Is your office due for a design overhaul? Before you can make a case to relocate your firm to a more desirable location or ask for funds to update your current workspace, do a deep dive into how your office can work for you to make your employees happier and your business more profitable.
With some strategic planning and insight, you can create a cost-effective, productive office. Below is a cheat sheet we devised based on our work with facility managers, CEOs, COOs, workplace strategists, real estate developers, and architects for workplace optimization for higher ROI.
Leveraging workplace analytics can be a powerful tool to optimize workplaces for higher ROI. By analyzing data on various aspects of the workplace, such as employee productivity, space utilization, and the impact of design changes, organizations can make informed decisions to create a cost-effective and productive environment.
1. Goals
Start by defining the goals of your office. Think beyond the hard costs and evaluate how your workplace generates revenue, influences employee productivity, conveys corporate culture, and appeals to clients and potential new hires. Understanding quantitative and qualitative measurements will paint an accurate picture of how your workplace impacts the bottom line.
2. Hard Costs
Offices are a huge overhead expense. Understand your cost per square foot — factor in rent, utility bills, and equipment maintenance to get a baseline for what it costs to operate day-to-day.
3. Revenue-Generating
Do a workspace audit to understand how areas are being occupied and which ones are being under-utilized. Use space management software or seating and desk maps to understand patterns in the workspace. This will provide you with a good snapshot of how the square footage is being used.
4. Employee Productivity
More and more research shows a link between productivity and “good” design — one that couples biophilic design principles with pleasing aesthetics and a variety of working environments. Learn how employees engage with the space. Walk the office and identify areas that are lacking in natural light, ventilation and greenery. Survey employees to see which spaces feel cramped, which have personal touches and which ones feel energized or tired. Designing with employees in mind is good for the them and for the bottom line.
5. Corporate Culture
The built environment can define a company’s culture. A well-branded office will convey your company’s personality while enhancing the workplace experience for employees and customers. Incorporating company culture, like we did for Pac 12 Network, into your workplace design strategy not only communicates your company's philosophy, but also builds team spirit and enhances employee satisfaction; ultimately, increasing productivity.
6. Attract and Retain Talent
An attractive, healthy work environment is an effective recruiting tool. With today’s multigenerational workforce, workplaces designed for both younger and older generations’ working styles will appeal to a broader talent pool. An office layout that accommodates private, shared, flexible and team interaction will meet the changing needs of staff and maximize ROI.
7. Post-Occupancy Evaluation
The research doesn’t stop at the pre-design phase. Post-occupancy surveys and evaluations will help you measure the impact of design changes on employees, revenue per square foot, and corporate perception.
Related Read: Resimercial and Corporality Design Styles Blend Comfort, Productivity
Workplace design is about the people who occupy the space. Creating places that make staff want to go to work is the key to workspace optimization. We take a strategic approach to workplace design. We do the research, gather the facts, and design workspaces to meet your goals. Whether your upgrading your facility to boost employee morale or reconfiguring the office to meet a growing staff, our team will help you maximize your design so you can maximize ROI.
Contact us for a free consultation and learn how we can help you optimize for greater ROI
