The physical workplace

The way we work has always been in a state of change. As hunters and gatherers, humans moved around to find the best shelter, food and water. As we became farmers, we lived and worked in our community. Soon towns and cities emerged, and we specialised in skills and services, living close, but not in the workplace. The 20th century saw transport become accessible to most, meaning commuting from the suburbs, towns and villages.

Right now, we are in the next wave of change, accelerating because of technology and a new cultural ideology about how we live our lives. The shift towards flexible, multi-site and homeworking began in the early 21st century. Dial up internet, home PC's and mobile phones enabled homeworking, albeit for the sales teams or senior management. Now, most office/white collar jobs can done from anywhere that has a mobile phone signal and decent Wi-Fi. What started as a small movement, turned into a works perks and benefits, towards a real strategic business model for work. The 2020 global pandemic only accelerated the trend which was already happening.

Work is a thing you do, not a place you go.

Although many businesses had already tested the hybrid/remote working practice, many still chose to maintain physical site working. This had many benefits, from team building, to on the spot discussions about issues, easier management capability and a sense of belonging. However, those benefits don't arise just because there is a physical location. High performance is a cultural, leadership and behaviour outcome. Presenteeism doesn't eradicate team conflict, endless meetings, bureaucracy and feelings of exclusion and isolation. 75% of workers said that they would prefer to work flexibly, choosing the hours they work and where. There is still a desire to be with their team in person, but not every day. The office has many distractions and interruptions, meaning focused work can be difficult.

Perhaps in the future, the physical site will be a hub for connection, collaboration and decision making. The actual day to day work, the outputs and delivery, can be done at home or in a co-working space or local cafe. The point is, where we work is changing and rather than being reactive, leaders need to think proactively about what their organisation will look like a year or five from now.

Real estate.

Having people "on-site" means the need to have a site. The cost of big, spacious offices, in prime locations is expensive. Add to this the cost of travel, parking and the time it takes, relocation packages and the pressures to get in to work after a hectic school run or traffic delays, it might seem that ditching the office is a good idea.

A physical site to enable customers, distribution partners and employees to access the company can be re-designed geographically. Perhaps you need a central city site, or one with good access to airports, railways and motorways. Perhaps you want your central site to be in an iconic space which reflects your brand, or a rural community that linking you to your sustainable goals. You might need to be in an industry hotspot to attract the best talent.

Beyond where your site is, start thinking about the purpose of the site. How do you want people to work together when on site? Do they need to be their daily, with fixed desks arranged by function? Would you prefer hot desking? Perhaps you might prefer to create flexible meeting spaces where teams can come together for a day per week or month. Your onsite spaces might be redesigned for networking, collaboration or learning purposes. What technology and resources do you need to enable this future of work?

Town planners are already rethinking their commerce zones. They are looking towards a future where office and city centres will be empty unless they strategically plan to use the spaces differently. Incorporating residential spaces amongst working spaces, hospitality and leisure spaces might be the way of the future. Would your organisation of the future consider creating the communities once created by mill owners, farm estates and Bourneville chocolate - where people live, school, pray and work within minutes of the office? Would you prefer to attract talent from around the world and therefore invest in technology and culture not space?

The possibilities are endless, and with so much choice comes inaction. Start with the end in mind and visualise how you want your organisation to be in the future, then work backwards from there. Get clear on the blocks and barriers to success and then create a plan to overcome them. Be clear about what, when and how.

The workplace ecosystem

It is predicted that for most people, the single site location will not be the norm. Instead, an ecosystem of multiple locations will become the way we choose to work. The locations will be selected to achieving the best performance, convenience and functionality. This will be done in partnership between the individual and the employer.

If you need quiet space to get your head down and concentrate, working from home, in a library or even booking an office for a few hours with be the choice of the employee. If you need to get the team together to innovate, selecting a location that means the right people can be together, with the right environment, resources and mindsets will be essential.

The office is predicted to become the space for inspiring employees, to strengthen cultural and brand connection, learning and development and meeting clients and colleagues. The design will, therefore, need to be collaborative, inspiring and on-brand.

Post-covid environment

The place your worked before the 2020 pandemic is gone. Entering your site now will look and feel very differently. The post-covid working environment will focus on the healthy office. Airflow, increased space between desks, shared lifts, toilets and drinks areas will be restricted. For how long the social distancing measures will be in place, no one knows, but it will continue to shape how we think and feel about our physical environments.

We will choose space, natural light, and natural air flow.

Your workplace strategy checklist