Creating a truly great workplace isn’t just about ticking compliance boxes. While standards like BREEAM, LEED, and WELL offer structured frameworks, they are complex, expensive, and often out of reach for many organisations. Most companies lack the time, resources, and expertise to decode these frameworks, let alone implement them effectively.

The result? Workplaces that technically "comply" but fail to create environments where employees thrive. Poorly managed, inefficient spaces drain productivity, disengage employees, and ultimately cost businesses more in the long run.

Without a clear, actionable understanding of where your workplace stands, you’re leaving performance and profit on the table.

There’s a simpler, faster, and completely FREE way to assess your workplace performance: The WorkplaceFundi Workplace Assessment.

In just a few minutes, this powerful diagnostic tool will help you:
✅ Understand the key drivers of an effective workplace.
✅ Identify where your workplace is succeeding or failing.
✅ Unlock insights to optimise productivity and employee experience.
✅ Ensure your workplace and facilities teams are delivering real value.

How it works: Simply rate 15 straightforward workplace statements on a scale of 1-7, and receive a personalized report that reveals untapped potential in your workplace.

Don’t guess—get clarity. Take the free WorkplaceFundi Workplace Assessment today and start building a workplace that works for you.

👉 Take the Free Assessment Now

People I  Place  I  Performance  

Hambly’s Paradox tells us that the most stable structure known to man is a three-legged one and this is why our model has three pillars:-

1. Empower People with Choice
2. Enhance Place through Experience
3. Enact Performance through Process

We include here a brief explanation of the 3 pillars and each of their 5 KPI’s under consideration in the assessment. We also provide a call to action on each KPI so you can address the common issues.

1. Empower People with Choice

1.1.    Productivity

The productivity debate within the knowledge work environment is a subject most likely to fuel vociferous discussions amongst the leadership team.

The measurement of productivity in a knowledge environment is elusive. However, research tells us that an employee’s perception of the Workplace and its ability to support personal productivity is highly indicative of overall productivity.

With nearly 50% of employees stating that their Workplace allows them to work effectively, business leaders should be highly concerned with productivity and the effect of the Workplace on organisational performance.

Call to Action: The detailed and nuanced measurement of the employee experience of the workplace will directly and positively highlight how effective workplace environment, design, services, and management will contribute to employees performing at their peak.

1.2.   Mobility

The growing use of technology both that provided by the company as well as the rise of working remotely as well as BYOD (Bring Your Device) has led to unprecedented Tech challenges in the Workplace.

How technology is used and the chosen Workplace(whether in-office, home or 3rd place) go hand in hand. Yet in many situations, this is not only disappointing but has a direct impact on the productivity of staff as well as their resultant satisfaction with their Workplace experience.

Call to Action: The key to productivity is a designed management solution that combines mobility, the freedom to move coupled with technology and services to deliver a choice of working environments that suit different types of work and personal preferences.

1.3.   Communication

What has become clearer to all of us over the last few years is that we need to take care of our greatest asset...our people because they take care of the business.

Communication is key, and bringing employees along on the journey is vital. Employees need to understand the reasoning behind the Workplace strategy and resultant decisions and have enough time to acclimatise to the change.

Accordingly, there is a critical need to include employees in the process, as well as update them on research, insights, considerations, policy and decision-making.

Call to Action: Employers are feeling obliged into the issuing of mandates to get their employees back into the office, but compelling is often counterproductive and in there is no one-size-fits-all approach, the assessment provides a simple and clear path that encourages engagement with the staff to understands how the workplace helps or hinders their day-to-day activities.

1.4.  How we work

While the pandemic may have eliminated our commute to work, many of us ended up working longer hours and less efficiently.

This hyper-responsiveness is exacerbating our inability to find work-life balance, leading to greater stress and employee burnout. Considering the density of our workday, with many back-to-back remote meetings, more companies are starting to ask how we can work differently.

This has led to us all questioning how we work and the role and purpose of the office in an increasingly digital world.

Perhaps the on-site office is more akin to the off-site meetings pre-pandemic, a destination for collaboration, creativity, networking, and learning from each other.

