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Environmental
How the assessment works:
The assessment consists of 15 Questions:
  • 5 Questions that explore how your organisation’s workplace Empowers People with Choice.
  • 5 Questions that explore how your organisation Enhances the Workplace through Experience.
  • 5 Questions that explore how your organisation’s workplace Enacts its Purpose through Process.
Each question is scored on a scale of 1 through 7, where 1 means "Strongly Disagree", 4 means "Neutral" and 7 means "Strongly Agree".
  • Click and drag the red dot on the range slider to provide your rating
  • The "next" button will appear after selecting your score on the range slider
  • Please ensure the "rating" field indicates a number between 1 and 7 before proceeding to the next question
Are you ready to find out how your workplace scores?
Yes, Let's go!
Environmental
*Required
What is your full name?
*Enter your name then proceed to the next question
Environmental
*Required
What is your best Email address?
*Enter your email then proceed to the next question
Environmental
*Required
Would you to receive your result report per email?
*Make selection then proceed to the next question
Enact Purpose through process
01
A senior person is overall accountable to make sure that the workplace is delivering to it full potential?
Click and drag the red dot below - Make sure your rating indicated below is between 1 and 7 before proceeding to the next question.
Rating (Nothing Selected)
Nothing
Selected
(1)
Strongly
Disagree
(2)
Somewhat
Disagree
(3)
Slightly
Disagree
(4)
Neutral
(5)
Slightly
Agree
(6)
Agree
(7)
Strongly
Agree
Environmental
Enact Purpose through process
02
We have a comprehensive workplace strategy and management plan in place?
Click and drag the red dot below - Make sure your rating indicated below is between 1 and 7 before proceeding to the next question.
Rating (Nothing Selected)
Nothing
Selected
(1)
Strongly
Disagree
(2)
Somewhat
Disagree
(3)
Slightly
Disagree
(4)
Neutral
(5)
Slightly
Agree
(6)
Agree
(7)
Strongly
Agree
Environmental
Enact Purpose through process
03
We understand how the workplace directly supports our business strategy and goals?
Rating (Nothing Selected)
Nothing
Selected
(1)
Strongly
Disagree
(2)
Somewhat
Disagree
(3)
Slightly
Disagree
(4)
Neutral
(5)
Slightly
Agree
(6)
Agree
(7)
Strongly
Agree
Environmental
Enact Purpose through process
04
We are using using technology and data to unlock workplace performance?
Rating (Nothing Selected)
Nothing
Selected
(1)
Strongly
Disagree
(2)
Somewhat
Disagree
(3)
Slightly
Disagree
(4)
Neutral
(5)
Slightly
Agree
(6)
Agree
(7)
Strongly
Agree
Environmental
Enact Purpose through process
05
Our strategy is maximising the full commercial potential of our workplaces?
Rating (Nothing Selected)
Nothing
Selected
(1)
Strongly
Disagree
(2)
Somewhat
Disagree
(3)
Slightly
Disagree
(4)
Neutral
(5)
Slightly
Agree
(6)
Agree
(7)
Strongly
Agree
Environmental
Empower People with Choice
06 / Temperature
The ambient temperature in the workplace is comfortable all year round
Rating (Nothing Selected)
Nothing
Selected
(1)
Strongly
Disagree
(2)
Somewhat
Disagree
(3)
Slightly
Disagree
(4)
Neutral
(5)
Slightly
Agree
(6)
Agree
(7)
Strongly
Agree
Functional
Empower People with Choice
06
Employees are clear on how we measure productivity?
Rating (Nothing Selected)
Nothing
Selected
(1)
Strongly
Disagree
(2)
Somewhat
Disagree
(3)
Slightly
Disagree
(4)
Neutral
(5)
Slightly
Agree
(6)
Agree
(7)
Strongly
Agree
Functional
Empower People with Choice
07
We are maximising the use of technology and services to help our people work productively?
Rating (Nothing Selected)
Nothing
Selected
(1)
Strongly
Disagree
(2)
Somewhat
Disagree
(3)
Slightly
Disagree
(4)
Neutral
(5)
Slightly
Agree
(6)
Agree
(7)
Strongly
Agree
Functional
Empower People with Choice
08
We have communicated a clear policy, procedures and practices  on how, where, when and why we work.
Rating (Nothing Selected)
Nothing
Selected
(1)
Strongly
Disagree
(2)
Somewhat
Disagree
(3)
Slightly
Disagree
(4)
Neutral
(5)
Slightly
Agree
(6)
Agree
(7)
Strongly
Agree
Functional
Empower People with Choice
09
Employees are trusted and empowered to work when and wherever they want.
Rating (Nothing Selected)
Nothing
Selected
(1)
Strongly
Disagree
(2)
Somewhat
Disagree
(3)
Slightly
Disagree
(4)
Neutral
(5)
Slightly
Agree
(6)
Agree
(7)
Strongly
Agree
Functional
Empower People with Choice
10
Our Workplace is actively used to drive improved employee experience.
Rating (Nothing Selected)
Nothing
Selected
(1)
Strongly
Disagree
(2)
Somewhat
Disagree
(3)
Slightly
Disagree
(4)
Neutral
(5)
Slightly
Agree
(6)
Agree
(7)
Strongly
Agree
Cultural
Enhance Place through Experience
11
We measure how the workplace contributes to productivity?
Rating (Nothing Selected)
Nothing
Selected
(1)
Strongly
Disagree
(2)
Somewhat
Disagree
(3)
Slightly
Disagree
(4)
Neutral
(5)
Slightly
Agree
(6)
Agree
(7)
Strongly
Agree
Cultural
Enhance Place through Experience
12
We have asked our people if the workplace makes them proud and gives them a strong sense of community?
Rating (Nothing Selected)
Nothing
Selected
(1)
Strongly
Disagree
(2)
Somewhat
Disagree
(3)
Slightly
Disagree
(4)
Neutral
(5)
Slightly
Agree
(6)
Agree
(7)
Strongly
Agree
Cultural
Enhance Place through Experience
13
We are being presented with evidence-based information to make decisions about our workplace?
Rating (Nothing Selected)
Nothing
Selected
(1)
Strongly
Disagree
(2)
Somewhat
Disagree
(3)
Slightly
Disagree
(4)
Neutral
(5)
Slightly
Agree
(6)
Agree
(7)
Strongly
Agree
Cultural
Enhance Place through Experience
14
We have a diverse and interconnected ecosystem of spaces suitable for different work activities.
Rating (Nothing Selected)
Nothing
Selected
(1)
Strongly
Disagree
(2)
Somewhat
Disagree
(3)
Slightly
Disagree
(4)
Neutral
(5)
Slightly
Agree
(6)
Agree
(7)
Strongly
Agree
Cultural
Enhance Place through Experience
15
Creating a great Workplace experience is a priority for us.
Rating (Nothing selected)
Nothing
Selected
(1)
Strongly
Disagree
(2)
Somewhat
Disagree
(3)
Slightly
Disagree
(4)
Neutral
(5)
Slightly
Agree
(6)
Agree
(7)
Strongly
Agree
Cultural
Here's how you've scored:
Workplace Experience score:
0
%
Select the range in which you've scored from the options below to to start generating your feedback report:
Cultural
1 more step to go!
0
%
Enact Purpose
Through Process
0
%
Empower People
with Choice
0
%
Enhance Place
through Experience
Select the sub category in which you scored the highest from the scores above then select "generate report" to get a detailed breakdown of what your scores mean as well as possible suggestions on how to improve.

Select only 1 if you have achieved the same score on more than one category.
*Go back and select your total score (slide 19) in order to complete this last step

Workplace Self-Assessment-Report

Dowload PDF report

1. Thank You

Thanks for taking the time to complete the WorkplaceFundi self-assessment tool to evaluate your workplace. We hope that this will help you in assessing the workplace from your perspective and aid you in strategic conversations with those responsible for your experience of your Workplace. We have sought to characterise your result with the typical symptoms associated with the assessment of your workplace along with some recommendations and what it will take to move towards and Experiential Workplace. This assessment measures how well your organisation invests in the workplace experiences of their people measured over the 3 foundational elements of the WorkplaceFundi Experiential Management -360 Blueprint.

The 3 foundational elements are:
  • Enact Purpose Through Process
  • Empower People with Choice
  • Enhance Place through Experience
If you want to know more and how we can help you improve your score email me at Andrew@workplacefundi.com or click below to schedule a free consultation:
Schedule COnsultation

2. Introduction

If you are the CEO of your organisation you are undoubtedly concerned with how your company is measuring up to your competition. But what are you doing about the mounting body of evidence that shows the correlation between the Workplace and your company’s competitive advantage?The interaction between your facilities, people, technology, and services impact your organisations efficiency, effectiveness, comfort, productivity, engagement, health and the attraction and retention of the best talent. 

Your Workplace is an enabler of all this and more. So, if your Workplace isn’t working your business can’t perform.

If you are not the CEO then send him/her this paper and then follow up and ask them the questions set out below.

The Questions are designed to generate a strategic conversation amongst business leadership teams with regards to how the performance of the Workplace is contributing to productivity, organisational effectiveness, and competitive advantage in their marketplaces. Your organisation’s accommodation and the people that work in it are your company’s biggest assets.

You undoubtedly measure the performance of your people which is in no small part determined by the Workplace but what about measuring the performance of the Workplace itself? COVID-19 has upended your business’s historic operational and financial justifications for the workplace. 

As a leader in your organisation, 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.

If you want to know more and how we can help you improve your score email me at Andrew@workplacefundi.com

3. Scoring

Your Experiential Workplace Index (EWi) is broken down as follows:
  • Statements 1-5 measure your response in respect of the foundational element of Enact Purpose Through Process (weighted at 30%)
  • Statements 6-10 measure your response in respect of the foundational element of Empower People with Choice (weighted at 30%)
  • Statements 11-15 measure your response in respect of the foundational element of Enhance Place through Experience (weighted at 40%)
Each response is scored on a scale of 1 through 7 where 1 means strongly disagree and 7 means strongly agree.
  • >90% in all three environments means you have an Experiential Workplace. …congratulations!
  • 80%-90% in all three environments means you have a Pre-Experiential Workplace….. Well done nearly there!
  • If you averaged between 70%–80% you have either an Engaged, Empowered, or Enabled Workplace (depending on the two elements you scored highest in).  
    - Process and People = Engaged Workplace.
    - Process and Place = Empowered Workplace.
    - Place and People = Enabled Workplace.
  • Between 50%–70% you are in an Emergent Workplace.  (again depending on which environments you scored highest in).
    -People = People Emergent 
    - Process = Process Emergent 
    - Place = Place Emergent
  • If you scored below 50% you have a Non-Experiential Workplace

Your score on the Workplace Experience Index (WXi) is as follows:

Workplace Experience Score:
0
%
This is an overall score for your workplace as a summation of the individual People, Place and Purpose factors this means that ….
You have an Non-Experiential Workplace
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
1. Non-Experiential
2. Emergent Organization
3. Engaged, Empowered or Enabled
4. Pre-Experiential Organization
5. Experiential Organization
  • Non-Experiential Organization
  • Emergent Organization
  • Engaged, Empowered or Enabled Organization
  • Pre-Experiential Organization
  • Experiential Organization

4. Explanation of your EWi

So, what does a Non-Experiential Workplace mean?

Sadly, this is probably an organisation that is struggling to survive. Cutting cost is probably the highest item on the boards agenda and it isn’t actively investing in any of the three key elements of People Place and Purpose. The workplace has not changed in years and other then the introduction of some technology is probably operating in much the same way as it did in the 1990s or even 1980s. Efficiency is rare, and the technology is outdated. Productivity is abysmal and the workplace is little better than a Dickensian workhouse.

The office is likely a massive cubicle farm that some of might see as little more than a detention centre with management operating as the Warders. It is highly unlikely that the organisation stands for any real purpose bigger than itself and is driven by the need to make money, which it doesn’t re-invest in its people or it’s workplace.

One of the greatest challenges is attracting and retaining any talent. There is talk about innovation communication and collaboration but very little action on the ground. The organisational design is probably very top-heavy with a prevalence for command-and-control type management. Whilst there may be pockets of operational excellence the overall management style is out of sight out of mind and if you are not at your desk you’re not working. Consequently, any type of remote working is almost out of the question. Management take an Elon Musk approach that requires you to effectively clock in and clock out and achieve a minimum of 40 hours at your desk.

This is not a desirable place to work, and Management does not understand that they have the furthest to travel in order to achieve a suitable place to work. Whilst they are a long way off from achieving a winning workplace experience they are the ones that can reap the greatest reward from this journey providing they can put behind them the fixation with minimizing cost.

5. Individual Elements

The 3 foundational elements of People, Place and Purpose are treated as a holistic construct, and it is recommended that none of the elements be cherry picked or treated in isolation. 

That said we have included individual scores to highlight focus areas for action.

Where you have marked your workplace down we would encourage you to ask questions based on the building blocks for that particular element as listed in Section 5.

Clearly as this is a self-assessment and as such is your perception of your workplace. There could be any number of reasons why you have marked a particular statement in the way that you have and so this is not meant as a definitive guide, but it is a good start. There are there are other elements vying for inclusion, and these need to be taken into consideration in a deep dive review along with how the workplace supports individual work activities and demography’s. It would be critical to include these in any business case for a change.

In today's tech heavy world, the physical workspace is merging with the digital and this has implications for our thinking about physical space and change. We need to review a simple mindset of design principles around a practical outlook that makes up an excellent workspace.Whilst each element is included as a standalone and is transferable and there are relationships between them.
Mostly these relationships are positive and self-reinforcing but occasionally these may need caution.

5.1 Enact Purpose through Process

Enact Purpose Through Process Score:
0
%
A purposeful workplace conveys a regard for corporate social responsibility, the environment, health, and wellness, and diversity, equity, and inclusion.

The ties to the purpose of the organisation, are undeniable where workplaces are the biggest most visible, actionable, and tangible 3D billboard that reflects the beliefs and values of an organisation.

The building blocks of this element are;
  • Envision - Envisioning is about bringing together the business, workforce, CRE and workplace strategies in a cohesive approach to generate a hypothesis with which to engage the workforce.
  • Economic - The workplace has to fit in with the organisations commercial objectives, so we need to be in step with the Financial agenda of the organisation. Successfully implementing workplace change and occupancy cost reduction strategies contributes to economic efficiency and competitive advantage through:
    - Cost Savings
    - Cost Avoidance
    - Cost Certainty
  • Efficiency - Efficiency is an important element in being able to justify workplace transformation but this must not be to the detriment of effectiveness. Efficiency enables beneficial change in the ways of working it enables learning and development and is effective in breaking down unwanted symbols of hierarchy both real and artificial that can engender cultural overtones. An efficient workplace can reduce the overall space required by 30%, through built-in flexibility it allows teams to grow, contract and flex whilst removing the need for and cost of churn
  • Effectiveness - Effectiveness and efficiency are ying and yang, they are inseparable and need to be considered holistically. Whilst there may be a natural creative friction between efficiency and effectiveness this can be harnessed to create the best solution. It is therefore essential to create a balance between the efficiency of the workplace and its effectiveness. Staff are able to be at their best all day and every day, it promotes and enables choice, trust and transparency by allowing people to work together and on their own in a private setting. Effective workplaces make life simple, intuitive, and easy and inspire motivate and energise the workforce
  • Evaluation - Which data points across the employee experience and the environment are needed to justify the change and create sustainable measures of success? We refer to these as the Metrics that matter most.
  • Evolve - The Workplace, as with the organisation that it serves, needs to be in a permanent stage of ‘beta’ development. This means an iterative path for workplace strategy, an open dialogue with the organisation’s people, with emergent and frequently adjusted solutions. As organisations work out how to return to their workplaces, hardly any will get it right first time. It will necessitate an emergent process of measure/learn/adjust.

5.2 Empower People with Choice

Empower People with Choice Score:
0
%
Empowering employees is important for growing a sustainable business. True growth is the product of multiple people working together compounding organisational strength and capabilities.

The building blocks of this element are;
  • Emotion - The workplace may ultimately be a functional space, but workplace professionals should always consider the emotions and feelings that the space will elicit in the user; this will have a significant impact on their experience. Does the workplace experience make an employee feel good? The desire to create a positive environment for employees is a clear indication that an organisation is willing to invest in its people.
  • Engagement - Workers who are highly satisfied with their workplace demonstrate higher levels of engagement. Highly engaged workers are also more greatly satisfied with various elements of their individual workspace, such as its size, furniture, lighting, ambient noise level and temperature. Thus, indicating that a workplace environment is an important tool for organisations to deploy to improve engagement.
  • Enablement - To thrive and flourish in the future, it is essential that organisations put the enablement of human performance at the core of their workplace strategy and that they rethink this with their employees.
  • Expression - Your workplace and other facilities are the biggest 3-D billboard for your brand. The expression of the organisation through its space creates and strengthens association, further generating pride and loyalty. Its effects can be to create a community and commitment among the members of staff that unifies and projects a subtle and quiet confidence and reassurance through association and a feeling of being valued and contributing to a greater purpose.
  • Expectation - Understanding which physical, functional, environmental and psychological features impact the creation and management of an effective workplace for users allows you to meet the expectations of all stakeholders including suppliers and customers.
  • Energy - Energy is about the power of workplaces to inspire, energise and motivate people. A great workplace can boost the energy of an organisation through its functionality, amenities, technology and services. It can promote behavioural choices that enhance personal welfare.
  • Empowerment - Giving employees genuine choice over when and where to work can be a frightening prospect for many managers and leadership teams. This presents both an opportunity and a challenge for organisations. It’s an opportunity to rethink how their people work and the workspaces and technology they need to support this, but it will also challenge them to rethink how they manage their people.
  • Empathy - The workplace will only remain relevant as somewhere humanity counterbalances technology. Somewhere that inspires people, a place for creation, somewhere people use their imagination, a place where empathy abounds, where ingenuity and innovation is what matters, and a space for collaboration.
  • Equity - As we seek to encourage more variety and diversity in our workplaces, we face greater and more complex social and cultural challenges. The psychology of actively involving people from a variety of backgrounds and experiences can spell the difference between organisational success or failure. In the business, to business services economy this is particularly important, as we seek to establish a close cultural bond with our clients.

5.3 Enhance Place through Experience

Enhance Place through Experience Score:
0
%
Expectations for a satisfying, productive experience are higher than ever. EWM-360 is the response to these expectations, providing a more nuanced approach to the overall workplace experience.

The building blocks of this element are;
  • Experience - Establishing a positive workplace experience is vital to help employees deliver their best work every day and continually inspire them to contribute all of their knowledge, creativity, and energy for the benefit of their organisation.
  • Environment - Sustainability issues are important signals for potential members of staff who want to work in and be associated with responsible organisations. A fantastic workplace should be as environmentally responsible as possible. With the built environment contributing over 40% of the worlds greenhouse gases it is essential that we take a responsible and sustainable position when it comes to the workplace.
  • Elements - Whilst the physical workplace is merging with the digital and this has implications for our thinking about physical space and change, there are a set of Environmental, Functional and Psychological elements that need to be considered. While each Element is intended to be as stand-alone and portable as possible but ,there are relationships between them, so the elements need to be considered together as a whole.
  • Ether - In today's hyper connected World every organisation and their workplaces exists both physically and digitally. Organisations today recognise the power of the Internet  and the digital space opens up the potential for significant advantage or damage.
  • Eco-System - Diversity in our workplace, in terms of the spaces, is critical for success. People need to focus, collaborate, rejuvenate, socialise and learn throughout the day. No single type of space can effectively support the diverse needs of individuals and groups. The workplace needs to be designed as an ecosystem of interconnected spaces and settings where people have choice and control over where and how they work and who they work with.  This diversity will help an organisation to be more resilient and use its real estate more effectively and efficiently.
Approach

Easy 5-Step implementation roadmap.

1

Experience.

A deep dive assessment and report on the employees experience both working from home and the workplace. This forms the fundamental base data and insight from which the workplace strategy is formed.
2

Evaluate.

Marry and the assessment against the business, workforce, CRE and the workplace strategies. 
3

Engage.

A performance assessment and The integration of all workplace disciplines for the benefit of all stakeholders.
4

Execute.

Deploy the IBOS standards to deliver operational excellence.
5

Excel.

Managing the workplace and how to measure the metrics that matter most.

EWM-360 the Road Map to an Experiential Workplace

1

Experience

A deep dive assessment and report on the employees experience both working from home and the workplace. This forms the fundamental base data and insight from which the workplace strategy is formed.

2

Evaluate

Marry and the assessment against the business, workforce, CRE and the workplace strategies. 

3

Engage

A performance assessment and The integration of all workplace disciplines for the benefit of all stakeholders.

4

Execute

Deploy the IBOS standards to deliver operational excellence.

5

Excel

Managing the workplace and how to measure the metrics that matter most.

