ever more complex. Thus, now is the time to review your digital culture, and technology is the great equaliser.
The work-from-home directive ushered in a sea of change in the world of work, but this change was already occurring; the pandemic just supercharged it, forcing companies to adopt, adapt, and transform quickly.
The return-to-the-office has resulted in increased hybrid working, and technology has become even more vital to ensuring that everyone is on equal footing, even when WFA (work from anywhere). Throughout 2022, businesses will be harnessing the power of technology within their workplaces by finding the right solution for their workforce.
To find out more about DeVono’s Office23 offer, contact Amanda Irwin, DeVono’sHead of Workplace Consultancy, on +44 (0) 7392 922690, or via email at ai@devono.com.