Call to Action: Leaders need to make returning to the office worth the commute and remember to ensure that the office is just as enticing for the people in the room and those not in the room! 

1.5.   Experience drives Engagement 

Businesses have long recognised the importance of delivering a differentiated and engaging experience for their customers, particularly in the service sector.

The adage that a happy employee creates a happy customer is well known. So, why then have we not applied the same philosophy to creating memorable employee experiences in the Workplace?

Market leading companies are well aware that top talent is looking for more than a job with benefits, they're looking for company purpose, flexible working hours, agile and new ways of working. In The Why, What, When, Where, Who and How of Workplace I make clear how certain companies have 'Weaponised Workplace' to drive their search for talent. These companies are leading the way by leveraging the "Workplace as an experience"

Call to action:  If you want your staff to engage more fully, you need to provide a superior and compelling experience for them in the Workplace. The essence of this approach is that all the aspects and parameters of work, the physical, emotional, intellectual, virtual, and aspirational, come together in a carefully orchestrated experience to inspire employees in their day-to-day activities. This fosters loyalty and productivity that the competition will find impossible to equal.

2. Enhance Place through Experience

2.1.   ROWI (Return on Workplace Investment)

Employee's preferences for more hybrid and remote working have upended your business’s historic operational and financial justifications for the Workplace. So, the actions you take over the coming months around your people and your physical Workplaces will have obvious and, in some instances, far-reaching implications.

A preoccupation with densities and number of staff/m² may lead to an efficient use of the space but this efficiency must be handled with care. It can be an important means of justifying the cost of Workplace transformation. Indeed, it can even ensure that it is self-funding, but this should not be to the detriment of its twin soul, effectiveness.

An explicit focus on cost which may be reinforced by certain reporting lines, can lead to occupancy strategies that support higher densities at the expense of effective performance, productivity, talent retention and Workplace experience.

Your Workplace management team should be making these connections and guiding the conversations between the space and productivity but their challenge has always been to present a strong economic argument to the CFO that the value extraction is a factor of the people in the box rather than the box itself.

Call to Action: Our unique Return on Workplace Investment (ROWI) tool itemises the productivity potential to your business which can be as much as 30 X the cost savings that management usually focuses on. ROWI will present a sound business case for the improved Workplace, one that is backed by data and a scientifically supported ROI.

2.2.  Community and Pride 

Research shows that this loss of community and pride in the Workplace affects key aspects of teamwork, with 65% of employees struggling to learn from others and 51% missing informal social interactions.

As organisations develop Workplace strategies, they must consider how physical proximity influences collaboration, innovation, and company culture.

Data consistently highlights personal pride in the Workplace as a critical factor in the overall Workplace experience. Employees who take pride in their work environment are more engaged, motivated, and connected to their organisation’s culture and values.

Call to Action: You need to reveal the perceived Workplace experience across three dimensions, Environmental, Functional and Psychological. This will inform a well-managed purposeful Workplace that can instil a sense of pride, reinforcing company culture and employee innovation, and well-being, ultimately influencing retention and productivity.

2.3.  Data 

Leadership teams need evidence-based information to make informed, strategic decisions about the Workplace that align with business goals, employee needs, and operational efficiency.

Data-driven insights help leaders move beyond assumptions, ensuring that Workplace strategies are rooted in actual employee experiences, productivity trends, and cost implications.

Call to Action: Leveraging credible data, allows you to optimise your real estate by identifying cost drivers as well as key occupational performance data on the key Workplace aspects.  

2.4. Ecosystem

True knowledge work depends on applying theoretical knowledge and learning in an unpredictable culture of collaboration, exploration, autonomy, and initiative.

This is a creative way of working and as such it requires a more flexible approach to facilities and the spaces that are required to optimally perform different types of work.

It is such workers who complain that their offices are too noisy and distracting and are disappointed by the lack of different types of workspace including communal and breakout zones for them to work creatively and fulfil their potential.

Unfortunately, it is this precise same worker that is infinitely more mobile and in demand and if not satisfied will simply move to your competitor.

An ecosystem of diverse office spaces ranging from quiet focus areas to collaborative zones and social hubs is essential for modern knowledge work, which thrives on flexibility, autonomy, and seamless collaboration.