6.1 Stage 1 - Experience

Engage with the people around their experience of the workplace, their contribution and purpose Do a deep dive assessment of on the employees experience both working from home and the workplace. This data and insight forms the fundamental base from which the workplace strategy can be formed.

6.2 Stage 2 - Evaluate

Assess the data and insight from the Workplace experience assessment and marry them with the work organisation strategies of the organisation, in respect of 
  • Work- The overarching business strategy that gives context to all workplace related activities
  • Workforce- The HR strategy as to how they support the business strategy
  • Workspace- The Corporate Real Estate portfolio strategy
  • Workplace- Define a workplace strategy that focusses on employees as customer of the workplace and how the workplace contributes to the overall business

6.3 Stage 3 - Engage

This is where you need to engage with all of the workplace disciplines to understand roles and responsibilities for the different aspects of the workplace.
  • Stakeholders – Assemble an integrated Workplace team comprising of HR, IT, FM, CRE, Supply Chain and Finance and Operations
  • Integration – Form a unified and integrated Workplace team. The workplace is a ‘machine for working’ comprising many disciplines and locations so it needs a single person responsible for the entire workplace function
  • Performance – What does work, workforce, workspace and workplace performance mean to the organisation and how it should be measured

6.4 Stage 4 - Execute

This stage brings all of the pillars of operation excellence into play and put them into action along with the required resources and processes to measure the operational effectiveness of the workplace.
  • Compliance – Look to international standards for  
  • Resources – What resources are required and how will these be procured
  • Operations – implement International Building Operation Standards (IBOS)

6.5 Stage 5 - Excel

Set the workplace up for success in how it is managed to ensure the right behaviour 
  • Metrics – Build a workplace analytics function around outcome-based metrics that measure the value add to the business not just the cost
  • Measure - how and when to measure the metrics that matter most.
  • Evolve - how the workplace will need to change as the business does and how it evolves into the future

EWM-360 - the Blueprint for an Experiential Workplace

The WorkplaceFundi Experiential Workplace Management 360 (EWM-360) is the complete holistic solution to creating and managing the desired Workplace Experience.EWM-360 is an all-encompassing eco system that targets and integrates the right strategies, stakeholders, and resources.

EWM-360 includes for the first time a return-on-investment tool for your workplace that will ensure that you spend money in the right areas and reap the rewards in workplace performance that will all lead to increased competitive advantage 
Schedule COnsultation

Workplace Self-Assessment-Report

Dowload PDF report

1. Thank You

Thanks for taking the time to complete the WorkplaceFundi self-assessment tool to evaluate your workplace. We hope that this will help you in assessing the workplace from your perspective and aid you in strategic conversations with those responsible for your experience of your Workplace. We have sought to characterise your result with the typical symptoms associated with the assessment of your workplace along with some recommendations and what it will take to move towards and Experiential Workplace. This assessment measures how well your organisation invests in the workplace experiences of their people measured over the 3 foundational elements of the WorkplaceFundi Experiential Management -360 Blueprint.

The 3 foundational elements are:
  • Enact Purpose Through Process
  • Empower People with Choice
  • Enhance Place through Experience
If you want to know more and how we can help you improve your score email me at Andrew@workplacefundi.com or click below to schedule a free consultation:
Schedule COnsultation

2. Introduction

If you are the CEO of your organisation you are undoubtedly concerned with how your company is measuring up to your competition. But what are you doing about the mounting body of evidence that shows the correlation between the Workplace and your company’s competitive advantage?The interaction between your facilities, people, technology, and services impact your organisations efficiency, effectiveness, comfort, productivity, engagement, health and the attraction and retention of the best talent. 

Your Workplace is an enabler of all this and more. So, if your Workplace isn’t working your business can’t perform.

If you are not the CEO then send him/her this paper and then follow up and ask them the questions set out below.

The Questions are designed to generate a strategic conversation amongst business leadership teams with regards to how the performance of the Workplace is contributing to productivity, organisational effectiveness, and competitive advantage in their marketplaces. Your organisation’s accommodation and the people that work in it are your company’s biggest assets.

You undoubtedly measure the performance of your people which is in no small part determined by the Workplace but what about measuring the performance of the Workplace itself? COVID-19 has upended your business’s historic operational and financial justifications for the workplace. 

As a leader in your organisation, 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.

If you want to know more and how we can help you improve your score email me at Andrew@workplacefundi.com

3. Scoring

Your Experiential Workplace Index (EWi) is broken down as follows:
  • Statements 1-5 measure your response in respect of the foundational element of Enact Purpose Through Process (weighted at 30%)
  • Statements 6-10 measure your response in respect of the foundational element of Empower People with Choice (weighted at 30%)
  • Statements 11-15 measure your response in respect of the foundational element of Enhance Place through Experience (weighted at 40%)
Each response is scored on a scale of 1 through 7 where 1 means strongly disagree and 7 means strongly agree.
  • >90% in all three environments means you have an Experiential Workplace. …congratulations!
  • 80%-90% in all three environments means you have a Pre-Experiential Workplace….. Well done nearly there!
  • If you averaged between 70%–80% you have either an Engaged, Empowered, or Enabled Workplace (depending on the two elements you scored highest in).  
    - Process and People = Engaged Workplace.
    - Process and Place = Empowered Workplace.
    - Place and People = Enabled Workplace.
  • Between 50%–70% you are in an Emergent Workplace.  (again depending on which environments you scored highest in).
    -People = People Emergent 
    - Process = Process Emergent 
    - Place = Place Emergent
  • If you scored below 50% you have a Non-Experiential Workplace

Your score on the Workplace Experience Index (WXi) is as follows:

Workplace Experience Score:
0
%
This is an overall score for your workplace as a summation of the individual People, Place and Purpose factors this means that ….
You have a People-Emergent Workplace
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
1. In-Experienced
2. Emergent Organization
3. Engaged, Empowered or Enabled
4. Pre-Experiential Organization
5. Experiential Organization
  • Non-Experiential Organization
  • Emergent Organization
  • Engaged, Empowered or Enabled Organization
  • Pre-Experiential Organization
  • Experiential Organization

4. Explanation of your EWi

So, what does a People-Emergent Workplace mean?

An ‘Emergent’ organisation means that your organisation may be struggling but there is a will to change things up. There is a recognition by management of being suboptimal, but there is an understanding of some of the issues and a striving to be better. Whilst there are a few things that are okay, there is significant room for improvement. 

This is not a bad place to work but staff churn maybe high, and it could be difficult to attract the right talent needed for your growth objectives. The predominant focus is probably on cost containment with a possible lack of investment in capital renewal. The cost base may have been stabilised and the containment strategy is beginning to work allowing some thoughts of improving the workplace. There is likely to be some reluctance by staff to return to the workplace or they are doing so under sufferance.

The Hybrid working strategy needs to be property formulated and communicated. This needs to be a collaborative effort with a full understanding of the employee needs and experience. Management’s approach should be one of providing a compelling reason to return to the work place rather than compelling them to do so. If this is not achieved this will inevitably show up in staff churn down the line. You will need to start with comprehensive deep dive into the workplace and the three experience environments of Functional, Environmental and Cultural an assessment of where you are and a plan and road map of where you need to go.  

Employees have been told that they need to be productive but don't always necessarily understand what this means and how it is measured. This misunderstanding has led to a lot of recriminations when staff are faced with statements about lack of productivity when working from home.

With the only one in two employees globally stating that they agree that their workplace allows them to work effectively, business leaders need to be highly concerned with productivity and with workplace performance. In order to provide your people with the correct tools you need to be able to communicate how they are productive and what they contribute to the greater organisations purpose.As an organisation you may well have engaged in the productivity debate with your staff but there is probably a lack of understanding on how the workplace can improve productivity.

The way in which technology is used whether in-office, home or 3rd place go hand in hand with productivity Yet in many situations, this is not only disappointing but has a direct impact on the performance of staff as well as their resultant satisfaction. In a people-emergent workspace it is likely that your staff feel as though there is only a bare minimum of technology provided for them to accomplish their tasks.When it comes to the communication of how your organisation is approaching the new world of work your employees may feel as though they have not been consulted and are consequently potentially resistant to some of the decisions that may have been taken around hybrid working.

There have been many approaches to the return to the office, and in many cases employees have felt rushed and potentially coerced into returning to the office before any detailed plan of action and communication had been provided. Let alone any changes to the way in which work was to be conducted and the workplace adjusted to enable that work to take place.

The pandemic has changed where, when, and how we work.  As hybrid working becomes the preferred way of working it may be that your organisation has not yet fully realised the massive changes this will have on the way the workplace of the future, how it is managed as well as HR processes and leadership practices.

Clear policy procedures and practices on how the workplace is to be used and what all the requirements around remote working is need to be communicated clearly and compassionately.

They may well exist understanding at management level of the need to create memorable employee experiences in the workplace but the world has changed and if you want your staff to be happy at work then you need to reconsider their and tired workplace journey and desired experience.  Employees expectations have changed. In many instances employees have built a better workplace at home than they had left in March 2020. This is a damning indictment of the quality of the average office space and as such this has added to the resistance in the return to work. Understandably therefore employees are demanding a significantly different environment and experience. You will therefore need to treat your employees in much the same way as you treat your customers. You will need to ensure that in the designing of the workplace experience this is conducted from an employee’s perspective and that it will need to receive the same kind of attention and resources that are probably used when looking at designing services to your customers in order to create a superior customer experience.

The 3 foundational elements of People, Place and Purpose are treated as a holistic construct, and it is recommended that none of the elements be cherry picked or treated in isolation. In a People-Emergent Workplace, work is required in the other two foundational elements of Purpose and Place and we would encourage you to address the building blocks for those particular elements as listed in section 5 of this report. 

5. Individual Elements

The 3 foundational elements of People, Place and Purpose are treated as a holistic construct, and it is recommended that none of the elements be cherry picked or treated in isolation. 

That said we have included individual scores to highlight focus areas for action.

Where you have marked your workplace down we would encourage you to ask questions based on the building blocks for that particular element as listed in Section 5.

Clearly as this is a self-assessment and as such is your perception of your workplace. There could be any number of reasons why you have marked a particular statement in the way that you have and so this is not meant as a definitive guide, but it is a good start. There are there are other elements vying for inclusion, and these need to be taken into consideration in a deep dive review along with how the workplace supports individual work activities and demography’s. It would be critical to include these in any business case for a change.

In today's tech heavy world, the physical workspace is merging with the digital and this has implications for our thinking about physical space and change. We need to review a simple mindset of design principles around a practical outlook that makes up an excellent workspace.Whilst each element is included as a standalone and is transferable and there are relationships between them.
Mostly these relationships are positive and self-reinforcing but occasionally these may need caution.

5.1 Enact Purpose through Process

Enact Purpose through Process Score:
0
%
A purposeful workplace conveys a regard for corporate social responsibility, the environment, health, and wellness, and diversity, equity, and inclusion.

The ties to the purpose of the organisation, are undeniable where workplaces are the biggest most visible, actionable, and tangible 3D billboard that reflects the beliefs and values of an organisation.

The building blocks of this element are;
  • Envision - Envisioning is about bringing together the business, workforce, CRE and workplace strategies in a cohesive approach to generate a hypothesis with which to engage the workforce.
  • Economic - The workplace has to fit in with the organisations commercial objectives, so we need to be in step with the Financial agenda of the organisation. Successfully implementing workplace change and occupancy cost reduction strategies contributes to economic efficiency and competitive advantage through:
    - Cost Savings
    - Cost Avoidance
    - Cost Certainty
  • Efficiency - Efficiency is an important element in being able to justify workplace transformation but this must not be to the detriment of effectiveness. Efficiency enables beneficial change in the ways of working it enables learning and development and is effective in breaking down unwanted symbols of hierarchy both real and artificial that can engender cultural overtones. An efficient workplace can reduce the overall space required by 30%, through built-in flexibility it allows teams to grow, contract and flex whilst removing the need for and cost of churn
  • Effectiveness - Effectiveness and efficiency are ying and yang, they are inseparable and need to be considered holistically. Whilst there may be a natural creative friction between efficiency and effectiveness this can be harnessed to create the best solution. It is therefore essential to create a balance between the efficiency of the workplace and its effectiveness. Staff are able to be at their best all day and every day, it promotes and enables choice, trust and transparency by allowing people to work together and on their own in a private setting. Effective workplaces make life simple, intuitive, and easy and inspire motivate and energise the workforce
  • Evaluation - Which data points across the employee experience and the environment are needed to justify the change and create sustainable measures of success? We refer to these as the Metrics that matter most.
  • Evolve - The Workplace, as with the organisation that it serves, needs to be in a permanent stage of ‘beta’ development. This means an iterative path for workplace strategy, an open dialogue with the organisation’s people, with emergent and frequently adjusted solutions. As organisations work out how to return to their workplaces, hardly any will get it right first time. It will necessitate an emergent process of measure/learn/adjust.

5.2 Empower People with Choice

Empower People with Choice Score:
0
%
Empowering employees is important for growing a sustainable business. True growth is the product of multiple people working together compounding organisational strength and capabilities.

The building blocks of this element are;
  • Emotion - The workplace may ultimately be a functional space, but workplace professionals should always consider the emotions and feelings that the space will elicit in the user; this will have a significant impact on their experience. Does the workplace experience make an employee feel good? The desire to create a positive environment for employees is a clear indication that an organisation is willing to invest in its people.
  • Engagement - Workers who are highly satisfied with their workplace demonstrate higher levels of engagement. Highly engaged workers are also more greatly satisfied with various elements of their individual workspace, such as its size, furniture, lighting, ambient noise level and temperature. Thus, indicating that a workplace environment is an important tool for organisations to deploy to improve engagement.
  • Enablement - To thrive and flourish in the future, it is essential that organisations put the enablement of human performance at the core of their workplace strategy and that they rethink this with their employees.
  • Expression - Your workplace and other facilities are the biggest 3-D billboard for your brand. The expression of the organisation through its space creates and strengthens association, further generating pride and loyalty. Its effects can be to create a community and commitment among the members of staff that unifies and projects a subtle and quiet confidence and reassurance through association and a feeling of being valued and contributing to a greater purpose.
  • Expectation - Understanding which physical, functional, environmental and psychological features impact the creation and management of an effective workplace for users allows you to meet the expectations of all stakeholders including suppliers and customers.
  • Energy - Energy is about the power of workplaces to inspire, energise and motivate people. A great workplace can boost the energy of an organisation through its functionality, amenities, technology and services. It can promote behavioural choices that enhance personal welfare.
  • Empowerment - Giving employees genuine choice over when and where to work can be a frightening prospect for many managers and leadership teams. This presents both an opportunity and a challenge for organisations. It’s an opportunity to rethink how their people work and the workspaces and technology they need to support this, but it will also challenge them to rethink how they manage their people.
  • Empathy - The workplace will only remain relevant as somewhere humanity counterbalances technology. Somewhere that inspires people, a place for creation, somewhere people use their imagination, a place where empathy abounds, where ingenuity and innovation is what matters, and a space for collaboration.
  • Equity - As we seek to encourage more variety and diversity in our workplaces, we face greater and more complex social and cultural challenges. The psychology of actively involving people from a variety of backgrounds and experiences can spell the difference between organisational success or failure. In the business, to business services economy this is particularly important, as we seek to establish a close cultural bond with our clients.

5.3 Enhance Place through Experience

Enhance Place through Experience Score:
0
%
Expectations for a satisfying, productive experience are higher than ever. EWM-360 is the response to these expectations, providing a more nuanced approach to the overall workplace experience.

The building blocks of this element are;
  • Experience - Establishing a positive workplace experience is vital to help employees deliver their best work every day and continually inspire them to contribute all of their knowledge, creativity, and energy for the benefit of their organisation.
  • Environment - Sustainability issues are important signals for potential members of staff who want to work in and be associated with responsible organisations. A fantastic workplace should be as environmentally responsible as possible. With the built environment contributing over 40% of the worlds greenhouse gases it is essential that we take a responsible and sustainable position when it comes to the workplace.
  • Elements - Whilst the physical workplace is merging with the digital and this has implications for our thinking about physical space and change, there are a set of Environmental, Functional and Psychological elements that need to be considered. While each Element is intended to be as stand-alone and portable as possible but ,there are relationships between them, so the elements need to be considered together as a whole.
  • Ether - In today's hyper connected World every organisation and their workplaces exists both physically and digitally. Organisations today recognise the power of the Internet  and the digital space opens up the potential for significant advantage or damage.
  • Eco-System - Diversity in our workplace, in terms of the spaces, is critical for success. People need to focus, collaborate, rejuvenate, socialise and learn throughout the day. No single type of space can effectively support the diverse needs of individuals and groups. The workplace needs to be designed as an ecosystem of interconnected spaces and settings where people have choice and control over where and how they work and who they work with.  This diversity will help an organisation to be more resilient and use its real estate more effectively and efficiently.
Approach

Easy 5-Step implementation roadmap.

1

Experience.

A deep dive assessment and report on the employees experience both working from home and the workplace. This forms the fundamental base data and insight from which the workplace strategy is formed.
2

Evaluate.

Marry and the assessment against the business, workforce, CRE and the workplace strategies. 
3

Engage.

A performance assessment and The integration of all workplace disciplines for the benefit of all stakeholders.
4

Execute.

Deploy the IBOS standards to deliver operational excellence.
5

Excel.

Managing the workplace and how to measure the metrics that matter most.

EWM-360 the Road Map to an Experiential Workplace

1

Experience

A deep dive assessment and report on the employees experience both working from home and the workplace. This forms the fundamental base data and insight from which the workplace strategy is formed.

2

Evaluate

Marry and the assessment against the business, workforce, CRE and the workplace strategies. 

3

Engage

A performance assessment and The integration of all workplace disciplines for the benefit of all stakeholders.

4

Execute

Deploy the IBOS standards to deliver operational excellence.

5

Excel

Managing the workplace and how to measure the metrics that matter most.

6.1 Stage 1 - Experience

Engage with the people around their experience of the workplace, their contribution and purpose Do a deep dive assessment of on the employees experience both working from home and the workplace. This data and insight forms the fundamental base from which the workplace strategy can be formed.

6.2 Stage 2 - Evaluate

Assess the data and insight from the Workplace experience assessment and marry them with the work organisation strategies of the organisation, in respect of 
  • Work- The overarching business strategy that gives context to all workplace related activities
  • Workforce- The HR strategy as to how they support the business strategy
  • Workspace- The Corporate Real Estate portfolio strategy
  • Workplace- Define a workplace strategy that focusses on employees as customer of the workplace and how the workplace contributes to the overall business

6.3 Stage 3 - Engage

This is where you need to engage with all of the workplace disciplines to understand roles and responsibilities for the different aspects of the workplace.
  • Stakeholders – Assemble an integrated Workplace team comprising of HR, IT, FM, CRE, Supply Chain and Finance and Operations
  • Integration – Form a unified and integrated Workplace team. The workplace is a ‘machine for working’ comprising many disciplines and locations so it needs a single person responsible for the entire workplace function
  • Performance – What does work, workforce, workspace and workplace performance mean to the organisation and how it should be measured

6.4 Stage 4 - Execute

This stage brings all of the pillars of operation excellence into play and put them into action along with the required resources and processes to measure the operational effectiveness of the workplace.
  • Compliance – Look to international standards for  
  • Resources – What resources are required and how will these be procured
  • Operations – implement International Building Operation Standards (IBOS)

6.5 Stage 5 - Excel

Set the workplace up for success in how it is managed to ensure the right behaviour 
  • Metrics – Build a workplace analytics function around outcome-based metrics that measure the value add to the business not just the cost
  • Measure - how and when to measure the metrics that matter most.
  • Evolve - how the workplace will need to change as the business does and how it evolves into the future

EWM-360 - the Blueprint for an Experiential Workplace

The WorkplaceFundi Experiential Workplace Management 360 (EWM-360) is the complete holistic solution to creating and managing the desired Workplace Experience.EWM-360 is an all-encompassing eco system that targets and integrates the right strategies, stakeholders, and resources.

EWM-360 includes for the first time a return-on-investment tool for your workplace that will ensure that you spend money in the right areas and reap the rewards in workplace performance that will all lead to increased competitive advantage 
Schedule COnsultation

Workplace Self-Assessment-Report

Dowload PDF report

1. Thank You

Thanks for taking the time to complete the WorkplaceFundi self-assessment tool to evaluate your workplace. We hope that this will help you in assessing the workplace from your perspective and aid you in strategic conversations with those responsible for your experience of your Workplace. We have sought to characterise your result with the typical symptoms associated with the assessment of your workplace along with some recommendations and what it will take to move towards and Experiential Workplace. This assessment measures how well your organisation invests in the workplace experiences of their people measured over the 3 foundational elements of the WorkplaceFundi Experiential Management -360 Blueprint.

