Research

Being able to discern organizational nuances can become significant business opportunities. In fact, McKinsey & Company list being able to surface top challenges to leadership as one of the most critical parts of supporting the organization. Knowing how the team works the most successfully, how the office enables innovation, and what prevents successful collaboration can be the single most important insight that is brought before leadership. Your people are your biggest asset and one of the most significant challenges in the year ahead will be talent scarcity and increased turnover. Your office must be aligned successfully with your objectives to keep your company competitive and growing. According to Gartner, the pace of team member turnover is forecast to be 50-75% higher than companies have experienced previously, and the issue is compounded by it taking 18% longer to fill roles than pre-pandemic.

Articles in the WSJ and The New York Times recently highlight how some companies have turned to inserting attention grabbing features or over-the-top aesthetics to draw interest and entice people back to the office. The reaction from the team members seem to view these as shallow attempts to lure people back onsite and not addressing the workplace concerns that exist. If your organization wants to thoughtfully make an impact, diagnosing how the team works and finding an approach that responds to environmental challenges while also demonstrating the culture goes a long way and makes the most of the financial investment that you are contributing.

Analysis

The office is one of the two largest expenditures an organization has next to people and ensuring that the physical environment is creating synergies for the team can be achieved when purposeful design is deployed. The workspace plays a powerful role in shaping work motivation, job satisfaction, and patterns of interactions – all key components to engage a team and drive positive results. Investing in office design is something you can’t afford to miss.

The new workspace needs to:

• Effectively sustain focus and collaboration onsite for all individuals.
• Provide connection, restoration, stimulation, and inspiration.

Innovation is what distinguishes your organization from the rest and becomes the foundation for future business momentum. Teams that come together with purpose in the right environment can effectively collaborate, creating thought leadership and best-in-class product and services. Research has shown that when these ideation sessions happen in-person, teams generate 15-20% more ideas that those groups who were fully virtual. Providing your team members with the right space can drive critical success and growth.

Often we strive for definitive answers, black and white, one size fits all solutions. It feels better to have that, it feels better to apply the tools and go with the flow. However, we find ourselves in a place where change is constant and our ability to adapt and be fluid may be the biggest predictor of success into the future. While it is important for a company to have an approach for onsite presence, that doesn’t have to be the same as other companies. Emulating what other organizations are doing might not organizationally align well. Companies need to look inward and discover what is the plan that will support their culture, work, and the well-being of their team members.