Why Workplace Space Management is a TOP Priority For Your Business
Our office environments, in many ways, are like our own ecosystems. With a natural flow to how things move and change in space, the environment grows and changes over time. This process can unfold on its own without anyone pulling strings. Put a group of people together for long enough, and they'll develop a system, right?
Though this might be true, these systems that spring up organically in the workplace aren't always practical or efficient. An unplanned, unmanaged office won't magically transform everyone's energy into a well-organised oasis of productivity. If you want to ensure that the space allocation of your real estate and space inventory is as productive and functional as possible, then you'll need to use a strategic plan towards optimising your Workplace Space Management and planning techniques.
It's seen that a simple utilisation of space management can go a long way.
69% of companies saw occupant satisfaction improve with the office's additions of healthy life – plants and greenery –. At the same time, 77% of workers credited an open-plan layout for their increased productivity.
In a post-pandemic setting, how a business plans for and manages the use of its physical workspace has become more important than ever. The use of space promotes a productive working environment, greater collaboration, and happy employees. It requires facility managers to:
· Manage floor layouts
· Monitor room availability
· Design office space
· Provide access to amenities
· Keep elevators, HVAC units, and other assets in working order.
All of these were challenged by COVID-19, resulting in a shift in managing hybrid working, hot desking, and safety protocols. A combination of workplace benefits and a proactive approach to ongoing challenges prompts the need for a flexible structured approach to space planning and management.
In one of our recent virtual meetups, we got an opportunity to hear some interesting facts on workspace utilisation from our guest speaker Mr Andrew Smart. He stresses that workplace space utility experience has been a growing sector for them. Andrew Smart feels the workplace utility has been somewhat slowed down due to the pandemic, and for obvious reasons and therefore has effects on the real estate and facilities.
Click below to watch our video for a quick summary on the importance of Workplace Space Management or alternatively carry on reading >>>
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Andrew Smart explains;
"Interestingly, we're not seeing vast acres of surplus space, but we're seeing clients trying to work out how to capture the workplace efficiency that we all know will help reduce wastage. People now choose to come to the office on maybe Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays, which ideally is a busy day compared to Mondays and Fridays, which are incredibly quiet for most organisations. So, have you made anything of that? By this, could you extract your utility savings easily or flatten the usage across those five days?
Also, to ask people not to come in on a Wednesday and Thursday, we've got to come in on Monday and Friday and to mandate that for an organisation. It takes a certain kind of CEO to propagate things. I can assure you that there are not many who devise that.
So, it's interesting to know that the hybrid situation is changing the way people look at how they use the space when they're in it, but it's not creating quite the real estate efficiencies as expected.
Let me give you an instance. So, when I look at my campus years ago, a large campus down in the southeast, where we could switch our building off every Friday. We were very early adopters then, but again, it was a free breakfast on Monday morning and Friday evening.
The other thing is the demographic. I've noticed many differences in the workforce demographic and where they are. Let's talk about the city centre for a moment. Here in a city centre organisation like ours, the people who want to be in the office are young because their homes are small. It's difficult for them to work at home so they'd instead work here in the office, rather than in their shared flat or at the secondary where their social life is (their friends, colleagues and the people they mix with). They might be happy to work comfortably from their study room, thinking I don't want to commute, and why would I want to come into the office every day? So demographic shift is quite crucial as well to consider. Different organisations with different demographics impact the overall utility of your workplace space."
Why should your business prioritise space optimisation?
Effective space management doesn't have to be complicated. You must plan thoroughly and orderly to ensure your business can serve your client's needs while helping facility managers better understand utilisation. Here is why you should prioritise space optimisation.
Bottomline
The driving forces for better space management are workplace health and safety, employee productivity, and occupant well-being. With the shift in managing hybrid working and safety protocols, a proactive, flexible and structured approach to space planning and management can help promote a productive working environment, greater collaboration, and happier and healthier employees.
Do you agree with these priorities? What has been your organisation's take on workplace space management? We'd love to hear what you've found is most important in your company - so let us know.