The 3 foundational elements are:
  • Enact Purpose Through Process
  • Empower People with Choice
  • Enhance Place through Experience
If you want to know more and how we can help you improve your score email me at Andrew@workplacefundi.com or click below to schedule a free consultation:
Schedule COnsultation

2. Introduction

If you are the CEO of your organisation you are undoubtedly concerned with how your company is measuring up to your competition. But what are you doing about the mounting body of evidence that shows the correlation between the Workplace and your company’s competitive advantage?The interaction between your facilities, people, technology, and services impact your organisations efficiency, effectiveness, comfort, productivity, engagement, health and the attraction and retention of the best talent. 

Your Workplace is an enabler of all this and more. So, if your Workplace isn’t working your business can’t perform.

If you are not the CEO then send him/her this paper and then follow up and ask them the questions set out below.

The Questions are designed to generate a strategic conversation amongst business leadership teams with regards to how the performance of the Workplace is contributing to productivity, organisational effectiveness, and competitive advantage in their marketplaces. Your organisation’s accommodation and the people that work in it are your company’s biggest assets.

You undoubtedly measure the performance of your people which is in no small part determined by the Workplace but what about measuring the performance of the Workplace itself? COVID-19 has upended your business’s historic operational and financial justifications for the workplace. 

As a leader in your organisation, 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.

If you want to know more and how we can help you improve your score email me at Andrew@workplacefundi.com

3. Scoring

Your Experiential Workplace Index (EWi) is broken down as follows:
  • Statements 1-5 measure your response in respect of the foundational element of Enact Purpose Through Process (weighted at 30%)
  • Statements 6-10 measure your response in respect of the foundational element of Empower People with Choice (weighted at 30%)
  • Statements 11-15 measure your response in respect of the foundational element of Enhance Place through Experience (weighted at 40%)
Each response is scored on a scale of 1 through 7 where 1 means strongly disagree and 7 means strongly agree.
  • >90% in all three environments means you have an Experiential Workplace. …congratulations!
  • 80%-90% in all three environments means you have a Pre-Experiential Workplace….. Well done nearly there!
  • If you averaged between 70%–80% you have either an Engaged, Empowered, or Enabled Workplace (depending on the two elements you scored highest in).  
    - Process and People = Engaged Workplace.
    - Process and Place = Empowered Workplace.
    - Place and People = Enabled Workplace.
  • Between 50%–70% you are in an Emergent Workplace.  (again depending on which environments you scored highest in).
    -People = People Emergent 
    - Process = Process Emergent 
    - Place = Place Emergent
  • If you scored below 50% you have a Non-Experiential Workplace

Your score on the Workplace Experience Index (WXi) is as follows:

Workplace Experience Score:
0
%
This is an overall score for your workplace as a summation of the individual People, Place and Purpose factors this means that ….
You have a Purpose-Emergent Workplace
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
1. In-Experienced
2. Emergent Organization
3. Engaged, Empowered or Enabled
4. Pre-Experiential Organization
5. Experiential Organization
  • Non-Experiential Organization
  • Emergent Organization
  • Engaged, Empowered or Enabled Organization
  • Pre-Experiential Organization
  • Experiential Organization

4. Explanation of your EWi

So, what does a Purpose-Emergent Workplace mean?

An ‘Emergent’ organisation means that your organisation may be struggling but there is a will to change things up. There is a recognition by management of being suboptimal, but there is an understanding of some of the issues and a striving to be better. Whilst there are a few things that are okay, there is significant room for improvement. 

This is not a bad place to work but staff churn maybe high, and it could be difficult to attract the right talent needed for your growth objectives. The predominant focus is probably on cost containment with a possible lack of investment in capital renewal. The cost base may have been stabilised and the containment strategy is beginning to work allowing some thoughts of improving the workplace. There is likely to be some reluctance by staff to return to the workplace or they are doing so under sufferance.

The Hybrid working strategy needs to be property formulated and communicated. This needs to be a collaborative effort with a full understanding of the employee needs and experience. Management’s approach should be one of providing a compelling reason to return to the work place rather than compelling them to do so. If this is not achieved this will inevitably show up in staff churn down the line. You will need to start with comprehensive deep dive into the workplace and the three experience environments of Functional, Environmental and Cultural an assessment of where you are and a plan and road map of where you need to go.   

The strategy of the organisation is led and implemented by the CEO. This provides the overarching context and direction to the activities of the company. The CEO should, therefore, ensure that a Workplace strategy is in place to enable higher levels of productivity and that supports the overall enterprise strategy. In a purpose-emergent workplace they may well be a workplace strategy in place but this needs to make the connection regarding the vital contribution of the workplace as an organisational performance inhibitor or facilitator. 

It is highly likely that you have done a lot of work on the cost impact of the workplace but has there been an assessment done on an holistic contribution to the commercial impact on the organisation? The Workplace is worthless unless it supports the strategic goals of the organisation irrespective of its actual monetary value. The CEO should therefore be asking those responsible if the workplace, proactively supports the roles of those they accommodate? Does it enable cultural transformation, competitive advantage, innovation, agility, capital efficiency, talent optimisation or effective leadership?

It begs the question…who is ultimately responsible for the workplace? Is it FM, HR, IT or is it Corporate Real Estate? In truth a case could be made for each one of these disciplines. Indeed, even legal/compliance, procurement, operations and of course finance also have a role to play.

This is a complex issue, and whilst as a purpose emergent workplace you may well be in a better place than most it is likely that you have not considered all aspects of the productivity potential of your workplace and may therefore be in a state of disarray because no one has taken an overall responsibility for the workplace.  Depending on the size and complexity of your organisation this may not necessarily be a viable proposition. However, what we see in almost all clients, is a fragmented approach to the Workplace in terms of strategy and operations with a myriad of reporting lines of those responsible for the Workplace.

This means that the opportunities that the workplace provides for the organisation often falls between the cracksIn our experience, most in-house facility management and workplace teams report into the Chief Financial Officer (CFO) or the Chief Operating Officer (COO). Perhaps unintentionally this almost guarantees a cost-driven approach where utilisation rates and cost/m² are the only metrics by which the workplace and team outputs are measured.The need to reduce office costs is a major driver for considering your Workplace strategy, but it’s not the only trigger.

Major changes like the Hybrid work revolution we have seen since the Pandemic have provided spark we needed to consider whether our workspaces are really working for us.The Workplace needs to be in-step with the financial agenda of the organisation. However, efficiency and effectiveness are ying 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, which can result in damaging effectiveness.

Workplace Strategy treats the Workplace as a strategic asset and enables organisations to align how they plan, design, and manage their Workplaces with the business goals and objectives of the organisation. If done well, a good Workplace strategy will allow organisations to get the greatest return from their investment. The Workplace is no longer a financial black hole but a value adding contributor to competitive advantage.

In a Purpose-Emergent Workplace, work is required in the other two foundational elements of People and Place and we would encourage you to address the building blocks for those particular elements as listed in section 5 of this report.

5. Individual Elements

The 3 foundational elements of People, Place and Purpose are treated as a holistic construct, and it is recommended that none of the elements be cherry picked or treated in isolation. 

That said we have included individual scores to highlight focus areas for action.

Where you have marked your workplace down we would encourage you to ask questions based on the building blocks for that particular element as listed in Section 5.

Clearly as this is a self-assessment and as such is your perception of your workplace. There could be any number of reasons why you have marked a particular statement in the way that you have and so this is not meant as a definitive guide, but it is a good start. There are there are other elements vying for inclusion, and these need to be taken into consideration in a deep dive review along with how the workplace supports individual work activities and demography’s. It would be critical to include these in any business case for a change.

In today's tech heavy world, the physical workspace is merging with the digital and this has implications for our thinking about physical space and change. We need to review a simple mindset of design principles around a practical outlook that makes up an excellent workspace.Whilst each element is included as a standalone and is transferable and there are relationships between them.
Mostly these relationships are positive and self-reinforcing but occasionally these may need caution.

5.1 Enact Purpose through Process

Enact Purpose through Process Score:
0
%
A purposeful workplace conveys a regard for corporate social responsibility, the environment, health, and wellness, and diversity, equity, and inclusion.

The ties to the purpose of the organisation, are undeniable where workplaces are the biggest most visible, actionable, and tangible 3D billboard that reflects the beliefs and values of an organisation.

The building blocks of this element are;
  • Envision - Envisioning is about bringing together the business, workforce, CRE and workplace strategies in a cohesive approach to generate a hypothesis with which to engage the workforce.
  • Economic - The workplace has to fit in with the organisations commercial objectives, so we need to be in step with the Financial agenda of the organisation. Successfully implementing workplace change and occupancy cost reduction strategies contributes to economic efficiency and competitive advantage through:
    - Cost Savings
    - Cost Avoidance
    - Cost Certainty
  • Efficiency - Efficiency is an important element in being able to justify workplace transformation but this must not be to the detriment of effectiveness. Efficiency enables beneficial change in the ways of working it enables learning and development and is effective in breaking down unwanted symbols of hierarchy both real and artificial that can engender cultural overtones. An efficient workplace can reduce the overall space required by 30%, through built-in flexibility it allows teams to grow, contract and flex whilst removing the need for and cost of churn
  • Effectiveness - Effectiveness and efficiency are ying and yang, they are inseparable and need to be considered holistically. Whilst there may be a natural creative friction between efficiency and effectiveness this can be harnessed to create the best solution. It is therefore essential to create a balance between the efficiency of the workplace and its effectiveness. Staff are able to be at their best all day and every day, it promotes and enables choice, trust and transparency by allowing people to work together and on their own in a private setting. Effective workplaces make life simple, intuitive, and easy and inspire motivate and energise the workforce
  • Evaluation - Which data points across the employee experience and the environment are needed to justify the change and create sustainable measures of success? We refer to these as the Metrics that matter most.
  • Evolve - The Workplace, as with the organisation that it serves, needs to be in a permanent stage of ‘beta’ development. This means an iterative path for workplace strategy, an open dialogue with the organisation’s people, with emergent and frequently adjusted solutions. As organisations work out how to return to their workplaces, hardly any will get it right first time. It will necessitate an emergent process of measure/learn/adjust.

5.2 Empower People with Choice

Empower People with Choice Score:
0
%
Empowering employees is important for growing a sustainable business. True growth is the product of multiple people working together compounding organisational strength and capabilities.

The building blocks of this element are;
  • Emotion - The workplace may ultimately be a functional space, but workplace professionals should always consider the emotions and feelings that the space will elicit in the user; this will have a significant impact on their experience. Does the workplace experience make an employee feel good? The desire to create a positive environment for employees is a clear indication that an organisation is willing to invest in its people.
  • Engagement - Workers who are highly satisfied with their workplace demonstrate higher levels of engagement. Highly engaged workers are also more greatly satisfied with various elements of their individual workspace, such as its size, furniture, lighting, ambient noise level and temperature. Thus, indicating that a workplace environment is an important tool for organisations to deploy to improve engagement.
  • Enablement - To thrive and flourish in the future, it is essential that organisations put the enablement of human performance at the core of their workplace strategy and that they rethink this with their employees.
  • Expression - Your workplace and other facilities are the biggest 3-D billboard for your brand. The expression of the organisation through its space creates and strengthens association, further generating pride and loyalty. Its effects can be to create a community and commitment among the members of staff that unifies and projects a subtle and quiet confidence and reassurance through association and a feeling of being valued and contributing to a greater purpose.
  • Expectation - Understanding which physical, functional, environmental and psychological features impact the creation and management of an effective workplace for users allows you to meet the expectations of all stakeholders including suppliers and customers.
  • Energy - Energy is about the power of workplaces to inspire, energise and motivate people. A great workplace can boost the energy of an organisation through its functionality, amenities, technology and services. It can promote behavioural choices that enhance personal welfare.
  • Empowerment - Giving employees genuine choice over when and where to work can be a frightening prospect for many managers and leadership teams. This presents both an opportunity and a challenge for organisations. It’s an opportunity to rethink how their people work and the workspaces and technology they need to support this, but it will also challenge them to rethink how they manage their people.
  • Empathy - The workplace will only remain relevant as somewhere humanity counterbalances technology. Somewhere that inspires people, a place for creation, somewhere people use their imagination, a place where empathy abounds, where ingenuity and innovation is what matters, and a space for collaboration.
  • Equity - As we seek to encourage more variety and diversity in our workplaces, we face greater and more complex social and cultural challenges. The psychology of actively involving people from a variety of backgrounds and experiences can spell the difference between organisational success or failure. In the business, to business services economy this is particularly important, as we seek to establish a close cultural bond with our clients.

5.3 Enhance Place through Experience

Enhance Place through Experience Score:
0
%
Expectations for a satisfying, productive experience are higher than ever. EWM-360 is the response to these expectations, providing a more nuanced approach to the overall workplace experience.

The building blocks of this element are;
  • Experience - Establishing a positive workplace experience is vital to help employees deliver their best work every day and continually inspire them to contribute all of their knowledge, creativity, and energy for the benefit of their organisation.
  • Environment - Sustainability issues are important signals for potential members of staff who want to work in and be associated with responsible organisations. A fantastic workplace should be as environmentally responsible as possible. With the built environment contributing over 40% of the worlds greenhouse gases it is essential that we take a responsible and sustainable position when it comes to the workplace.
  • Elements - Whilst the physical workplace is merging with the digital and this has implications for our thinking about physical space and change, there are a set of Environmental, Functional and Psychological elements that need to be considered. While each Element is intended to be as stand-alone and portable as possible but ,there are relationships between them, so the elements need to be considered together as a whole.
  • Ether - In today's hyper connected World every organisation and their workplaces exists both physically and digitally. Organisations today recognise the power of the Internet  and the digital space opens up the potential for significant advantage or damage.
  • Eco-System - Diversity in our workplace, in terms of the spaces, is critical for success. People need to focus, collaborate, rejuvenate, socialise and learn throughout the day. No single type of space can effectively support the diverse needs of individuals and groups. The workplace needs to be designed as an ecosystem of interconnected spaces and settings where people have choice and control over where and how they work and who they work with.  This diversity will help an organisation to be more resilient and use its real estate more effectively and efficiently.
Approach

Easy 5-Step implementation roadmap.

1

Experience.

A deep dive assessment and report on the employees experience both working from home and the workplace. This forms the fundamental base data and insight from which the workplace strategy is formed.
2

Evaluate.

Marry and the assessment against the business, workforce, CRE and the workplace strategies. 
3

Engage.

A performance assessment and The integration of all workplace disciplines for the benefit of all stakeholders.
4

Execute.

Deploy the IBOS standards to deliver operational excellence.
5

Excel.

Managing the workplace and how to measure the metrics that matter most.

EWM-360 the Road Map to an Experiential Workplace

1

Experience

A deep dive assessment and report on the employees experience both working from home and the workplace. This forms the fundamental base data and insight from which the workplace strategy is formed.

2

Evaluate

Marry and the assessment against the business, workforce, CRE and the workplace strategies. 

3

Engage

A performance assessment and The integration of all workplace disciplines for the benefit of all stakeholders.

4

Execute

Deploy the IBOS standards to deliver operational excellence.

5

Excel

Managing the workplace and how to measure the metrics that matter most.

6.1 Stage 1 - Experience

Engage with the people around their experience of the workplace, their contribution and purpose Do a deep dive assessment of on the employees experience both working from home and the workplace. This data and insight forms the fundamental base from which the workplace strategy can be formed.

6.2 Stage 2 - Evaluate

Assess the data and insight from the Workplace experience assessment and marry them with the work organisation strategies of the organisation, in respect of 
  • Work- The overarching business strategy that gives context to all workplace related activities
  • Workforce- The HR strategy as to how they support the business strategy
  • Workspace- The Corporate Real Estate portfolio strategy
  • Workplace- Define a workplace strategy that focusses on employees as customer of the workplace and how the workplace contributes to the overall business

6.3 Stage 3 - Engage

This is where you need to engage with all of the workplace disciplines to understand roles and responsibilities for the different aspects of the workplace.
  • Stakeholders – Assemble an integrated Workplace team comprising of HR, IT, FM, CRE, Supply Chain and Finance and Operations
  • Integration – Form a unified and integrated Workplace team. The workplace is a ‘machine for working’ comprising many disciplines and locations so it needs a single person responsible for the entire workplace function
  • Performance – What does work, workforce, workspace and workplace performance mean to the organisation and how it should be measured

6.4 Stage 4 - Execute

This stage brings all of the pillars of operation excellence into play and put them into action along with the required resources and processes to measure the operational effectiveness of the workplace.
  • Compliance – Look to international standards for  
  • Resources – What resources are required and how will these be procured
  • Operations – implement International Building Operation Standards (IBOS)

6.5 Stage 5 - Excel

Set the workplace up for success in how it is managed to ensure the right behaviour 
  • Metrics – Build a workplace analytics function around outcome-based metrics that measure the value add to the business not just the cost
  • Measure - how and when to measure the metrics that matter most.
  • Evolve - how the workplace will need to change as the business does and how it evolves into the future

EWM-360 - the Blueprint for an Experiential Workplace

The WorkplaceFundi Experiential Workplace Management 360 (EWM-360) is the complete holistic solution to creating and managing the desired Workplace Experience.EWM-360 is an all-encompassing eco system that targets and integrates the right strategies, stakeholders, and resources.

EWM-360 includes for the first time a return-on-investment tool for your workplace that will ensure that you spend money in the right areas and reap the rewards in workplace performance that will all lead to increased competitive advantage 
Schedule COnsultation

Workplace Self-Assessment-Report

Dowload PDF report

1. Thank You

Thanks for taking the time to complete the WorkplaceFundi self-assessment tool to evaluate your workplace. We hope that this will help you in assessing the workplace from your perspective and aid you in strategic conversations with those responsible for your experience of your Workplace. We have sought to characterise your result with the typical symptoms associated with the assessment of your workplace along with some recommendations and what it will take to move towards and Experiential Workplace. This assessment measures how well your organisation invests in the workplace experiences of their people measured over the 3 foundational elements of the WorkplaceFundi Experiential Management -360 Blueprint.

The 3 foundational elements are:
  • Enact Purpose Through Process
  • Empower People with Choice
  • Enhance Place through Experience
If you want to know more and how we can help you improve your score email me at Andrew@workplacefundi.com or click below to schedule a free consultation:
Schedule COnsultation

2. Introduction

If you are the CEO of your organisation you are undoubtedly concerned with how your company is measuring up to your competition. But what are you doing about the mounting body of evidence that shows the correlation between the Workplace and your company’s competitive advantage?The interaction between your facilities, people, technology, and services impact your organisations efficiency, effectiveness, comfort, productivity, engagement, health and the attraction and retention of the best talent. 

Your Workplace is an enabler of all this and more. So, if your Workplace isn’t working your business can’t perform.

If you are not the CEO then send him/her this paper and then follow up and ask them the questions set out below.

The Questions are designed to generate a strategic conversation amongst business leadership teams with regards to how the performance of the Workplace is contributing to productivity, organisational effectiveness, and competitive advantage in their marketplaces. Your organisation’s accommodation and the people that work in it are your company’s biggest assets.

You undoubtedly measure the performance of your people which is in no small part determined by the Workplace but what about measuring the performance of the Workplace itself? COVID-19 has upended your business’s historic operational and financial justifications for the workplace. 

As a leader in your organisation, 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.

If you want to know more and how we can help you improve your score email me at Andrew@workplacefundi.com

3. Scoring

Your Experiential Workplace Index (EWi) is broken down as follows:
  • Statements 1-5 measure your response in respect of the foundational element of Enact Purpose Through Process (weighted at 30%)
  • Statements 6-10 measure your response in respect of the foundational element of Empower People with Choice (weighted at 30%)
  • Statements 11-15 measure your response in respect of the foundational element of Enhance Place through Experience (weighted at 40%)
Each response is scored on a scale of 1 through 7 where 1 means strongly disagree and 7 means strongly agree.
  • >90% in all three environments means you have an Experiential Workplace. …congratulations!
  • 80%-90% in all three environments means you have a Pre-Experiential Workplace….. Well done nearly there!
  • If you averaged between 70%–80% you have either an Engaged, Empowered, or Enabled Workplace (depending on the two elements you scored highest in).  
    - Process and People = Engaged Workplace.
    - Process and Place = Empowered Workplace.
    - Place and People = Enabled Workplace.
  • Between 50%–70% you are in an Emergent Workplace.  (again depending on which environments you scored highest in).
    -People = People Emergent 
    - Process = Process Emergent 
    - Place = Place Emergent
  • If you scored below 50% you have a Non-Experiential Workplace

Your score on the Workplace Experience Index (WXi) is as follows:

Workplace Experience Score:
0
%
This is an overall score for your workplace as a summation of the individual People, Place and Purpose factors this means that ….
You have a Place-Emergent Workplace
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
1. In-Experienced
2. Emergent Organization
3. Engaged, Empowered or Enabled
4. Pre-Experiential Organization
5. Experiential Organization
  • Non-Experiential Organization
  • Emergent Organization
  • Engaged, Empowered or Enabled Organization
  • Pre-Experiential Organization
  • Experiential Organization

4. Explanation of your EWi

So, what does a Place-Emergent Workplace mean?