Call to Action: The pressure to create innovative ideas, products, and services to advance any business means that the creativity, intuition, and knowledge of your staff are key differentiators to advance the business. Research shows that employees perform best when they have access to spaces tailored to their tasks, whether deep-focus work, creative brainstorming, or informal networking. A well-designed and managed Workplace ecosystem enhances productivity, fosters innovation, and supports well-being by allowing employees to choose environments that match their work styles.

2.5.  Workplace Experience

Collaboration and connection play a big role in creating a great Workplace experience. According to a recent study, the top factors that influence employees to visit the office are to get heads-down work done (39%) and connection with other colleagues(37%).

Workplace experience is the key to unlocking a successful work model (whether that’s hybrid or 100% on-site). While your employees may not visit the office every day in a hybrid work model, the Workplace should offer purpose, opportunity, and space for those who do.

Call to Action: Managing your workspace effectively will help improve your Employee’s Workplace experience. Thoughtful space management helps make people feel better about being there which is a win-win for the people and the organisation.

3. Enact Performance Through Process.

3.1.   Responsibility

Who is responsible for the Workplace? In a previous article, CHROs Take Charge: Why the Physical Workplace is Now Part of Your Responsibility, I set out that in many cases accountability for the Workplace has been foisted upon HR since the pandemic.

In truth, a case could be made for any of the following disciplines FM, IT, or Corporate Real Estate to lead the charge. This is a complex and highly integrated environment and we advocate that someone needs to take overall accountability for the Workplace.

Call to Action: If you are to gain maximum advantage from the interface of the three strategic pillars of People  I  Place  I  Performance  this should be the preserve of a specialist with appropriate levels of access and influence.

3.2.  Strategy 

A dedicated Workplace strategy treats the Workplace as the strategic asset it is and enables organisations to align how they plan, design, and manage according to the business goals and objectives of the organisation.

Call to Action: If done well, a Workplace strategy will ensure that the Workplace is no longer a financial black hole but a value-adding contributor to competitive advantage and ensure a positive Return on Workplace Investment (ROWI).

3.3.  Organisational Goals

The Workplace is worthless unless it supports the goals of the organisation irrespective of its actual monetary value. Does it enable cultural transformation, competitive advantage, innovation, agility, capital efficiency, talent optimisation or effective leadership?

Call to Action: Workplace experience needs to align with the business strategy, the workforce strategy and the CRE strategy to achieve an aligned Workplace strategy that will ensure that Workplace alignment with organisational goals that will contribute to overall organisational performance.

3.4. Technology

Business leaders are united in wanting to ensure their organisations get the most from their staff at the lowest possible cost. Attaining greater productivity is a holy grail that continues to excite but elude most companies. But where should they start?

Measurements or appraisals of the office and how they contribute to productivity and organisational performance are rarely undertaken.

Call to Action: Studies based on motion sensors and trackers mean that organisations can identify and measure the effectiveness and efficiency of the spaces, services and interventions that will unleash the performance of your Workplace.

3.5.  Commercial potential

The need to reduce office costs is a major driver for considering your Workplace strategy, but’s not the only trigger. Considering the cost impact of the Workplace, it is puzzling that there has up till now been little or no assessment done on its effect on the commercial impact of the organisation either as an organisational performance inhibitor or facilitator.

Regrettably, what we see in almost all clients is either a fragmented approach to the Workplace or an overly cost-driven approach where utilisation rates and cost/m² are the only metrics by which the Workplace and team outputs are measured.

Of course, the Workplace needs to be in step with the financial agenda of the organisation. However, efficiency and effectiveness are yin and yang and they need to be in balance. Cost savings will result from the right Workplace strategy, but they should not be the overriding goal.‍

Call to Action: Optimising your real estate could help you lower real estate costs by 12-20%. Reduction in office footprint by up to 40% is possible by evaluating real estate based on future headcount, growth projections, and workforce models.

Dig Deeper:

Equip yourselves with the knowledge and dive into our free Workplace Assessment NOW

People  I  Place  I  Performance