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Organisations need to flex and adapt just to prosper in a way they have never had to do before.  The objective of change used to be to develop commercial advantage.  Today it is as much about survival.

As so much of our daily lives revolve around technology and the office or our place of work, it is not surprising that business leaders and practitioners alike are showing increasing interest in the power of a good workplace strategy.  But what is a workplace strategy?  Is it gobbledegook or does it really work, and if not what are the key pitfalls?

What is a workplace strategy?

There are lots of variations and that’s one of the problems.  There seems to be, however, an increasing consensus that it is a plan which will confirm how you should optimally organise your physical and virtual resources (property, space, certain support services, processes and technology) in such a way that your people can perform more effectively.  In the wider context, ‘effectively’, means productively.

So, if you are a board member and like to look at things from the top down, a workplace strategy considers the business need and then sets out how best to mobilise your people and infrastructure resources such that you can get more bang from your bucks.  In other words, highest staff productivity at optimum cost.

As a director and therefore a guardian of a company’s interests, you will also be constantly reviewing ways of delivering ever increasing and sustainable shareholder value as well as having regard to wider stakeholder interests.  Given the need to operate in an increasingly less rigid way and to be constantly anticipating the future, we would argue that no serious enterprise interested in generating sustainable profits should be without a workplace strategy.  No matter the size of your organisation, a pragmatic workplace strategy is an essential tool.

The downside of a workplace strategy

The challenge with workplace strategies is that they are not easy to get right.  For a start, clients often don’t really understand them and seasoned practitioners who know what they are talking about are few are far between.  This can be a real problem.  Then there is the issue of perception.  So many managers head for the tactical output such as, “sales people should be out selling!”

Managers and practitioners who think this way are failing to grasp the very essence of what a workplace strategy is and what it could do for their business, both positively and negatively.

Yesterday’s experience and today’s needs

Not that long ago, office workers wanted inspiring leadership, good management, an efficient process to work to, a safe and conducive working environment, the ability to connect with colleagues and customers alike, and the right equipment to apply to the job in hand.  Some might argue that nothing has changed much.

However, technology, the internet, the need for speed, relentless threats and constant change coupled with the customer expectation for a 24x7 service has added a new set of demands.  And, if that wasn’t enough, seasoned managers are having to adjust to “younger” workers, Generation Y, who are the first to be truly digitally enabled.  Then there is the “carbon” quotient to consider, not to mention the war to attract great talent even in today’s economic climate, and how you as a business leader manage the expectations and demands of those talented people.  The list goes on and on.

Considering all of these dynamics and organising them in a practical, commercial and affordable way, based on fact as opposed to sentiment, is one of the cornerstones of a workplace strategy.

In our view this means that a workplace strategy has to be an integral part of the business plan.

The results

The development and deployment of effective programmes can yield staggering results.

These have included reducing the premises burden by 50% coupled with 15% to 25% increases in productivity per head.  The impact on business profitability by such improved metrics is outstanding, and not unusual.  Conversely, the results of poorly contrived strategies can result in organisations de-motivating their people, persuading the best to jump ship - usually to a competitor, decentralising their workforce and diluting the heart and soul of the organisation.  So whilst the rewards are high, so too are the risks.

So how do you get workplace strategies to work?

The key is to get help from good practitioners.  These are big decisions and to get an independent view is worth its weight in gold.  We like to deploy teams who have actually run businesses as opposed to pure consultants or academics.  Theory is great and research is critical, however, knowing how to mould the key forces to suit a particular organisational need is even more important.  Also as these projects are not a quick fix.  You need to work with a team who can present you with all the issues in a way you can understand them and who can inspire your leadership team to embrace change.

An external expert working in a collaborative manner with an internal team made up of the right mix of managers from your organisation usually results in a more measured and lasting plan.  If this is backed by the CEO from the very outset, you will have the perfect platform from which to build a sustainable workplace strategy.

So workplace strategies can work.  They can be immensely powerful and at the very least they will make your board think beyond the day to day issues of your business.  At best they will transform the effectiveness of your organisation to  better deal with the challenges of today and tomorrow.

 

 

NAI Haywards helps clients optimise their physical assets by taking a holistic and strategic view of their business and property needs.  It directs and focuses investment to deliver the best value for the client, positively contributing to their bottom line and giving them a competitive edge.

If you would like to know more please do not hesitate to call Nick Cook on 020 7101 0200 or email him on nick.cook@naihaywards.co.uk