An ‘Emergent’ organisation means that your organisation may be struggling but there is a will to change things up. There is a recognition by management of being suboptimal, but there is an understanding of some of the issues and a striving to be better. Whilst there are a few things that are okay, there is significant room for improvement. 

This is not a bad place to work but staff churn maybe high, and it could be difficult to attract the right talent needed for your growth objectives. The predominant focus is probably on cost containment with a possible lack of investment in capital renewal. The cost base may have been stabilised and the containment strategy is beginning to work allowing some thoughts of improving the workplace. There is likely to be some reluctance by staff to return to the workplace or they are doing so under sufferance.

The Hybrid working strategy needs to be property formulated and communicated. This needs to be a collaborative effort with a full understanding of the employee needs and experience. Management’s approach should be one of providing a compelling reason to return to the work place rather than compelling them to do so. If this is not achieved this will inevitably show up in staff churn down the line. You will need to start with comprehensive deep dive into the workplace and the three experience environments of Functional, Environmental and Cultural an assessment of where you are and a plan and road map of where you need to go.  

The last decade has seen incessant effort on driving down occupancy costs, I am sure it is no different in your workplace. Unfortunately this has culminated in more and more people being squeezed into smaller and smaller space. Whilst this represent greater space efficiency we have seen that this densification has taken a terrible toll on productivity.

A preoccupation with densities and number of staff /m² may lead to an efficient use of the space but 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.

Smart leaders understand it’s not what a workplace looks like, but how it works, that matters more. Your workplace management team should be making the connection with space utilisation and falling productivity and guiding the conversations you need to be having with those responsible for the workplace.

Along with this conversation you need to encourage your executive and management cohort to challenge their respective teams to seek answers to a broad range of questions, that captures employee feedback on how effectively the workplace supports them and their work. Employees are the key ingredient to the success of your Workplace strategy. It is their input that will guide you in the required changes and will create a sense of ownership and build trust with the Workplace team. However, a word of warning! Trust cannot be built overnight and existing organisational issues or internal politics that lay under the surface can negate both the response and the resulting data.

The workspace plays a strategic role in any organisation; it is after all the biggest 3D billboard you're ever likely to construct. It showcases your brand to the world and signals to your employees your values, what you value in others and how much you care for your employees. Your workspace is intimately involved in your ability to recruit and retain the best talent. By improving the employee’s workplace experience and productivity and enhancing engagement and other aspects of corporate success.

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.

True knowledge work depends less on following a repeated formula or prescription and more on applying theoretical knowledge and learning in an unpredictable culture of collaboration, exploration, autonomy, and initiative. This is a more 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 that complain that their offices too noisy and distracting and is 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.

So, the question remains do the average office facility simply provided place to work or do they provide a competitive advantage for the organisation? Workspace as a tool for production has unfortunately been a concept rather than an operating reality.Workplace experience is key to 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. Workplace experience can be a great tool for improving employee experience. A January 2022 survey found that 63% of employees feel empowered when they have flexibility to choose when and where they work. That means empowering them with the right tools to choose how they work.

It’s important to build a workplace experience that will keep your employees engaged and empowered to do their best work.  According to Gallup’s meta-analysis, employee engagement is on the decline in 2022, with the least engaged coming from full-time, on-site workers. Hybrid and remote workers are more engaged, and engagement is higher for organisations that focus on culture. Engaged employees are also more likely to remain with their organisation. 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%).

In a Place-Emergent Workplace, work is required in the other two foundational elements of Purpose and People and we would encourage you to address the building blocks for those particular elements as listed  in section 5 of this report.

5. Individual Elements

The 3 foundational elements of People, Place and Purpose are treated as a holistic construct, and it is recommended that none of the elements be cherry picked or treated in isolation. 

That said we have included individual scores to highlight focus areas for action.

Where you have marked your workplace down we would encourage you to ask questions based on the building blocks for that particular element as listed in Section 5.

Clearly as this is a self-assessment and as such is your perception of your workplace. There could be any number of reasons why you have marked a particular statement in the way that you have and so this is not meant as a definitive guide, but it is a good start. There are there are other elements vying for inclusion, and these need to be taken into consideration in a deep dive review along with how the workplace supports individual work activities and demography’s. It would be critical to include these in any business case for a change.

In today's tech heavy world, the physical workspace is merging with the digital and this has implications for our thinking about physical space and change. We need to review a simple mindset of design principles around a practical outlook that makes up an excellent workspace.Whilst each element is included as a standalone and is transferable and there are relationships between them.
Mostly these relationships are positive and self-reinforcing but occasionally these may need caution.

5.1 Enact Purpose through Process

Enact Purpose through Process Score:
0
%
A purposeful workplace conveys a regard for corporate social responsibility, the environment, health, and wellness, and diversity, equity, and inclusion.

The ties to the purpose of the organisation, are undeniable where workplaces are the biggest most visible, actionable, and tangible 3D billboard that reflects the beliefs and values of an organisation.

The building blocks of this element are;
  • Envision - Envisioning is about bringing together the business, workforce, CRE and workplace strategies in a cohesive approach to generate a hypothesis with which to engage the workforce.
  • Economic - The workplace has to fit in with the organisations commercial objectives, so we need to be in step with the Financial agenda of the organisation. Successfully implementing workplace change and occupancy cost reduction strategies contributes to economic efficiency and competitive advantage through:
    - Cost Savings
    - Cost Avoidance
    - Cost Certainty
  • Efficiency - Efficiency is an important element in being able to justify workplace transformation but this must not be to the detriment of effectiveness. Efficiency enables beneficial change in the ways of working it enables learning and development and is effective in breaking down unwanted symbols of hierarchy both real and artificial that can engender cultural overtones. An efficient workplace can reduce the overall space required by 30%, through built-in flexibility it allows teams to grow, contract and flex whilst removing the need for and cost of churn
  • Effectiveness - Effectiveness and efficiency are ying and yang, they are inseparable and need to be considered holistically. Whilst there may be a natural creative friction between efficiency and effectiveness this can be harnessed to create the best solution. It is therefore essential to create a balance between the efficiency of the workplace and its effectiveness. Staff are able to be at their best all day and every day, it promotes and enables choice, trust and transparency by allowing people to work together and on their own in a private setting. Effective workplaces make life simple, intuitive, and easy and inspire motivate and energise the workforce
  • Evaluation - Which data points across the employee experience and the environment are needed to justify the change and create sustainable measures of success? We refer to these as the Metrics that matter most.
  • Evolve - The Workplace, as with the organisation that it serves, needs to be in a permanent stage of ‘beta’ development. This means an iterative path for workplace strategy, an open dialogue with the organisation’s people, with emergent and frequently adjusted solutions. As organisations work out how to return to their workplaces, hardly any will get it right first time. It will necessitate an emergent process of measure/learn/adjust.

5.2 Empower People with Choice

Empower People with Choice Score:
0
%
Empowering employees is important for growing a sustainable business. True growth is the product of multiple people working together compounding organisational strength and capabilities.

The building blocks of this element are;
  • Emotion - The workplace may ultimately be a functional space, but workplace professionals should always consider the emotions and feelings that the space will elicit in the user; this will have a significant impact on their experience. Does the workplace experience make an employee feel good? The desire to create a positive environment for employees is a clear indication that an organisation is willing to invest in its people.
  • Engagement - Workers who are highly satisfied with their workplace demonstrate higher levels of engagement. Highly engaged workers are also more greatly satisfied with various elements of their individual workspace, such as its size, furniture, lighting, ambient noise level and temperature. Thus, indicating that a workplace environment is an important tool for organisations to deploy to improve engagement.
  • Enablement - To thrive and flourish in the future, it is essential that organisations put the enablement of human performance at the core of their workplace strategy and that they rethink this with their employees.
  • Expression - Your workplace and other facilities are the biggest 3-D billboard for your brand. The expression of the organisation through its space creates and strengthens association, further generating pride and loyalty. Its effects can be to create a community and commitment among the members of staff that unifies and projects a subtle and quiet confidence and reassurance through association and a feeling of being valued and contributing to a greater purpose.
  • Expectation - Understanding which physical, functional, environmental and psychological features impact the creation and management of an effective workplace for users allows you to meet the expectations of all stakeholders including suppliers and customers.
  • Energy - Energy is about the power of workplaces to inspire, energise and motivate people. A great workplace can boost the energy of an organisation through its functionality, amenities, technology and services. It can promote behavioural choices that enhance personal welfare.
  • Empowerment - Giving employees genuine choice over when and where to work can be a frightening prospect for many managers and leadership teams. This presents both an opportunity and a challenge for organisations. It’s an opportunity to rethink how their people work and the workspaces and technology they need to support this, but it will also challenge them to rethink how they manage their people.
  • Empathy - The workplace will only remain relevant as somewhere humanity counterbalances technology. Somewhere that inspires people, a place for creation, somewhere people use their imagination, a place where empathy abounds, where ingenuity and innovation is what matters, and a space for collaboration.
  • Equity - As we seek to encourage more variety and diversity in our workplaces, we face greater and more complex social and cultural challenges. The psychology of actively involving people from a variety of backgrounds and experiences can spell the difference between organisational success or failure. In the business, to business services economy this is particularly important, as we seek to establish a close cultural bond with our clients.

5.3 Enhance Place through Experience

Enhance Place through Experience Score:
0
%
Expectations for a satisfying, productive experience are higher than ever. EWM-360 is the response to these expectations, providing a more nuanced approach to the overall workplace experience.

The building blocks of this element are;
  • Experience - Establishing a positive workplace experience is vital to help employees deliver their best work every day and continually inspire them to contribute all of their knowledge, creativity, and energy for the benefit of their organisation.
  • Environment - Sustainability issues are important signals for potential members of staff who want to work in and be associated with responsible organisations. A fantastic workplace should be as environmentally responsible as possible. With the built environment contributing over 40% of the worlds greenhouse gases it is essential that we take a responsible and sustainable position when it comes to the workplace.
  • Elements - Whilst the physical workplace is merging with the digital and this has implications for our thinking about physical space and change, there are a set of Environmental, Functional and Psychological elements that need to be considered. While each Element is intended to be as stand-alone and portable as possible but ,there are relationships between them, so the elements need to be considered together as a whole.
  • Ether - In today's hyper connected World every organisation and their workplaces exists both physically and digitally. Organisations today recognise the power of the Internet  and the digital space opens up the potential for significant advantage or damage.
  • Eco-System - Diversity in our workplace, in terms of the spaces, is critical for success. People need to focus, collaborate, rejuvenate, socialise and learn throughout the day. No single type of space can effectively support the diverse needs of individuals and groups. The workplace needs to be designed as an ecosystem of interconnected spaces and settings where people have choice and control over where and how they work and who they work with.  This diversity will help an organisation to be more resilient and use its real estate more effectively and efficiently.
Approach

Easy 5-Step implementation roadmap.

1

Experience.

A deep dive assessment and report on the employees experience both working from home and the workplace. This forms the fundamental base data and insight from which the workplace strategy is formed.
2

Evaluate.

Marry and the assessment against the business, workforce, CRE and the workplace strategies. 
3

Engage.

A performance assessment and The integration of all workplace disciplines for the benefit of all stakeholders.
4

Execute.

Deploy the IBOS standards to deliver operational excellence.
5

Excel.

Managing the workplace and how to measure the metrics that matter most.

EWM-360 the Road Map to an Experiential Workplace

1

Experience

A deep dive assessment and report on the employees experience both working from home and the workplace. This forms the fundamental base data and insight from which the workplace strategy is formed.

2

Evaluate

Marry and the assessment against the business, workforce, CRE and the workplace strategies. 

3

Engage

A performance assessment and The integration of all workplace disciplines for the benefit of all stakeholders.

4

Execute

Deploy the IBOS standards to deliver operational excellence.

5

Excel

Managing the workplace and how to measure the metrics that matter most.

6.1 Stage 1 - Experience

Engage with the people around their experience of the workplace, their contribution and purpose Do a deep dive assessment of on the employees experience both working from home and the workplace. This data and insight forms the fundamental base from which the workplace strategy can be formed.

6.2 Stage 2 - Evaluate

Assess the data and insight from the Workplace experience assessment and marry them with the work organisation strategies of the organisation, in respect of 
  • Work- The overarching business strategy that gives context to all workplace related activities
  • Workforce- The HR strategy as to how they support the business strategy
  • Workspace- The Corporate Real Estate portfolio strategy
  • Workplace- Define a workplace strategy that focusses on employees as customer of the workplace and how the workplace contributes to the overall business

6.3 Stage 3 - Engage

This is where you need to engage with all of the workplace disciplines to understand roles and responsibilities for the different aspects of the workplace.
  • Stakeholders – Assemble an integrated Workplace team comprising of HR, IT, FM, CRE, Supply Chain and Finance and Operations
  • Integration – Form a unified and integrated Workplace team. The workplace is a ‘machine for working’ comprising many disciplines and locations so it needs a single person responsible for the entire workplace function
  • Performance – What does work, workforce, workspace and workplace performance mean to the organisation and how it should be measured

6.4 Stage 4 - Execute

This stage brings all of the pillars of operation excellence into play and put them into action along with the required resources and processes to measure the operational effectiveness of the workplace.
  • Compliance – Look to international standards for  
  • Resources – What resources are required and how will these be procured
  • Operations – implement International Building Operation Standards (IBOS)

6.5 Stage 5 - Excel

Set the workplace up for success in how it is managed to ensure the right behaviour 
  • Metrics – Build a workplace analytics function around outcome-based metrics that measure the value add to the business not just the cost
  • Measure - how and when to measure the metrics that matter most.
  • Evolve - how the workplace will need to change as the business does and how it evolves into the future

EWM-360 - the Blueprint for an Experiential Workplace

The WorkplaceFundi Experiential Workplace Management 360 (EWM-360) is the complete holistic solution to creating and managing the desired Workplace Experience.EWM-360 is an all-encompassing eco system that targets and integrates the right strategies, stakeholders, and resources.

EWM-360 includes for the first time a return-on-investment tool for your workplace that will ensure that you spend money in the right areas and reap the rewards in workplace performance that will all lead to increased competitive advantage 
Schedule COnsultation

Workplace Self-Assessment-Report

Dowload PDF report

1. Thank You

Thanks for taking the time to complete the WorkplaceFundi self-assessment tool to evaluate your workplace. We hope that this will help you in assessing the workplace from your perspective and aid you in strategic conversations with those responsible for your experience of your Workplace. We have sought to characterise your result with the typical symptoms associated with the assessment of your workplace along with some recommendations and what it will take to move towards and Experiential Workplace. This assessment measures how well your organisation invests in the workplace experiences of their people measured over the 3 foundational elements of the WorkplaceFundi Experiential Management -360 Blueprint.

The 3 foundational elements are:
  • Enact Purpose Through Process
  • Empower People with Choice
  • Enhance Place through Experience
If you want to know more and how we can help you improve your score email me at Andrew@workplacefundi.com or click below to schedule a free consultation:
Schedule COnsultation

2. Introduction

If you are the CEO of your organisation you are undoubtedly concerned with how your company is measuring up to your competition. But what are you doing about the mounting body of evidence that shows the correlation between the Workplace and your company’s competitive advantage?The interaction between your facilities, people, technology, and services impact your organisations efficiency, effectiveness, comfort, productivity, engagement, health and the attraction and retention of the best talent. 

Your Workplace is an enabler of all this and more. So, if your Workplace isn’t working your business can’t perform.

If you are not the CEO then send him/her this paper and then follow up and ask them the questions set out below.

The Questions are designed to generate a strategic conversation amongst business leadership teams with regards to how the performance of the Workplace is contributing to productivity, organisational effectiveness, and competitive advantage in their marketplaces. Your organisation’s accommodation and the people that work in it are your company’s biggest assets.

You undoubtedly measure the performance of your people which is in no small part determined by the Workplace but what about measuring the performance of the Workplace itself? COVID-19 has upended your business’s historic operational and financial justifications for the workplace. 

As a leader in your organisation, 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.

If you want to know more and how we can help you improve your score email me at Andrew@workplacefundi.com

3. Scoring

Your Experiential Workplace Index (EWi) is broken down as follows:
  • Statements 1-5 measure your response in respect of the foundational element of Enact Purpose Through Process (weighted at 30%)
  • Statements 6-10 measure your response in respect of the foundational element of Empower People with Choice (weighted at 30%)
  • Statements 11-15 measure your response in respect of the foundational element of Enhance Place through Experience (weighted at 40%)
Each response is scored on a scale of 1 through 7 where 1 means strongly disagree and 7 means strongly agree.
  • >90% in all three environments means you have an Experiential Workplace. …congratulations!
  • 80%-90% in all three environments means you have a Pre-Experiential Workplace….. Well done nearly there!
  • If you averaged between 70%–80% you have either an Engaged, Empowered, or Enabled Workplace (depending on the two elements you scored highest in).  
    - Process and People = Engaged Workplace.
    - Process and Place = Empowered Workplace.
    - Place and People = Enabled Workplace.
  • Between 50%–70% you are in an Emergent Workplace.  (again depending on which environments you scored highest in).
    -People = People Emergent 
    - Process = Process Emergent 
    - Place = Place Emergent
  • If you scored below 50% you have a Non-Experiential Workplace

Your score on the Workplace Experience Index (WXi) is as follows:

Workplace Experience Score:
0
%
This is an overall score for your workplace as a summation of the individual People, Place and Purpose factors this means that ….
You have an Engaged Workplace
1. In-Experienced
2. Emergent Organization
3. Engaged, Empowered or Enabled
4. Pre-Experiential Organization
5. Experiential Organization
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
  • Non-Experiential Organization
  • Emergent Organization
  • Engaged, Empowered or Enabled Organization
  • Pre-Experiential Organization
  • Experiential Organization

4. Explanation of your EWi

So, what does an Engaged Workplace mean?
Purpose and People = Engaged Workplace.

Congratulations you are on level three of the path to an Experiential Workplace. At Level 3 your workplace is focused on two out of the three environments, which, depending on those combinations, are classified as Engaged, Empowered, or Enabled workplaces. 

This should be seen as an accomplishment and a long way away from being either Non-Experiential or Emergent.

You may notice that the words used to describe these workplaces are all positive because even though many workplaces aren't perfect and are indeed lacking in various areas, they are striving and moving in the right direction. 

Let's look at what it means to be in an Engaged Workplace in more detail.

Employees have been told that they need to be productive but don't always necessarily understand what this means and how it is measured. This misunderstanding has led to a lot of recriminations when staff are faced with statements about lack of productivity when working from home.With the only one in two employees globally stating that they agree that their workplace allows them to work effectively, business leaders need to be highly concerned with productivity and with workplace performance. In order to provide your people with the correct tools you need to be able to communicate how they are productive and what they contribute to the greater organisations purpose.

As an organisation you may well have engaged in the productivity debate with your staff but there is probably a lack of understanding on how the workplace can improve productivity.

The way in which technology is used whether in-office, home or 3rd place go hand in hand with productivity Yet in many situations, this is not only disappointing but has a direct impact on the performance of staff as well as their resultant satisfaction. In an engaged workspace it is likely that your staff feel as though there is only a bare minimum of technology provided for them to accomplish their tasks.

When it comes to the communication of how your organisation is approaching the new world of work your employees may feel as though they have not been consulted and are consequently potentially resistant to some of the decisions that may have been taken around hybrid working.

There have been many approaches to the return to the office, and in many cases employees have felt rushed and potentially coerced into returning to the office before any detailed plan of action and communication had been provided. Let alone any changes to the way in which work was to be conducted and the workplace adjusted to enable that work to take place.

The pandemic has changed where, when, and how we work.  As hybrid working becomes the preferred way of working it may be that your organisation has not yet fully realised the massive changes this will have on the way the workplace of the future, how it is managed as well as HR processes and leadership practices.

Clear policy procedures and practices on how the workplace is to be used and what all the requirements around remote working is need to be communicated clearly and compassionately.

They may well exist understanding at management level of the need to create memorable employee experiences in the workplace, but the world has changed and if you want your staff to be happy at work then you need to reconsider their and tired workplace journey and desired experience.  Employees expectations have changed. In many instances employees have built a better workplace at home than they had left in March 2020. This is a damning indictment of the quality of the average office space and as such this has added to the resistance in the return to work. Understandably therefore employees are demanding a significantly different environment and experience. You will therefore need to treat your employees in much the same way as you treat your customers. You will need to ensure that in the designing of the workplace experience this is conducted from an employee’s perspective and that it will need to receive the same kind of attention and resources that are probably used when looking at designing services to your customers in order to create a superior customer experience.

The 3 foundational elements of People, Place and Purpose are treated as a holistic construct, and it is recommended that none of the elements be cherry picked or treated in isolation. The strategy of the organisation is led and implemented by the CEO. This provides the overarching context and direction to the activities of the company. The CEO should, therefore, ensure that a Workplace strategy is in place to enable higher levels of productivity and that supports the overall enterprise strategy.

In an engaged workplace they may well be a workplace strategy in place, but this needs to make the connection regarding the vital contribution of the workplace as an organisational performance inhibitor or facilitator. It is highly likely that you have done a lot of work on the cost impact of the workplace but has there been an assessment done on an holistic contribution to the commercial impact on the organisation? 

The Workplace is worthless unless it supports the strategic goals of the organisation irrespective of its actual monetary value. The CEO should therefore be asking those responsible if the workplace, proactively supports the roles of those they accommodate? Does it enable cultural transformation, competitive advantage, innovation, agility, capital efficiency, talent optimisation or effective leadership?

It begs the question…who is ultimately responsible for the workplace? Is it FM, HR, IT or is it Corporate Real Estate? In truth a case could be made for each one of these disciplines. Indeed, even legal/compliance, procurement, operations and of course finance also have a role to play.

This is a complex issue, and whilst as a engaged workplace you may well be in a better place than most it is likely that you have not considered all aspects of the productivity potential of your workplace and may therefore be in a state of disarray because no one has taken an overall responsibility for the workplace.  Depending on the size and complexity of your organisation this may not necessarily be a viable proposition.

However, what we see in almost all clients, is a fragmented approach to the Workplace in terms of strategy and operations with a myriad of reporting lines of those responsible for the Workplace. This means that the opportunities that the workplace provides for the organisation often falls between the cracksIn our experience, most in-house facility management and workplace teams report into the Chief Financial Officer (CFO) or the Chief Operating Officer (COO). Perhaps unintentionally this almost guarantees a cost-driven approach where utilisation rates and cost/m² are the only metrics by which the workplace and team outputs are measured.

The need to reduce office costs is a major driver for considering your Workplace strategy, but it’s not the only trigger. Major changes like the Hybrid work revolution we have seen since the Pandemic have provided spark we needed to consider whether our workspaces are really working for us.

The Workplace needs to be in-step with the financial agenda of the organisation. However, efficiency and effectiveness are ying 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, which can result in damaging effectiveness.Workplace Strategy treats the Workplace as a strategic asset and enables organisations to align how they plan, design, and manage their Workplaces with the business goals and objectives of the organisation.

If done well, a good Workplace strategy will allow organisations to get the greatest return from their investment. The Workplace is no longer a financial black hole but a value adding contributor to competitive advantage.

In an Engaged Workplace, work is required in the other foundational element of Place and we would encourage you to address the building blocks for this particular elements as listed in section 5 of this report. 

5. Individual Elements

The 3 foundational elements of People, Place and Purpose are treated as a holistic construct, and it is recommended that none of the elements be cherry picked or treated in isolation. 

That said we have included individual scores to highlight focus areas for action.

Where you have marked your workplace down we would encourage you to ask questions based on the building blocks for that particular element as listed in Section 5.

Clearly as this is a self-assessment and as such is your perception of your workplace. There could be any number of reasons why you have marked a particular statement in the way that you have and so this is not meant as a definitive guide, but it is a good start. There are there are other elements vying for inclusion, and these need to be taken into consideration in a deep dive review along with how the workplace supports individual work activities and demography’s. It would be critical to include these in any business case for a change.

In today's tech heavy world, the physical workspace is merging with the digital and this has implications for our thinking about physical space and change. We need to review a simple mindset of design principles around a practical outlook that makes up an excellent workspace.Whilst each element is included as a standalone and is transferable and there are relationships between them.
Mostly these relationships are positive and self-reinforcing but occasionally these may need caution.

5.1 Enact Purpose through Process

Enact Purpose through Process Score:
0
%
A purposeful workplace conveys a regard for corporate social responsibility, the environment, health, and wellness, and diversity, equity, and inclusion.

The ties to the purpose of the organisation, are undeniable where workplaces are the biggest most visible, actionable, and tangible 3D billboard that reflects the beliefs and values of an organisation.

The building blocks of this element are;
  • Envision - Envisioning is about bringing together the business, workforce, CRE and workplace strategies in a cohesive approach to generate a hypothesis with which to engage the workforce.
  • Economic - The workplace has to fit in with the organisations commercial objectives, so we need to be in step with the Financial agenda of the organisation. Successfully implementing workplace change and occupancy cost reduction strategies contributes to economic efficiency and competitive advantage through:
    - Cost Savings
    - Cost Avoidance
    - Cost Certainty
  • Efficiency - Efficiency is an important element in being able to justify workplace transformation but this must not be to the detriment of effectiveness. Efficiency enables beneficial change in the ways of working it enables learning and development and is effective in breaking down unwanted symbols of hierarchy both real and artificial that can engender cultural overtones. An efficient workplace can reduce the overall space required by 30%, through built-in flexibility it allows teams to grow, contract and flex whilst removing the need for and cost of churn
  • Effectiveness - Effectiveness and efficiency are ying and yang, they are inseparable and need to be considered holistically. Whilst there may be a natural creative friction between efficiency and effectiveness this can be harnessed to create the best solution. It is therefore essential to create a balance between the efficiency of the workplace and its effectiveness. Staff are able to be at their best all day and every day, it promotes and enables choice, trust and transparency by allowing people to work together and on their own in a private setting. Effective workplaces make life simple, intuitive, and easy and inspire motivate and energise the workforce
  • Evaluation - Which data points across the employee experience and the environment are needed to justify the change and create sustainable measures of success? We refer to these as the Metrics that matter most.
  • Evolve - The Workplace, as with the organisation that it serves, needs to be in a permanent stage of ‘beta’ development. This means an iterative path for workplace strategy, an open dialogue with the organisation’s people, with emergent and frequently adjusted solutions. As organisations work out how to return to their workplaces, hardly any will get it right first time. It will necessitate an emergent process of measure/learn/adjust.

5.2 Empower People with Choice

Empower People with Choice Score:
0
%
Empowering employees is important for growing a sustainable business. True growth is the product of multiple people working together compounding organisational strength and capabilities.

The building blocks of this element are;
  • Emotion - The workplace may ultimately be a functional space, but workplace professionals should always consider the emotions and feelings that the space will elicit in the user; this will have a significant impact on their experience. Does the workplace experience make an employee feel good? The desire to create a positive environment for employees is a clear indication that an organisation is willing to invest in its people.
  • Engagement - Workers who are highly satisfied with their workplace demonstrate higher levels of engagement. Highly engaged workers are also more greatly satisfied with various elements of their individual workspace, such as its size, furniture, lighting, ambient noise level and temperature. Thus, indicating that a workplace environment is an important tool for organisations to deploy to improve engagement.
  • Enablement - To thrive and flourish in the future, it is essential that organisations put the enablement of human performance at the core of their workplace strategy and that they rethink this with their employees.
  • Expression - Your workplace and other facilities are the biggest 3-D billboard for your brand. The expression of the organisation through its space creates and strengthens association, further generating pride and loyalty. Its effects can be to create a community and commitment among the members of staff that unifies and projects a subtle and quiet confidence and reassurance through association and a feeling of being valued and contributing to a greater purpose.
  • Expectation - Understanding which physical, functional, environmental and psychological features impact the creation and management of an effective workplace for users allows you to meet the expectations of all stakeholders including suppliers and customers.
  • Energy - Energy is about the power of workplaces to inspire, energise and motivate people. A great workplace can boost the energy of an organisation through its functionality, amenities, technology and services. It can promote behavioural choices that enhance personal welfare.
  • Empowerment - Giving employees genuine choice over when and where to work can be a frightening prospect for many managers and leadership teams. This presents both an opportunity and a challenge for organisations. It’s an opportunity to rethink how their people work and the workspaces and technology they need to support this, but it will also challenge them to rethink how they manage their people.
  • Empathy - The workplace will only remain relevant as somewhere humanity counterbalances technology. Somewhere that inspires people, a place for creation, somewhere people use their imagination, a place where empathy abounds, where ingenuity and innovation is what matters, and a space for collaboration.
  • Equity - As we seek to encourage more variety and diversity in our workplaces, we face greater and more complex social and cultural challenges. The psychology of actively involving people from a variety of backgrounds and experiences can spell the difference between organisational success or failure. In the business, to business services economy this is particularly important, as we seek to establish a close cultural bond with our clients.

5.3 Enhance Place through Experience

Enhance Place through Experience Score:
0
%
Expectations for a satisfying, productive experience are higher than ever. EWM-360 is the response to these expectations, providing a more nuanced approach to the overall workplace experience.

The building blocks of this element are;
  • Experience - Establishing a positive workplace experience is vital to help employees deliver their best work every day and continually inspire them to contribute all of their knowledge, creativity, and energy for the benefit of their organisation.
  • Environment - Sustainability issues are important signals for potential members of staff who want to work in and be associated with responsible organisations. A fantastic workplace should be as environmentally responsible as possible. With the built environment contributing over 40% of the worlds greenhouse gases it is essential that we take a responsible and sustainable position when it comes to the workplace.
  • Elements - Whilst the physical workplace is merging with the digital and this has implications for our thinking about physical space and change, there are a set of Environmental, Functional and Psychological elements that need to be considered. While each Element is intended to be as stand-alone and portable as possible but ,there are relationships between them, so the elements need to be considered together as a whole.
  • Ether - In today's hyper connected World every organisation and their workplaces exists both physically and digitally. Organisations today recognise the power of the Internet  and the digital space opens up the potential for significant advantage or damage.
  • Eco-System - Diversity in our workplace, in terms of the spaces, is critical for success. People need to focus, collaborate, rejuvenate, socialise and learn throughout the day. No single type of space can effectively support the diverse needs of individuals and groups. The workplace needs to be designed as an ecosystem of interconnected spaces and settings where people have choice and control over where and how they work and who they work with.  This diversity will help an organisation to be more resilient and use its real estate more effectively and efficiently.
Approach

Easy 5-Step implementation roadmap.

1

Experience.

A deep dive assessment and report on the employees experience both working from home and the workplace. This forms the fundamental base data and insight from which the workplace strategy is formed.
2

Evaluate.

Marry and the assessment against the business, workforce, CRE and the workplace strategies. 
3

Engage.

A performance assessment and The integration of all workplace disciplines for the benefit of all stakeholders.
4

Execute.

Deploy the IBOS standards to deliver operational excellence.
5

Excel.

Managing the workplace and how to measure the metrics that matter most.

EWM-360 the Road Map to an Experiential Workplace

1

Experience

A deep dive assessment and report on the employees experience both working from home and the workplace. This forms the fundamental base data and insight from which the workplace strategy is formed.

2

Evaluate

Marry and the assessment against the business, workforce, CRE and the workplace strategies. 

3

Engage

A performance assessment and The integration of all workplace disciplines for the benefit of all stakeholders.

4

Execute

Deploy the IBOS standards to deliver operational excellence.

5

Excel

Managing the workplace and how to measure the metrics that matter most.

6.1 Stage 1 - Experience

Engage with the people around their experience of the workplace, their contribution and purpose Do a deep dive assessment of on the employees experience both working from home and the workplace. This data and insight forms the fundamental base from which the workplace strategy can be formed.

6.2 Stage 2 - Evaluate

Assess the data and insight from the Workplace experience assessment and marry them with the work organisation strategies of the organisation, in respect of 
  • Work- The overarching business strategy that gives context to all workplace related activities
  • Workforce- The HR strategy as to how they support the business strategy
  • Workspace- The Corporate Real Estate portfolio strategy
  • Workplace- Define a workplace strategy that focusses on employees as customer of the workplace and how the workplace contributes to the overall business

6.3 Stage 3 - Engage

This is where you need to engage with all of the workplace disciplines to understand roles and responsibilities for the different aspects of the workplace.
  • Stakeholders – Assemble an integrated Workplace team comprising of HR, IT, FM, CRE, Supply Chain and Finance and Operations
  • Integration – Form a unified and integrated Workplace team. The workplace is a ‘machine for working’ comprising many disciplines and locations so it needs a single person responsible for the entire workplace function
  • Performance – What does work, workforce, workspace and workplace performance mean to the organisation and how it should be measured

6.4 Stage 4 - Execute

This stage brings all of the pillars of operation excellence into play and put them into action along with the required resources and processes to measure the operational effectiveness of the workplace.
  • Compliance – Look to international standards for  
  • Resources – What resources are required and how will these be procured
  • Operations – implement International Building Operation Standards (IBOS)

6.5 Stage 5 - Excel

Set the workplace up for success in how it is managed to ensure the right behaviour 
  • Metrics – Build a workplace analytics function around outcome-based metrics that measure the value add to the business not just the cost
  • Measure - how and when to measure the metrics that matter most.
  • Evolve - how the workplace will need to change as the business does and how it evolves into the future

EWM-360 - the Blueprint for an Experiential Workplace

The WorkplaceFundi Experiential Workplace Management 360 (EWM-360) is the complete holistic solution to creating and managing the desired Workplace Experience.EWM-360 is an all-encompassing eco system that targets and integrates the right strategies, stakeholders, and resources.

EWM-360 includes for the first time a return-on-investment tool for your workplace that will ensure that you spend money in the right areas and reap the rewards in workplace performance that will all lead to increased competitive advantage 
Schedule COnsultation

Workplace Self-Assessment-Report

Dowload PDF report

1. Thank You

Thanks for taking the time to complete the WorkplaceFundi self-assessment tool to evaluate your workplace. We hope that this will help you in assessing the workplace from your perspective and aid you in strategic conversations with those responsible for your experience of your Workplace. We have sought to characterise your result with the typical symptoms associated with the assessment of your workplace along with some recommendations and what it will take to move towards and Experiential Workplace. This assessment measures how well your organisation invests in the workplace experiences of their people measured over the 3 foundational elements of the WorkplaceFundi Experiential Management -360 Blueprint.

The 3 foundational elements are:
  • Enact Purpose Through Process
  • Empower People with Choice
  • Enhance Place through Experience
If you want to know more and how we can help you improve your score email me at Andrew@workplacefundi.com or click below to schedule a free consultation:
Schedule COnsultation

2. Introduction

If you are the CEO of your organisation you are undoubtedly concerned with how your company is measuring up to your competition. But what are you doing about the mounting body of evidence that shows the correlation between the Workplace and your company’s competitive advantage?The interaction between your facilities, people, technology, and services impact your organisations efficiency, effectiveness, comfort, productivity, engagement, health and the attraction and retention of the best talent. 

Your Workplace is an enabler of all this and more. So, if your Workplace isn’t working your business can’t perform.

If you are not the CEO then send him/her this paper and then follow up and ask them the questions set out below.

The Questions are designed to generate a strategic conversation amongst business leadership teams with regards to how the performance of the Workplace is contributing to productivity, organisational effectiveness, and competitive advantage in their marketplaces. Your organisation’s accommodation and the people that work in it are your company’s biggest assets.

You undoubtedly measure the performance of your people which is in no small part determined by the Workplace but what about measuring the performance of the Workplace itself? COVID-19 has upended your business’s historic operational and financial justifications for the workplace. 

As a leader in your organisation, 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.

If you want to know more and how we can help you improve your score email me at Andrew@workplacefundi.com

3. Scoring

Your Experiential Workplace Index (EWi) is broken down as follows:
  • Statements 1-5 measure your response in respect of the foundational element of Enact Purpose Through Process (weighted at 30%)
  • Statements 6-10 measure your response in respect of the foundational element of Empower People with Choice (weighted at 30%)
  • Statements 11-15 measure your response in respect of the foundational element of Enhance Place through Experience (weighted at 40%)
Each response is scored on a scale of 1 through 7 where 1 means strongly disagree and 7 means strongly agree.
  • >90% in all three environments means you have an Experiential Workplace. …congratulations!
  • 80%-90% in all three environments means you have a Pre-Experiential Workplace….. Well done nearly there!
  • If you averaged between 70%–80% you have either an Engaged, Empowered, or Enabled Workplace (depending on the two elements you scored highest in).  
    - Process and People = Engaged Workplace.
    - Process and Place = Empowered Workplace.
    - Place and People = Enabled Workplace.
  • Between 50%–70% you are in an Emergent Workplace.  (again depending on which environments you scored highest in).
    -People = People Emergent 
    - Process = Process Emergent 
    - Place = Place Emergent
  • If you scored below 50% you have a Non-Experiential Workplace

Your score on the Workplace Experience Index (WXi) is as follows:

Workplace Experience Score:
0
%
This is an overall score for your workplace as a summation of the individual People, Place and Purpose factors this means that ….
You have an Enabled Workplace
1. In-Experienced
2. Emergent Organization
3. Engaged, Empowered or Enabled
4. Pre-Experiential Organization
5. Experiential Organization
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
  • Non-Experiential Organization
  • Emergent Organization
  • Engaged, Empowered or Enabled Organization
  • Pre-Experiential Organization
  • Experiential Organization

4. Explanation of your EWi

So, what does an Enabled Workplace mean?
Place and People = Enabled Workplace.

Congratulations you are on level three of the path to an Experiential Workplace. At Level 3 your workplace is focused on two out of the three environments, which, depending on those combinations, are classified as Engaged, Empowered, or Enabled workplaces. 

This should be seen as an accomplishment and a long way away from being either Non-Experiential or Emergent.

You may notice that the words used to describe these workplaces are all positive because even though many workplaces aren't perfect and are indeed lacking in various areas, they are striving and moving in the right direction. 

Let's look at what it means to be in an Enabled Workplace in more detail.

Employees have been told that they need to be productive but don't always necessarily understand what this means and how it is measured. This misunderstanding has led to a lot of recriminations when staff are faced with statements about lack of productivity when working from home.

With the only one in two employees globally stating that they agree that their workplace allows them to work effectively, business leaders need to be highly concerned with productivity and with workplace performance. In order to provide your people with the correct tools you need to be able to communicate how they are productive and what they contribute to the greater organisations purpose.

As an organisation you may well have engaged in the productivity debate with your staff but there is probably a lack of understanding on how the workplace can improve productivity.

The way in which technology is used whether in-office, home or 3rd place go hand in hand with productivity Yet in many situations, this is not only disappointing but has a direct impact on the performance of staff as well as their resultant satisfaction. In a enabled workspace it is likely that your staff feel as though there is only a bare minimum of technology provided for them to accomplish their tasks.

When it comes to the communication of how your organisation is approaching the new world of work your employees may feel as though they have not been consulted and are consequently potentially resistant to some of the decisions that may have been taken around hybrid working.

There have been many approaches to the return to the office, and in many cases employees have felt rushed and potentially coerced into returning to the office before any detailed plan of action and communication had been provided. Let alone any changes to the way in which work was to be conducted and the workplace adjusted to enable that work to take place.

The pandemic has changed where, when, and how we work.  As hybrid working becomes the preferred way of working it may be that your organisation has not yet fully realised the massive changes this will have on the way the workplace of the future, how it is managed as well as HR processes and leadership practices.

Clear policy procedures and practices on how the workplace is to be used and what all the requirements around remote working is need to be communicated clearly and compassionately.

They may well exist understanding at management level of the need to create memorable employee experiences in the workplace, but the world has changed and if you want your staff to be happy at work then you need to reconsider their and tired workplace journey and desired experience.  Employees expectations have changed. In many instances employees have built a better workplace at home than they had left in March 2020. This is a damning indictment of the quality of the average office space and as such this has added to the resistance in the return to work. Understandably therefore employees are demanding a significantly different environment and experience. You will therefore need to treat your employees in much the same way as you treat your customers. You will need to ensure that in the designing of the workplace experience this is conducted from an employee’s perspective and that it will need to receive the same kind of attention and resources that are probably used when looking at designing services to your customers in order to create a superior customer experience.

The 3 foundational elements of People, Place and Purpose are treated as a holistic construct, and it is recommended that none of the elements be cherry picked or treated in isolation. The last decade has seen incessant effort on driving down occupancy costs, I am sure it is no different in your workplace. Unfortunately, this has culminated in more and more people being squeezed into smaller and smaller space. Whilst this represent greater space efficiency we have seen that this densification has taken a terrible toll on productivity.

A preoccupation with densities and number of staff /m² may lead to an efficient use of the space but 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.Smart leaders understand it’s not what a workplace looks like, but how it works, that matters more. Your workplace management team should be making the connection with space utilisation and falling productivity and guiding the conversations you need to be having with those responsible for the workplace.

Along with this conversation you need to encourage your executive and management cohort to challenge their respective teams to seek answers to a broad range of questions, that captures employee feedback on how effectively the workplace supports them and their work. Employees are the key ingredient to the success of your Workplace strategy. It is their input that will guide you in the required changes and will create a sense of ownership and build trust with the Workplace team. However, a word of warning! Trust cannot be built overnight and existing organisational issues or internal politics that lay under the surface can negate both the response and the resulting data.The workspace plays a strategic role in any organisation; it is after all the biggest 3D billboard you're ever likely to construct. It showcases your brand to the world and signals to your employees your values, what you value in others and how much you care for your employees. Your workspace is intimately involved in your ability to recruit and retain the best talent. By improving the employee’s workplace experience and productivity and enhancing engagement and other aspects of corporate success.

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.

True knowledge work depends less on following a repeated formula or prescription and more on applying theoretical knowledge and learning in an unpredictable culture of collaboration, exploration, autonomy, and initiative. This is a more 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 that complain that their offices too noisy and distracting and is 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.

So, the question remains do the average office facility simply provided place to work or do they provide a competitive advantage for the organisation? Workspace as a tool for production has unfortunately been a concept rather than an operating reality.Workplace experience is key to 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. Workplace experience can be a great tool for improving employee experience. A January 2022 survey found that 63% of employees feel empowered when they have flexibility to choose when and where they work. That means empowering them with the right tools to choose how they work.

It’s important to build a workplace experience that will keep your employees engaged and empowered to do their best work.  According to Gallup’s meta-analysis, employee engagement is on the decline in 2022, with the least engaged coming from full-time, on-site workers. Hybrid and remote workers are more engaged, and engagement is higher for organisations that focus on culture. Engaged employees are also more likely to remain with their organisation. 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%).

In an Enabled Workplace, work is required in the other foundational element of Purpose, and we would encourage you to address the building blocks for this particular elements as listed in section 5 of this report. 

5. Individual Elements

The 3 foundational elements of People, Place and Purpose are treated as a holistic construct, and it is recommended that none of the elements be cherry picked or treated in isolation. 

That said we have included individual scores to highlight focus areas for action.

Where you have marked your workplace down we would encourage you to ask questions based on the building blocks for that particular element as listed in Section 5.

Clearly as this is a self-assessment and as such is your perception of your workplace. There could be any number of reasons why you have marked a particular statement in the way that you have and so this is not meant as a definitive guide, but it is a good start. There are there are other elements vying for inclusion, and these need to be taken into consideration in a deep dive review along with how the workplace supports individual work activities and demography’s. It would be critical to include these in any business case for a change.

In today's tech heavy world, the physical workspace is merging with the digital and this has implications for our thinking about physical space and change. We need to review a simple mindset of design principles around a practical outlook that makes up an excellent workspace.Whilst each element is included as a standalone and is transferable and there are relationships between them.
Mostly these relationships are positive and self-reinforcing but occasionally these may need caution.

5.1 Enact Purpose through Process

Enact Purpose through Process Score:
0
%
A purposeful workplace conveys a regard for corporate social responsibility, the environment, health, and wellness, and diversity, equity, and inclusion.

The ties to the purpose of the organisation, are undeniable where workplaces are the biggest most visible, actionable, and tangible 3D billboard that reflects the beliefs and values of an organisation.

The building blocks of this element are;
  • Envision - Envisioning is about bringing together the business, workforce, CRE and workplace strategies in a cohesive approach to generate a hypothesis with which to engage the workforce.
  • Economic - The workplace has to fit in with the organisations commercial objectives, so we need to be in step with the Financial agenda of the organisation. Successfully implementing workplace change and occupancy cost reduction strategies contributes to economic efficiency and competitive advantage through:
    - Cost Savings
    - Cost Avoidance
    - Cost Certainty
  • Efficiency - Efficiency is an important element in being able to justify workplace transformation but this must not be to the detriment of effectiveness. Efficiency enables beneficial change in the ways of working it enables learning and development and is effective in breaking down unwanted symbols of hierarchy both real and artificial that can engender cultural overtones. An efficient workplace can reduce the overall space required by 30%, through built-in flexibility it allows teams to grow, contract and flex whilst removing the need for and cost of churn
  • Effectiveness - Effectiveness and efficiency are ying and yang, they are inseparable and need to be considered holistically. Whilst there may be a natural creative friction between efficiency and effectiveness this can be harnessed to create the best solution. It is therefore essential to create a balance between the efficiency of the workplace and its effectiveness. Staff are able to be at their best all day and every day, it promotes and enables choice, trust and transparency by allowing people to work together and on their own in a private setting. Effective workplaces make life simple, intuitive, and easy and inspire motivate and energise the workforce
  • Evaluation - Which data points across the employee experience and the environment are needed to justify the change and create sustainable measures of success? We refer to these as the Metrics that matter most.
  • Evolve - The Workplace, as with the organisation that it serves, needs to be in a permanent stage of ‘beta’ development. This means an iterative path for workplace strategy, an open dialogue with the organisation’s people, with emergent and frequently adjusted solutions. As organisations work out how to return to their workplaces, hardly any will get it right first time. It will necessitate an emergent process of measure/learn/adjust.

5.2 Empower People with Choice

Empower People with Choice Score:
0
%
Empowering employees is important for growing a sustainable business. True growth is the product of multiple people working together compounding organisational strength and capabilities.

The building blocks of this element are;
  • Emotion - The workplace may ultimately be a functional space, but workplace professionals should always consider the emotions and feelings that the space will elicit in the user; this will have a significant impact on their experience. Does the workplace experience make an employee feel good? The desire to create a positive environment for employees is a clear indication that an organisation is willing to invest in its people.
  • Engagement - Workers who are highly satisfied with their workplace demonstrate higher levels of engagement. Highly engaged workers are also more greatly satisfied with various elements of their individual workspace, such as its size, furniture, lighting, ambient noise level and temperature. Thus, indicating that a workplace environment is an important tool for organisations to deploy to improve engagement.
  • Enablement - To thrive and flourish in the future, it is essential that organisations put the enablement of human performance at the core of their workplace strategy and that they rethink this with their employees.
  • Expression - Your workplace and other facilities are the biggest 3-D billboard for your brand. The expression of the organisation through its space creates and strengthens association, further generating pride and loyalty. Its effects can be to create a community and commitment among the members of staff that unifies and projects a subtle and quiet confidence and reassurance through association and a feeling of being valued and contributing to a greater purpose.
  • Expectation - Understanding which physical, functional, environmental and psychological features impact the creation and management of an effective workplace for users allows you to meet the expectations of all stakeholders including suppliers and customers.
  • Energy - Energy is about the power of workplaces to inspire, energise and motivate people. A great workplace can boost the energy of an organisation through its functionality, amenities, technology and services. It can promote behavioural choices that enhance personal welfare.
  • Empowerment - Giving employees genuine choice over when and where to work can be a frightening prospect for many managers and leadership teams. This presents both an opportunity and a challenge for organisations. It’s an opportunity to rethink how their people work and the workspaces and technology they need to support this, but it will also challenge them to rethink how they manage their people.
  • Empathy - The workplace will only remain relevant as somewhere humanity counterbalances technology. Somewhere that inspires people, a place for creation, somewhere people use their imagination, a place where empathy abounds, where ingenuity and innovation is what matters, and a space for collaboration.
  • Equity - As we seek to encourage more variety and diversity in our workplaces, we face greater and more complex social and cultural challenges. The psychology of actively involving people from a variety of backgrounds and experiences can spell the difference between organisational success or failure. In the business, to business services economy this is particularly important, as we seek to establish a close cultural bond with our clients.

5.3 Enhance Place through Experience

Enhance Place through Experience Score:
0
%
Expectations for a satisfying, productive experience are higher than ever. EWM-360 is the response to these expectations, providing a more nuanced approach to the overall workplace experience.

The building blocks of this element are;
  • Experience - Establishing a positive workplace experience is vital to help employees deliver their best work every day and continually inspire them to contribute all of their knowledge, creativity, and energy for the benefit of their organisation.
  • Environment - Sustainability issues are important signals for potential members of staff who want to work in and be associated with responsible organisations. A fantastic workplace should be as environmentally responsible as possible. With the built environment contributing over 40% of the worlds greenhouse gases it is essential that we take a responsible and sustainable position when it comes to the workplace.
  • Elements - Whilst the physical workplace is merging with the digital and this has implications for our thinking about physical space and change, there are a set of Environmental, Functional and Psychological elements that need to be considered. While each Element is intended to be as stand-alone and portable as possible but ,there are relationships between them, so the elements need to be considered together as a whole.
  • Ether - In today's hyper connected World every organisation and their workplaces exists both physically and digitally. Organisations today recognise the power of the Internet  and the digital space opens up the potential for significant advantage or damage.
  • Eco-System - Diversity in our workplace, in terms of the spaces, is critical for success. People need to focus, collaborate, rejuvenate, socialise and learn throughout the day. No single type of space can effectively support the diverse needs of individuals and groups. The workplace needs to be designed as an ecosystem of interconnected spaces and settings where people have choice and control over where and how they work and who they work with.  This diversity will help an organisation to be more resilient and use its real estate more effectively and efficiently.
Approach

Easy 5-Step implementation roadmap.

1

Experience.

A deep dive assessment and report on the employees experience both working from home and the workplace. This forms the fundamental base data and insight from which the workplace strategy is formed.
2

Evaluate.

Marry and the assessment against the business, workforce, CRE and the workplace strategies. 
3

Engage.

A performance assessment and The integration of all workplace disciplines for the benefit of all stakeholders.
4

Execute.

Deploy the IBOS standards to deliver operational excellence.
5

Excel.

Managing the workplace and how to measure the metrics that matter most.

EWM-360 the Road Map to an Experiential Workplace

1

Experience

A deep dive assessment and report on the employees experience both working from home and the workplace. This forms the fundamental base data and insight from which the workplace strategy is formed.

2

Evaluate

Marry and the assessment against the business, workforce, CRE and the workplace strategies. 

3

Engage

A performance assessment and The integration of all workplace disciplines for the benefit of all stakeholders.

4

Execute

Deploy the IBOS standards to deliver operational excellence.

5

Excel

Managing the workplace and how to measure the metrics that matter most.

6.1 Stage 1 - Experience

Engage with the people around their experience of the workplace, their contribution and purpose Do a deep dive assessment of on the employees experience both working from home and the workplace. This data and insight forms the fundamental base from which the workplace strategy can be formed.

6.2 Stage 2 - Evaluate

Assess the data and insight from the Workplace experience assessment and marry them with the work organisation strategies of the organisation, in respect of 
  • Work- The overarching business strategy that gives context to all workplace related activities
  • Workforce- The HR strategy as to how they support the business strategy
  • Workspace- The Corporate Real Estate portfolio strategy
  • Workplace- Define a workplace strategy that focusses on employees as customer of the workplace and how the workplace contributes to the overall business

6.3 Stage 3 - Engage

This is where you need to engage with all of the workplace disciplines to understand roles and responsibilities for the different aspects of the workplace.
  • Stakeholders – Assemble an integrated Workplace team comprising of HR, IT, FM, CRE, Supply Chain and Finance and Operations
  • Integration – Form a unified and integrated Workplace team. The workplace is a ‘machine for working’ comprising many disciplines and locations so it needs a single person responsible for the entire workplace function
  • Performance – What does work, workforce, workspace and workplace performance mean to the organisation and how it should be measured

6.4 Stage 4 - Execute

This stage brings all of the pillars of operation excellence into play and put them into action along with the required resources and processes to measure the operational effectiveness of the workplace.
  • Compliance – Look to international standards for  
  • Resources – What resources are required and how will these be procured
  • Operations – implement International Building Operation Standards (IBOS)

6.5 Stage 5 - Excel

Set the workplace up for success in how it is managed to ensure the right behaviour 
  • Metrics – Build a workplace analytics function around outcome-based metrics that measure the value add to the business not just the cost
  • Measure - how and when to measure the metrics that matter most.
  • Evolve - how the workplace will need to change as the business does and how it evolves into the future

EWM-360 - the Blueprint for an Experiential Workplace

The WorkplaceFundi Experiential Workplace Management 360 (EWM-360) is the complete holistic solution to creating and managing the desired Workplace Experience.EWM-360 is an all-encompassing eco system that targets and integrates the right strategies, stakeholders, and resources.

EWM-360 includes for the first time a return-on-investment tool for your workplace that will ensure that you spend money in the right areas and reap the rewards in workplace performance that will all lead to increased competitive advantage 
Schedule COnsultation

Workplace Self-Assessment-Report

Dowload PDF report

1. Thank You

Thanks for taking the time to complete the WorkplaceFundi self-assessment tool to evaluate your workplace. We hope that this will help you in assessing the workplace from your perspective and aid you in strategic conversations with those responsible for your experience of your Workplace. We have sought to characterise your result with the typical symptoms associated with the assessment of your workplace along with some recommendations and what it will take to move towards and Experiential Workplace. This assessment measures how well your organisation invests in the workplace experiences of their people measured over the 3 foundational elements of the WorkplaceFundi Experiential Management -360 Blueprint.

The 3 foundational elements are:
  • Enact Purpose Through Process
  • Empower People with Choice
  • Enhance Place through Experience
If you want to know more and how we can help you improve your score email me at Andrew@workplacefundi.com or click below to schedule a free consultation:
Schedule COnsultation

2. Introduction

If you are the CEO of your organisation you are undoubtedly concerned with how your company is measuring up to your competition. But what are you doing about the mounting body of evidence that shows the correlation between the Workplace and your company’s competitive advantage?The interaction between your facilities, people, technology, and services impact your organisations efficiency, effectiveness, comfort, productivity, engagement, health and the attraction and retention of the best talent. 

Your Workplace is an enabler of all this and more. So, if your Workplace isn’t working your business can’t perform.

If you are not the CEO then send him/her this paper and then follow up and ask them the questions set out below.

The Questions are designed to generate a strategic conversation amongst business leadership teams with regards to how the performance of the Workplace is contributing to productivity, organisational effectiveness, and competitive advantage in their marketplaces. Your organisation’s accommodation and the people that work in it are your company’s biggest assets.

You undoubtedly measure the performance of your people which is in no small part determined by the Workplace but what about measuring the performance of the Workplace itself? COVID-19 has upended your business’s historic operational and financial justifications for the workplace. 

As a leader in your organisation, 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.

If you want to know more and how we can help you improve your score email me at Andrew@workplacefundi.com

3. Scoring

Your Experiential Workplace Index (EWi) is broken down as follows:
  • Statements 1-5 measure your response in respect of the foundational element of Enact Purpose Through Process (weighted at 30%)
  • Statements 6-10 measure your response in respect of the foundational element of Empower People with Choice (weighted at 30%)
  • Statements 11-15 measure your response in respect of the foundational element of Enhance Place through Experience (weighted at 40%)
Each response is scored on a scale of 1 through 7 where 1 means strongly disagree and 7 means strongly agree.
  • >90% in all three environments means you have an Experiential Workplace. …congratulations!
  • 80%-90% in all three environments means you have a Pre-Experiential Workplace….. Well done nearly there!
  • If you averaged between 70%–80% you have either an Engaged, Empowered, or Enabled Workplace (depending on the two elements you scored highest in).  
    - Process and People = Engaged Workplace.
    - Process and Place = Empowered Workplace.
    - Place and People = Enabled Workplace.
  • Between 50%–70% you are in an Emergent Workplace.  (again depending on which environments you scored highest in).
    -People = People Emergent 
    - Process = Process Emergent 
    - Place = Place Emergent
  • If you scored below 50% you have a Non-Experiential Workplace

Your score on the Workplace Experience Index (WXi) is as follows:

Workplace Experience Score:
0
%
This is an overall score for your workplace as a summation of the individual People, Place and Purpose factors this means that ….
You have an Empowered Workplace
1. In-Experienced
2. Emergent Organization
3. Engaged, Empowered or Enabled
4. Pre-Experiential Organization
5. Experiential Organization
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
  • Non-Experiential Organization
  • Emergent Organization
  • Engaged, Empowered or Enabled Organization
  • Pre-Experiential Organization
  • Experiential Organization

4. Explanation of your EWi

So, what does an Empowered Workplace mean?
Purpose and Place = Empowered Workplace.

Congratulations you are on level three of the path to an Experiential Workplace. At Level 3 your workplace is focused on two out of the three environments, which, depending on those combinations, are classified as Engaged, Empowered, or Enabled workplaces. 

This should be seen as an accomplishment and a long way away from being either Non-Experiential or Emergent.

You may notice that the words used to describe these workplaces are all positive because even though many workplaces aren't perfect and are indeed lacking in various areas, they are striving and moving in the right direction. 

Let's look at what it means to be in an Empowered Workplace in more detail.

The strategy of the organisation is led and implemented by the CEO. This provides the overarching context and direction to the activities of the company. The CEO should, therefore, ensure that a Workplace strategy is in place to enable higher levels of productivity and that supports the overall enterprise strategy. In an empowered workplace they may well be a workplace strategy in place but this needs to make the connection regarding the vital contribution of the workplace as an organisational performance inhibitor or facilitator. It is highly likely that you have done a lot of work on the cost impact of the workplace but has there been an assessment done on an holistic contribution to the commercial impact on the organisation? 

The Workplace is worthless unless it supports the strategic goals of the organisation irrespective of its actual monetary value. The CEO should therefore be asking those responsible if the workplace, proactively supports the roles of those they accommodate? Does it enable cultural transformation, competitive advantage, innovation, agility, capital efficiency, talent optimisation or effective leadership?

It begs the question…who is ultimately responsible for the workplace? Is it FM, HR, IT or is it Corporate Real Estate? In truth a case could be made for each one of these disciplines. Indeed, even legal/compliance, procurement, operations and of course finance also have a role to play.

This is a complex issue, and whilst as a empowered workplace you may well be in a better place than most it is likely that you have not considered all aspects of the productivity potential of your workplace and may therefore be in a state of disarray because no one has taken an overall responsibility for the workplace.  Depending on the size and complexity of your organisation this may not necessarily be a viable proposition. However, what we see in almost all clients, is a fragmented approach to the Workplace in terms of strategy and operations with a myriad of reporting lines of those responsible for the Workplace. This means that the opportunities that the workplace provides for the organisation often falls between the cracksIn our experience, most in-house facility management and workplace teams report into the Chief Financial Officer (CFO) or the Chief Operating Officer (COO). Perhaps unintentionally this almost guarantees a cost-driven approach where utilisation rates and cost/m² are the only metrics by which the workplace and team outputs are measured.

The need to reduce office costs is a major driver for considering your Workplace strategy, but it’s not the only trigger. Major changes like the Hybrid work revolution we have seen since the Pandemic have provided spark we needed to consider whether our workspaces are really working for us.

The Workplace needs to be in-step with the financial agenda of the organisation. However, efficiency and effectiveness are ying 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, which can result in damaging effectiveness.Workplace Strategy treats the Workplace as a strategic asset and enables organisations to align how they plan, design, and manage their Workplaces with the business goals and objectives of the organisation. If done well, a good Workplace strategy will allow organisations to get the greatest return from their investment. The Workplace is no longer a financial black hole but a value adding contributor to competitive advantage.

The last decade has seen incessant effort on driving down occupancy costs, I am sure it is no different in your workplace. Unfortunately, this has culminated in more and more people being squeezed into smaller and smaller space. Whilst this represent greater space efficiency we have seen that this densification has taken a terrible toll on productivity.

A preoccupation with densities and number of staff /m² may lead to an efficient use of the space but 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.

Smart leaders understand it’s not what a workplace looks like, but how it works, that matters more. Your workplace management team should be making the connection with space utilisation and falling productivity and guiding the conversations you need to be having with those responsible for the workplace.

Along with this conversation you need to encourage your executive and management cohort to challenge their respective teams to seek answers to a broad range of questions, that captures employee feedback on how effectively the workplace supports them and their work. Employees are the key ingredient to the success of your Workplace strategy. It is their input that will guide you in the required changes and will create a sense of ownership and build trust with the Workplace team. However, a word of warning! Trust cannot be built overnight and existing organisational issues or internal politics that lay under the surface can negate both the response and the resulting data.The workspace plays a strategic role in any organisation; it is after all the biggest 3D billboard you're ever likely to construct. It showcases your brand to the world and signals to your employees your values, what you value in others and how much you care for your employees. Your workspace is intimately involved in your ability to recruit and retain the best talent. By improving the employee’s workplace experience and productivity and enhancing engagement and other aspects of corporate success.

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.

True knowledge work depends less on following a repeated formula or prescription and more on applying theoretical knowledge and learning in an unpredictable culture of collaboration, exploration, autonomy, and initiative. This is a more 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 that complain that their offices too noisy and distracting and is 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.

So, the question remains do the average office facility simply provided place to work or do they provide a competitive advantage for the organisation? Workspace as a tool for production has unfortunately been a concept rather than an operating reality.Workplace experience is key to 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. Workplace experience can be a great tool for improving employee experience.

A January 2022 survey found that 63% of employees feel empowered when they have flexibility to choose when and where they work. That means empowering them with the right tools to choose how they work.

It’s important to build a workplace experience that will keep your employees engaged and empowered to do their best work.  According to Gallup’s meta-analysis, employee engagement is on the decline in 2022, with the least engaged coming from full-time, on-site workers. Hybrid and remote workers are more engaged, and engagement is higher for organisations that focus on culture. 

Engaged employees are also more likely to remain with their organisation. 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%).

In an Empowered Workplace, work is required in the other foundational element of People, and we would encourage you to address the building blocks for this particular elements as listed in section 5 of this report.

5. Individual Elements

The 3 foundational elements of People, Place and Purpose are treated as a holistic construct, and it is recommended that none of the elements be cherry picked or treated in isolation. 

That said we have included individual scores to highlight focus areas for action.

Where you have marked your workplace down we would encourage you to ask questions based on the building blocks for that particular element as listed in Section 5.

Clearly as this is a self-assessment and as such is your perception of your workplace. There could be any number of reasons why you have marked a particular statement in the way that you have and so this is not meant as a definitive guide, but it is a good start. There are there are other elements vying for inclusion, and these need to be taken into consideration in a deep dive review along with how the workplace supports individual work activities and demography’s. It would be critical to include these in any business case for a change.

In today's tech heavy world, the physical workspace is merging with the digital and this has implications for our thinking about physical space and change. We need to review a simple mindset of design principles around a practical outlook that makes up an excellent workspace.Whilst each element is included as a standalone and is transferable and there are relationships between them.
Mostly these relationships are positive and self-reinforcing but occasionally these may need caution.

5.1 Enact Purpose through Process

Enact Purpose through Process Score:
0
%
A purposeful workplace conveys a regard for corporate social responsibility, the environment, health, and wellness, and diversity, equity, and inclusion.

The ties to the purpose of the organisation, are undeniable where workplaces are the biggest most visible, actionable, and tangible 3D billboard that reflects the beliefs and values of an organisation.

The building blocks of this element are;
  • Envision - Envisioning is about bringing together the business, workforce, CRE and workplace strategies in a cohesive approach to generate a hypothesis with which to engage the workforce.
  • Economic - The workplace has to fit in with the organisations commercial objectives, so we need to be in step with the Financial agenda of the organisation. Successfully implementing workplace change and occupancy cost reduction strategies contributes to economic efficiency and competitive advantage through:
    - Cost Savings
    - Cost Avoidance
    - Cost Certainty
  • Efficiency - Efficiency is an important element in being able to justify workplace transformation but this must not be to the detriment of effectiveness. Efficiency enables beneficial change in the ways of working it enables learning and development and is effective in breaking down unwanted symbols of hierarchy both real and artificial that can engender cultural overtones. An efficient workplace can reduce the overall space required by 30%, through built-in flexibility it allows teams to grow, contract and flex whilst removing the need for and cost of churn
  • Effectiveness - Effectiveness and efficiency are ying and yang, they are inseparable and need to be considered holistically. Whilst there may be a natural creative friction between efficiency and effectiveness this can be harnessed to create the best solution. It is therefore essential to create a balance between the efficiency of the workplace and its effectiveness. Staff are able to be at their best all day and every day, it promotes and enables choice, trust and transparency by allowing people to work together and on their own in a private setting. Effective workplaces make life simple, intuitive, and easy and inspire motivate and energise the workforce
  • Evaluation - Which data points across the employee experience and the environment are needed to justify the change and create sustainable measures of success? We refer to these as the Metrics that matter most.
  • Evolve - The Workplace, as with the organisation that it serves, needs to be in a permanent stage of ‘beta’ development. This means an iterative path for workplace strategy, an open dialogue with the organisation’s people, with emergent and frequently adjusted solutions. As organisations work out how to return to their workplaces, hardly any will get it right first time. It will necessitate an emergent process of measure/learn/adjust.

5.2 Empower People with Choice

Empower People with Choice Score:
0
%
Empowering employees is important for growing a sustainable business. True growth is the product of multiple people working together compounding organisational strength and capabilities.

The building blocks of this element are;
  • Emotion - The workplace may ultimately be a functional space, but workplace professionals should always consider the emotions and feelings that the space will elicit in the user; this will have a significant impact on their experience. Does the workplace experience make an employee feel good? The desire to create a positive environment for employees is a clear indication that an organisation is willing to invest in its people.
  • Engagement - Workers who are highly satisfied with their workplace demonstrate higher levels of engagement. Highly engaged workers are also more greatly satisfied with various elements of their individual workspace, such as its size, furniture, lighting, ambient noise level and temperature. Thus, indicating that a workplace environment is an important tool for organisations to deploy to improve engagement.
  • Enablement - To thrive and flourish in the future, it is essential that organisations put the enablement of human performance at the core of their workplace strategy and that they rethink this with their employees.
  • Expression - Your workplace and other facilities are the biggest 3-D billboard for your brand. The expression of the organisation through its space creates and strengthens association, further generating pride and loyalty. Its effects can be to create a community and commitment among the members of staff that unifies and projects a subtle and quiet confidence and reassurance through association and a feeling of being valued and contributing to a greater purpose.
  • Expectation - Understanding which physical, functional, environmental and psychological features impact the creation and management of an effective workplace for users allows you to meet the expectations of all stakeholders including suppliers and customers.
  • Energy - Energy is about the power of workplaces to inspire, energise and motivate people. A great workplace can boost the energy of an organisation through its functionality, amenities, technology and services. It can promote behavioural choices that enhance personal welfare.
  • Empowerment - Giving employees genuine choice over when and where to work can be a frightening prospect for many managers and leadership teams. This presents both an opportunity and a challenge for organisations. It’s an opportunity to rethink how their people work and the workspaces and technology they need to support this, but it will also challenge them to rethink how they manage their people.
  • Empathy - The workplace will only remain relevant as somewhere humanity counterbalances technology. Somewhere that inspires people, a place for creation, somewhere people use their imagination, a place where empathy abounds, where ingenuity and innovation is what matters, and a space for collaboration.
  • Equity - As we seek to encourage more variety and diversity in our workplaces, we face greater and more complex social and cultural challenges. The psychology of actively involving people from a variety of backgrounds and experiences can spell the difference between organisational success or failure. In the business, to business services economy this is particularly important, as we seek to establish a close cultural bond with our clients.

5.3 Enhance Place through Experience

Enhance Place through Experience Score:
0
%
Expectations for a satisfying, productive experience are higher than ever. EWM-360 is the response to these expectations, providing a more nuanced approach to the overall workplace experience.

The building blocks of this element are;
  • Experience - Establishing a positive workplace experience is vital to help employees deliver their best work every day and continually inspire them to contribute all of their knowledge, creativity, and energy for the benefit of their organisation.
  • Environment - Sustainability issues are important signals for potential members of staff who want to work in and be associated with responsible organisations. A fantastic workplace should be as environmentally responsible as possible. With the built environment contributing over 40% of the worlds greenhouse gases it is essential that we take a responsible and sustainable position when it comes to the workplace.
  • Elements - Whilst the physical workplace is merging with the digital and this has implications for our thinking about physical space and change, there are a set of Environmental, Functional and Psychological elements that need to be considered. While each Element is intended to be as stand-alone and portable as possible but ,there are relationships between them, so the elements need to be considered together as a whole.
  • Ether - In today's hyper connected World every organisation and their workplaces exists both physically and digitally. Organisations today recognise the power of the Internet  and the digital space opens up the potential for significant advantage or damage.
  • Eco-System - Diversity in our workplace, in terms of the spaces, is critical for success. People need to focus, collaborate, rejuvenate, socialise and learn throughout the day. No single type of space can effectively support the diverse needs of individuals and groups. The workplace needs to be designed as an ecosystem of interconnected spaces and settings where people have choice and control over where and how they work and who they work with.  This diversity will help an organisation to be more resilient and use its real estate more effectively and efficiently.
Approach

Easy 5-Step implementation roadmap.

1

Experience.

A deep dive assessment and report on the employees experience both working from home and the workplace. This forms the fundamental base data and insight from which the workplace strategy is formed.
2

Evaluate.

Marry and the assessment against the business, workforce, CRE and the workplace strategies. 
3

Engage.

A performance assessment and The integration of all workplace disciplines for the benefit of all stakeholders.
4

Execute.

Deploy the IBOS standards to deliver operational excellence.
5

Excel.

Managing the workplace and how to measure the metrics that matter most.

EWM-360 the Road Map to an Experiential Workplace

1

Experience

A deep dive assessment and report on the employees experience both working from home and the workplace. This forms the fundamental base data and insight from which the workplace strategy is formed.

2

Evaluate

Marry and the assessment against the business, workforce, CRE and the workplace strategies. 

3

Engage

A performance assessment and The integration of all workplace disciplines for the benefit of all stakeholders.

4

Execute

Deploy the IBOS standards to deliver operational excellence.

5

Excel

Managing the workplace and how to measure the metrics that matter most.

6.1 Stage 1 - Experience

Engage with the people around their experience of the workplace, their contribution and purpose Do a deep dive assessment of on the employees experience both working from home and the workplace. This data and insight forms the fundamental base from which the workplace strategy can be formed.

6.2 Stage 2 - Evaluate

Assess the data and insight from the Workplace experience assessment and marry them with the work organisation strategies of the organisation, in respect of 
  • Work- The overarching business strategy that gives context to all workplace related activities
  • Workforce- The HR strategy as to how they support the business strategy
  • Workspace- The Corporate Real Estate portfolio strategy
  • Workplace- Define a workplace strategy that focusses on employees as customer of the workplace and how the workplace contributes to the overall business

6.3 Stage 3 - Engage

This is where you need to engage with all of the workplace disciplines to understand roles and responsibilities for the different aspects of the workplace.
  • Stakeholders – Assemble an integrated Workplace team comprising of HR, IT, FM, CRE, Supply Chain and Finance and Operations
  • Integration – Form a unified and integrated Workplace team. The workplace is a ‘machine for working’ comprising many disciplines and locations so it needs a single person responsible for the entire workplace function
  • Performance – What does work, workforce, workspace and workplace performance mean to the organisation and how it should be measured

6.4 Stage 4 - Execute

This stage brings all of the pillars of operation excellence into play and put them into action along with the required resources and processes to measure the operational effectiveness of the workplace.
  • Compliance – Look to international standards for  
  • Resources – What resources are required and how will these be procured
  • Operations – implement International Building Operation Standards (IBOS)

6.5 Stage 5 - Excel

Set the workplace up for success in how it is managed to ensure the right behaviour 
  • Metrics – Build a workplace analytics function around outcome-based metrics that measure the value add to the business not just the cost
  • Measure - how and when to measure the metrics that matter most.
  • Evolve - how the workplace will need to change as the business does and how it evolves into the future

EWM-360 - the Blueprint for an Experiential Workplace

The WorkplaceFundi Experiential Workplace Management 360 (EWM-360) is the complete holistic solution to creating and managing the desired Workplace Experience.EWM-360 is an all-encompassing eco system that targets and integrates the right strategies, stakeholders, and resources.

EWM-360 includes for the first time a return-on-investment tool for your workplace that will ensure that you spend money in the right areas and reap the rewards in workplace performance that will all lead to increased competitive advantage 
Schedule COnsultation

Workplace Self-Assessment-Report

Dowload PDF report

1. Thank You

Thanks for taking the time to complete the WorkplaceFundi self-assessment tool to evaluate your workplace. We hope that this will help you in assessing the workplace from your perspective and aid you in strategic conversations with those responsible for your experience of your Workplace. We have sought to characterise your result with the typical symptoms associated with the assessment of your workplace along with some recommendations and what it will take to move towards and Experiential Workplace. This assessment measures how well your organisation invests in the workplace experiences of their people measured over the 3 foundational elements of the WorkplaceFundi Experiential Management -360 Blueprint.

The 3 foundational elements are:
  • Enact Purpose Through Process
  • Empower People with Choice
  • Enhance Place through Experience
If you want to know more and how we can help you improve your score email me at Andrew@workplacefundi.com or click below to schedule a free consultation:
Schedule COnsultation

2. Introduction

If you are the CEO of your organisation you are undoubtedly concerned with how your company is measuring up to your competition. But what are you doing about the mounting body of evidence that shows the correlation between the Workplace and your company’s competitive advantage?The interaction between your facilities, people, technology, and services impact your organisations efficiency, effectiveness, comfort, productivity, engagement, health and the attraction and retention of the best talent. 

Your Workplace is an enabler of all this and more. So, if your Workplace isn’t working your business can’t perform.

If you are not the CEO then send him/her this paper and then follow up and ask them the questions set out below.

The Questions are designed to generate a strategic conversation amongst business leadership teams with regards to how the performance of the Workplace is contributing to productivity, organisational effectiveness, and competitive advantage in their marketplaces. Your organisation’s accommodation and the people that work in it are your company’s biggest assets.

You undoubtedly measure the performance of your people which is in no small part determined by the Workplace but what about measuring the performance of the Workplace itself? COVID-19 has upended your business’s historic operational and financial justifications for the workplace. 

As a leader in your organisation, 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.

If you want to know more and how we can help you improve your score email me at Andrew@workplacefundi.com

3. Scoring

Your Experiential Workplace Index (EWi) is broken down as follows:
  • Statements 1-5 measure your response in respect of the foundational element of Enact Purpose Through Process (weighted at 30%)
  • Statements 6-10 measure your response in respect of the foundational element of Empower People with Choice (weighted at 30%)
  • Statements 11-15 measure your response in respect of the foundational element of Enhance Place through Experience (weighted at 40%)
Each response is scored on a scale of 1 through 7 where 1 means strongly disagree and 7 means strongly agree.
  • >90% in all three environments means you have an Experiential Workplace. …congratulations!
  • 80%-90% in all three environments means you have a Pre-Experiential Workplace….. Well done nearly there!
  • If you averaged between 70%–80% you have either an Engaged, Empowered, or Enabled Workplace (depending on the two elements you scored highest in).  
    - Process and People = Engaged Workplace.
    - Process and Place = Empowered Workplace.
    - Place and People = Enabled Workplace.
  • Between 50%–70% you are in an Emergent Workplace.  (again depending on which environments you scored highest in).
    -People = People Emergent 
    - Process = Process Emergent 
    - Place = Place Emergent
  • If you scored below 50% you have a Non-Experiential Workplace

Your score on the Workplace Experience Index (WXi) is as follows:

Workplace Experience Score:
0
%
This is an overall score for your workplace as a summation of the individual People, Place and Purpose factors this means that ….
You have a Pre-Experiential Workplace
1. In-Experienced
2. Emergent Organization
3. Engaged, Empowered or Enabled
4. Pre-Experiential Organization
5. Experiential Organization
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
  • Non-Experiential Organization
  • Emergent Organization
  • Engaged, Empowered or Enabled Organization
  • Pre-Experiential Organization
  • Experiential Organization

4. Explanation of your EWi

So, what does a Pre-Experiential Workplace mean?

Congratulations you are on level four of the path to an Experiential Workplace.

At level four your workplace scores over 80% in all three foundational elements. These are workplaces that do well on all the employee experience environments, but they aren't amazing at them.

You can expect to see many of the attributes of a great environment, together with effective functional tools and a great vibe in the workplace, which is fantastic. This should be seen as a great accomplishment and in many ways, you have nearly arrived at the level of an Experiential Workplace but, you may just need a nudge in the right direction. But be careful that you do not get complacent, the secret to success at this stage is to take the pulse of the organisation regularly and try to preempt any change in attitude or experience. 

The workplace exists within the organisation and as a reflection of it. As the organisation changes so should the workplace which then exists in a state of permanent ‘beta trial’ An Experiential Workplace is a journey, not a product or a destination. As Robert Propst said in his work The Office: A Facility Based on Change: “We must be allowed to change our minds. We must be allowed to respond to changes as they emerge.” We are not attempting to create a perfection that we can stand back and admire. 

Employees at Pre-Experiential organisations also tend to be quite happy, but when an opportunity comes along to join an Experiential Organisation, they will likely make the leap! Pre-Experiential organisations also start to see a fair amount of the business value associated with investing in employee experience, but as we will see later on, it pales in comparison with what the leading organisations are seeing.

If you feel like your organisation is doing a good, but not great, job in all three employee experience environments, then you're working in a pre-Experiential workplace.

5. Individual Elements

The 3 foundational elements of People, Place and Purpose are treated as a holistic construct, and it is recommended that none of the elements be cherry picked or treated in isolation. 

That said we have included individual scores to highlight focus areas for action.

Where you have marked your workplace down we would encourage you to ask questions based on the building blocks for that particular element as listed in Section 5.

Clearly as this is a self-assessment and as such is your perception of your workplace. There could be any number of reasons why you have marked a particular statement in the way that you have and so this is not meant as a definitive guide, but it is a good start. There are there are other elements vying for inclusion, and these need to be taken into consideration in a deep dive review along with how the workplace supports individual work activities and demography’s. It would be critical to include these in any business case for a change.

In today's tech heavy world, the physical workspace is merging with the digital and this has implications for our thinking about physical space and change. We need to review a simple mindset of design principles around a practical outlook that makes up an excellent workspace.Whilst each element is included as a standalone and is transferable and there are relationships between them.
Mostly these relationships are positive and self-reinforcing but occasionally these may need caution.

5.1 Enact Purpose through Process

Enact Purpose through Process Score:
0
%
A purposeful workplace conveys a regard for corporate social responsibility, the environment, health, and wellness, and diversity, equity, and inclusion.

The ties to the purpose of the organisation, are undeniable where workplaces are the biggest most visible, actionable, and tangible 3D billboard that reflects the beliefs and values of an organisation.

The building blocks of this element are;
  • Envision - Envisioning is about bringing together the business, workforce, CRE and workplace strategies in a cohesive approach to generate a hypothesis with which to engage the workforce.
  • Economic - The workplace has to fit in with the organisations commercial objectives, so we need to be in step with the Financial agenda of the organisation. Successfully implementing workplace change and occupancy cost reduction strategies contributes to economic efficiency and competitive advantage through:
    - Cost Savings
    - Cost Avoidance
    - Cost Certainty
  • Efficiency - Efficiency is an important element in being able to justify workplace transformation but this must not be to the detriment of effectiveness. Efficiency enables beneficial change in the ways of working it enables learning and development and is effective in breaking down unwanted symbols of hierarchy both real and artificial that can engender cultural overtones. An efficient workplace can reduce the overall space required by 30%, through built-in flexibility it allows teams to grow, contract and flex whilst removing the need for and cost of churn
  • Effectiveness - Effectiveness and efficiency are ying and yang, they are inseparable and need to be considered holistically. Whilst there may be a natural creative friction between efficiency and effectiveness this can be harnessed to create the best solution. It is therefore essential to create a balance between the efficiency of the workplace and its effectiveness. Staff are able to be at their best all day and every day, it promotes and enables choice, trust and transparency by allowing people to work together and on their own in a private setting. Effective workplaces make life simple, intuitive, and easy and inspire motivate and energise the workforce
  • Evaluation - Which data points across the employee experience and the environment are needed to justify the change and create sustainable measures of success? We refer to these as the Metrics that matter most.
  • Evolve - The Workplace, as with the organisation that it serves, needs to be in a permanent stage of ‘beta’ development. This means an iterative path for workplace strategy, an open dialogue with the organisation’s people, with emergent and frequently adjusted solutions. As organisations work out how to return to their workplaces, hardly any will get it right first time. It will necessitate an emergent process of measure/learn/adjust.

5.2 Empower People with Choice

Empower People with Choice Score:
0
%
Empowering employees is important for growing a sustainable business. True growth is the product of multiple people working together compounding organisational strength and capabilities.

The building blocks of this element are;
  • Emotion - The workplace may ultimately be a functional space, but workplace professionals should always consider the emotions and feelings that the space will elicit in the user; this will have a significant impact on their experience. Does the workplace experience make an employee feel good? The desire to create a positive environment for employees is a clear indication that an organisation is willing to invest in its people.
  • Engagement - Workers who are highly satisfied with their workplace demonstrate higher levels of engagement. Highly engaged workers are also more greatly satisfied with various elements of their individual workspace, such as its size, furniture, lighting, ambient noise level and temperature. Thus, indicating that a workplace environment is an important tool for organisations to deploy to improve engagement.
  • Enablement - To thrive and flourish in the future, it is essential that organisations put the enablement of human performance at the core of their workplace strategy and that they rethink this with their employees.
  • Expression - Your workplace and other facilities are the biggest 3-D billboard for your brand. The expression of the organisation through its space creates and strengthens association, further generating pride and loyalty. Its effects can be to create a community and commitment among the members of staff that unifies and projects a subtle and quiet confidence and reassurance through association and a feeling of being valued and contributing to a greater purpose.
  • Expectation - Understanding which physical, functional, environmental and psychological features impact the creation and management of an effective workplace for users allows you to meet the expectations of all stakeholders including suppliers and customers.
  • Energy - Energy is about the power of workplaces to inspire, energise and motivate people. A great workplace can boost the energy of an organisation through its functionality, amenities, technology and services. It can promote behavioural choices that enhance personal welfare.
  • Empowerment - Giving employees genuine choice over when and where to work can be a frightening prospect for many managers and leadership teams. This presents both an opportunity and a challenge for organisations. It’s an opportunity to rethink how their people work and the workspaces and technology they need to support this, but it will also challenge them to rethink how they manage their people.
  • Empathy - The workplace will only remain relevant as somewhere humanity counterbalances technology. Somewhere that inspires people, a place for creation, somewhere people use their imagination, a place where empathy abounds, where ingenuity and innovation is what matters, and a space for collaboration.
  • Equity - As we seek to encourage more variety and diversity in our workplaces, we face greater and more complex social and cultural challenges. The psychology of actively involving people from a variety of backgrounds and experiences can spell the difference between organisational success or failure. In the business, to business services economy this is particularly important, as we seek to establish a close cultural bond with our clients.

5.3 Enhance Place through Experience

Enhance Place through Experience Score:
0
%
Expectations for a satisfying, productive experience are higher than ever. EWM-360 is the response to these expectations, providing a more nuanced approach to the overall workplace experience.

The building blocks of this element are;
  • Experience - Establishing a positive workplace experience is vital to help employees deliver their best work every day and continually inspire them to contribute all of their knowledge, creativity, and energy for the benefit of their organisation.
  • Environment - Sustainability issues are important signals for potential members of staff who want to work in and be associated with responsible organisations. A fantastic workplace should be as environmentally responsible as possible. With the built environment contributing over 40% of the worlds greenhouse gases it is essential that we take a responsible and sustainable position when it comes to the workplace.
  • Elements - Whilst the physical workplace is merging with the digital and this has implications for our thinking about physical space and change, there are a set of Environmental, Functional and Psychological elements that need to be considered. While each Element is intended to be as stand-alone and portable as possible but ,there are relationships between them, so the elements need to be considered together as a whole.
  • Ether - In today's hyper connected World every organisation and their workplaces exists both physically and digitally. Organisations today recognise the power of the Internet  and the digital space opens up the potential for significant advantage or damage.
  • Eco-System - Diversity in our workplace, in terms of the spaces, is critical for success. People need to focus, collaborate, rejuvenate, socialise and learn throughout the day. No single type of space can effectively support the diverse needs of individuals and groups. The workplace needs to be designed as an ecosystem of interconnected spaces and settings where people have choice and control over where and how they work and who they work with.  This diversity will help an organisation to be more resilient and use its real estate more effectively and efficiently.
Approach

Easy 5-Step implementation roadmap.

1

Experience.

A deep dive assessment and report on the employees experience both working from home and the workplace. This forms the fundamental base data and insight from which the workplace strategy is formed.
2

Evaluate.

Marry and the assessment against the business, workforce, CRE and the workplace strategies. 
3

Engage.

A performance assessment and The integration of all workplace disciplines for the benefit of all stakeholders.
4

Execute.

Deploy the IBOS standards to deliver operational excellence.
5

Excel.

Managing the workplace and how to measure the metrics that matter most.

EWM-360 the Road Map to an Experiential Workplace

1

Experience

A deep dive assessment and report on the employees experience both working from home and the workplace. This forms the fundamental base data and insight from which the workplace strategy is formed.

2

Evaluate

Marry and the assessment against the business, workforce, CRE and the workplace strategies. 

3

Engage

A performance assessment and The integration of all workplace disciplines for the benefit of all stakeholders.

4

Execute

Deploy the IBOS standards to deliver operational excellence.

5

Excel

Managing the workplace and how to measure the metrics that matter most.

6.1 Stage 1 - Experience

Engage with the people around their experience of the workplace, their contribution and purpose Do a deep dive assessment of on the employees experience both working from home and the workplace. This data and insight forms the fundamental base from which the workplace strategy can be formed.

6.2 Stage 2 - Evaluate

Assess the data and insight from the Workplace experience assessment and marry them with the work organisation strategies of the organisation, in respect of 
  • Work- The overarching business strategy that gives context to all workplace related activities
  • Workforce- The HR strategy as to how they support the business strategy
  • Workspace- The Corporate Real Estate portfolio strategy
  • Workplace- Define a workplace strategy that focusses on employees as customer of the workplace and how the workplace contributes to the overall business

6.3 Stage 3 - Engage

This is where you need to engage with all of the workplace disciplines to understand roles and responsibilities for the different aspects of the workplace.
  • Stakeholders – Assemble an integrated Workplace team comprising of HR, IT, FM, CRE, Supply Chain and Finance and Operations
  • Integration – Form a unified and integrated Workplace team. The workplace is a ‘machine for working’ comprising many disciplines and locations so it needs a single person responsible for the entire workplace function
  • Performance – What does work, workforce, workspace and workplace performance mean to the organisation and how it should be measured

6.4 Stage 4 - Execute

This stage brings all of the pillars of operation excellence into play and put them into action along with the required resources and processes to measure the operational effectiveness of the workplace.
  • Compliance – Look to international standards for  
  • Resources – What resources are required and how will these be procured
  • Operations – implement International Building Operation Standards (IBOS)

6.5 Stage 5 - Excel

Set the workplace up for success in how it is managed to ensure the right behaviour 
  • Metrics – Build a workplace analytics function around outcome-based metrics that measure the value add to the business not just the cost
  • Measure - how and when to measure the metrics that matter most.
  • Evolve - how the workplace will need to change as the business does and how it evolves into the future

EWM-360 - the Blueprint for an Experiential Workplace

The WorkplaceFundi Experiential Workplace Management 360 (EWM-360) is the complete holistic solution to creating and managing the desired Workplace Experience.EWM-360 is an all-encompassing eco system that targets and integrates the right strategies, stakeholders, and resources.

EWM-360 includes for the first time a return-on-investment tool for your workplace that will ensure that you spend money in the right areas and reap the rewards in workplace performance that will all lead to increased competitive advantage 
Schedule COnsultation

Workplace Self-Assessment-Report

Dowload PDF report

1. Thank You

Thanks for taking the time to complete the WorkplaceFundi self-assessment tool to evaluate your workplace. We hope that this will help you in assessing the workplace from your perspective and aid you in strategic conversations with those responsible for your experience of your Workplace. We have sought to characterise your result with the typical symptoms associated with the assessment of your workplace along with some recommendations and what it will take to move towards and Experiential Workplace. This assessment measures how well your organisation invests in the workplace experiences of their people measured over the 3 foundational elements of the WorkplaceFundi Experiential Management -360 Blueprint.

The 3 foundational elements are:
  • Enact Purpose Through Process
  • Empower People with Choice
  • Enhance Place through Experience
If you want to know more and how we can help you improve your score email me at Andrew@workplacefundi.com or click below to schedule a free consultation:
Schedule COnsultation

2. Introduction

If you are the CEO of your organisation you are undoubtedly concerned with how your company is measuring up to your competition. But what are you doing about the mounting body of evidence that shows the correlation between the Workplace and your company’s competitive advantage?The interaction between your facilities, people, technology, and services impact your organisations efficiency, effectiveness, comfort, productivity, engagement, health and the attraction and retention of the best talent. 

Your Workplace is an enabler of all this and more. So, if your Workplace isn’t working your business can’t perform.

If you are not the CEO then send him/her this paper and then follow up and ask them the questions set out below.

The Questions are designed to generate a strategic conversation amongst business leadership teams with regards to how the performance of the Workplace is contributing to productivity, organisational effectiveness, and competitive advantage in their marketplaces. Your organisation’s accommodation and the people that work in it are your company’s biggest assets.

You undoubtedly measure the performance of your people which is in no small part determined by the Workplace but what about measuring the performance of the Workplace itself? COVID-19 has upended your business’s historic operational and financial justifications for the workplace. 

As a leader in your organisation, 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.

If you want to know more and how we can help you improve your score email me at Andrew@workplacefundi.com

3. Scoring

Your Experiential Workplace Index (EWi) is broken down as follows:
  • Statements 1-5 measure your response in respect of the foundational element of Enact Purpose Through Process (weighted at 30%)
  • Statements 6-10 measure your response in respect of the foundational element of Empower People with Choice (weighted at 30%)
  • Statements 11-15 measure your response in respect of the foundational element of Enhance Place through Experience (weighted at 40%)
Each response is scored on a scale of 1 through 7 where 1 means strongly disagree and 7 means strongly agree.
  • >90% in all three environments means you have an Experiential Workplace. …congratulations!
  • 80%-90% in all three environments means you have a Pre-Experiential Workplace….. Well done nearly there!
  • If you averaged between 70%–80% you have either an Engaged, Empowered, or Enabled Workplace (depending on the two elements you scored highest in).  
    - Process and People = Engaged Workplace.
    - Process and Place = Empowered Workplace.
    - Place and People = Enabled Workplace.
  • Between 50%–70% you are in an Emergent Workplace.  (again depending on which environments you scored highest in).
    -People = People Emergent 
    - Process = Process Emergent 
    - Place = Place Emergent
  • If you scored below 50% you have a Non-Experiential Workplace

Your score on the Workplace Experience Index (WXi) is as follows:

Workplace Experience Score:
0
%
This is an overall score for your workplace as a summation of the individual People, Place and Purpose factors this means that ….
You have an Experiential Workplace
1. In-Experienced
2. Emergent Organization
3. Engaged, Empowered or Enabled
4. Pre-Experiential Organization
5. Experiential Organization
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
  • Non-Experiential Organization
  • Emergent Organization
  • Engaged, Empowered or Enabled Organization
  • Pre-Experiential Organization
  • Experiential Organization

4. Explanation of your EWi

So, what does an Experiential Workplace mean?

The workplace is amazing, whilst it is truly a ‘machine for working’ it is also much more.

Your organisation has mastered the art and science of creating a great workplace experience. People truly want, not need, to show up to work. This is the cream of the crop. Your workplace is in the top 5% of all workplaces.

This is the ideal scenario for most organisations and the employees who work there, which means the organisation has likely nailed its purpose and reason for being. It has certainly mastered the three workplace experience domains.

Experiential organisations are the ones that have mastered the art and science of creating employee experiences. Whilst you are certainly the cream of the crop don’t get complacent, as changes in technology, design trends, and workplace values and attitudes continue to change, the Experiential workplace will undoubtedly have to adapt. And you will need to maintain the high-level of service and attention to detail.

Tell your friends, tell your clients even tell your competitors tell everyone and enjoy it you are truly leading an organisation that has a world-class Workplace.

5. Individual Elements

The 3 foundational elements of People, Place and Purpose are treated as a holistic construct, and it is recommended that none of the elements be cherry picked or treated in isolation. 

That said we have included individual scores to highlight focus areas for action.

Where you have marked your workplace down we would encourage you to ask questions based on the building blocks for that particular element as listed in Section 5.

Clearly as this is a self-assessment and as such is your perception of your workplace. There could be any number of reasons why you have marked a particular statement in the way that you have and so this is not meant as a definitive guide, but it is a good start. There are there are other elements vying for inclusion, and these need to be taken into consideration in a deep dive review along with how the workplace supports individual work activities and demography’s. It would be critical to include these in any business case for a change.

In today's tech heavy world, the physical workspace is merging with the digital and this has implications for our thinking about physical space and change. We need to review a simple mindset of design principles around a practical outlook that makes up an excellent workspace.Whilst each element is included as a standalone and is transferable and there are relationships between them.
Mostly these relationships are positive and self-reinforcing but occasionally these may need caution.

5.1 Enact Purpose through Process

Enact Purpose through Process Score:
0
%
A purposeful workplace conveys a regard for corporate social responsibility, the environment, health, and wellness, and diversity, equity, and inclusion.

The ties to the purpose of the organisation, are undeniable where workplaces are the biggest most visible, actionable, and tangible 3D billboard that reflects the beliefs and values of an organisation.

The building blocks of this element are;
  • Envision - Envisioning is about bringing together the business, workforce, CRE and workplace strategies in a cohesive approach to generate a hypothesis with which to engage the workforce.
  • Economic - The workplace has to fit in with the organisations commercial objectives, so we need to be in step with the Financial agenda of the organisation. Successfully implementing workplace change and occupancy cost reduction strategies contributes to economic efficiency and competitive advantage through:
    - Cost Savings
    - Cost Avoidance
    - Cost Certainty
  • Efficiency - Efficiency is an important element in being able to justify workplace transformation but this must not be to the detriment of effectiveness. Efficiency enables beneficial change in the ways of working it enables learning and development and is effective in breaking down unwanted symbols of hierarchy both real and artificial that can engender cultural overtones. An efficient workplace can reduce the overall space required by 30%, through built-in flexibility it allows teams to grow, contract and flex whilst removing the need for and cost of churn
  • Effectiveness - Effectiveness and efficiency are ying and yang, they are inseparable and need to be considered holistically. Whilst there may be a natural creative friction between efficiency and effectiveness this can be harnessed to create the best solution. It is therefore essential to create a balance between the efficiency of the workplace and its effectiveness. Staff are able to be at their best all day and every day, it promotes and enables choice, trust and transparency by allowing people to work together and on their own in a private setting. Effective workplaces make life simple, intuitive, and easy and inspire motivate and energise the workforce
  • Evaluation - Which data points across the employee experience and the environment are needed to justify the change and create sustainable measures of success? We refer to these as the Metrics that matter most.
  • Evolve - The Workplace, as with the organisation that it serves, needs to be in a permanent stage of ‘beta’ development. This means an iterative path for workplace strategy, an open dialogue with the organisation’s people, with emergent and frequently adjusted solutions. As organisations work out how to return to their workplaces, hardly any will get it right first time. It will necessitate an emergent process of measure/learn/adjust.

5.2 Empower People with Choice

Empower People with Choice Score:
0
%
Empowering employees is important for growing a sustainable business. True growth is the product of multiple people working together compounding organisational strength and capabilities.

The building blocks of this element are;
  • Emotion - The workplace may ultimately be a functional space, but workplace professionals should always consider the emotions and feelings that the space will elicit in the user; this will have a significant impact on their experience. Does the workplace experience make an employee feel good? The desire to create a positive environment for employees is a clear indication that an organisation is willing to invest in its people.
  • Engagement - Workers who are highly satisfied with their workplace demonstrate higher levels of engagement. Highly engaged workers are also more greatly satisfied with various elements of their individual workspace, such as its size, furniture, lighting, ambient noise level and temperature. Thus, indicating that a workplace environment is an important tool for organisations to deploy to improve engagement.
  • Enablement - To thrive and flourish in the future, it is essential that organisations put the enablement of human performance at the core of their workplace strategy and that they rethink this with their employees.
  • Expression - Your workplace and other facilities are the biggest 3-D billboard for your brand. The expression of the organisation through its space creates and strengthens association, further generating pride and loyalty. Its effects can be to create a community and commitment among the members of staff that unifies and projects a subtle and quiet confidence and reassurance through association and a feeling of being valued and contributing to a greater purpose.
  • Expectation - Understanding which physical, functional, environmental and psychological features impact the creation and management of an effective workplace for users allows you to meet the expectations of all stakeholders including suppliers and customers.
  • Energy - Energy is about the power of workplaces to inspire, energise and motivate people. A great workplace can boost the energy of an organisation through its functionality, amenities, technology and services. It can promote behavioural choices that enhance personal welfare.
  • Empowerment - Giving employees genuine choice over when and where to work can be a frightening prospect for many managers and leadership teams. This presents both an opportunity and a challenge for organisations. It’s an opportunity to rethink how their people work and the workspaces and technology they need to support this, but it will also challenge them to rethink how they manage their people.
  • Empathy - The workplace will only remain relevant as somewhere humanity counterbalances technology. Somewhere that inspires people, a place for creation, somewhere people use their imagination, a place where empathy abounds, where ingenuity and innovation is what matters, and a space for collaboration.
  • Equity - As we seek to encourage more variety and diversity in our workplaces, we face greater and more complex social and cultural challenges. The psychology of actively involving people from a variety of backgrounds and experiences can spell the difference between organisational success or failure. In the business, to business services economy this is particularly important, as we seek to establish a close cultural bond with our clients.

5.3 Enhance Place through Experience

Enhance Place through Experience Score:
0
%
Expectations for a satisfying, productive experience are higher than ever. EWM-360 is the response to these expectations, providing a more nuanced approach to the overall workplace experience.

The building blocks of this element are;
  • Experience - Establishing a positive workplace experience is vital to help employees deliver their best work every day and continually inspire them to contribute all of their knowledge, creativity, and energy for the benefit of their organisation.
  • Environment - Sustainability issues are important signals for potential members of staff who want to work in and be associated with responsible organisations. A fantastic workplace should be as environmentally responsible as possible. With the built environment contributing over 40% of the worlds greenhouse gases it is essential that we take a responsible and sustainable position when it comes to the workplace.
  • Elements - Whilst the physical workplace is merging with the digital and this has implications for our thinking about physical space and change, there are a set of Environmental, Functional and Psychological elements that need to be considered. While each Element is intended to be as stand-alone and portable as possible but ,there are relationships between them, so the elements need to be considered together as a whole.
  • Ether - In today's hyper connected World every organisation and their workplaces exists both physically and digitally. Organisations today recognise the power of the Internet  and the digital space opens up the potential for significant advantage or damage.
  • Eco-System - Diversity in our workplace, in terms of the spaces, is critical for success. People need to focus, collaborate, rejuvenate, socialise and learn throughout the day. No single type of space can effectively support the diverse needs of individuals and groups. The workplace needs to be designed as an ecosystem of interconnected spaces and settings where people have choice and control over where and how they work and who they work with.  This diversity will help an organisation to be more resilient and use its real estate more effectively and efficiently.
Approach

Easy 5-Step implementation roadmap.

1

Experience.

A deep dive assessment and report on the employees experience both working from home and the workplace. This forms the fundamental base data and insight from which the workplace strategy is formed.
2

Evaluate.

Marry and the assessment against the business, workforce, CRE and the workplace strategies. 
3

Engage.

A performance assessment and The integration of all workplace disciplines for the benefit of all stakeholders.
4

Execute.

Deploy the IBOS standards to deliver operational excellence.
5

Excel.

Managing the workplace and how to measure the metrics that matter most.

EWM-360 the Road Map to an Experiential Workplace

1

Experience

A deep dive assessment and report on the employees experience both working from home and the workplace. This forms the fundamental base data and insight from which the workplace strategy is formed.

2

Evaluate

Marry and the assessment against the business, workforce, CRE and the workplace strategies. 

3

Engage

A performance assessment and The integration of all workplace disciplines for the benefit of all stakeholders.

4

Execute

Deploy the IBOS standards to deliver operational excellence.

5

Excel

Managing the workplace and how to measure the metrics that matter most.

6.1 Stage 1 - Experience

Engage with the people around their experience of the workplace, their contribution and purpose Do a deep dive assessment of on the employees experience both working from home and the workplace. This data and insight forms the fundamental base from which the workplace strategy can be formed.

6.2 Stage 2 - Evaluate

Assess the data and insight from the Workplace experience assessment and marry them with the work organisation strategies of the organisation, in respect of 
  • Work- The overarching business strategy that gives context to all workplace related activities
  • Workforce- The HR strategy as to how they support the business strategy
  • Workspace- The Corporate Real Estate portfolio strategy
  • Workplace- Define a workplace strategy that focusses on employees as customer of the workplace and how the workplace contributes to the overall business

6.3 Stage 3 - Engage

This is where you need to engage with all of the workplace disciplines to understand roles and responsibilities for the different aspects of the workplace.
  • Stakeholders – Assemble an integrated Workplace team comprising of HR, IT, FM, CRE, Supply Chain and Finance and Operations
  • Integration – Form a unified and integrated Workplace team. The workplace is a ‘machine for working’ comprising many disciplines and locations so it needs a single person responsible for the entire workplace function
  • Performance – What does work, workforce, workspace and workplace performance mean to the organisation and how it should be measured

6.4 Stage 4 - Execute

This stage brings all of the pillars of operation excellence into play and put them into action along with the required resources and processes to measure the operational effectiveness of the workplace.
  • Compliance – Look to international standards for  
  • Resources – What resources are required and how will these be procured
  • Operations – implement International Building Operation Standards (IBOS)

6.5 Stage 5 - Excel

Set the workplace up for success in how it is managed to ensure the right behaviour 
  • Metrics – Build a workplace analytics function around outcome-based metrics that measure the value add to the business not just the cost
  • Measure - how and when to measure the metrics that matter most.
  • Evolve - how the workplace will need to change as the business does and how it evolves into the future

EWM-360 - the Blueprint for an Experiential Workplace

The WorkplaceFundi Experiential Workplace Management 360 (EWM-360) is the complete holistic solution to creating and managing the desired Workplace Experience.EWM-360 is an all-encompassing eco system that targets and integrates the right strategies, stakeholders, and resources.

EWM-360 includes for the first time a return-on-investment tool for your workplace that will ensure that you spend money in the right areas and reap the rewards in workplace performance that will all lead to increased competitive advantage 
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