Workspace - The playing field for 2023

High EQ = High value

It’s said that there are five key characteristics of emotional intelligence; self-awareness, self-regulation, motivation, empathy and social skills.?

The most important of these traits for the workplace going into 2023 is... empathy!

Harvard researchers found that when people talk about themselves, it feels as rewarding as food or money. It would therefore be a wise move to have the decency to listen to your teams and understand what they require from the workplace.

It is going to be extremely difficult for leaders to create a successful working model to adapt to new ways of working without first listening to and then learning from their team. The key question is, if people are not coming back into the office, why are they not coming back into the office??

Self-awareness will also be a key trait for leaders who should be challenging themselves with the following; “Do we have a good enough culture to attract people back to the office?”; “Can we competently deliver a remote/hybrid working model?”; “Are people not returning due to personal preferences of home working or because our leadership, culture and working practices are outdated?”

Workspace – people & culture at the forefront

The more time I spend with businesses looking for office space, the more I realise how much it forms part of their culture. I know this because when founders/decision makers are pondering over their next workspace, often, it’s people, their people, that they put at the forefront of decisions. They want to know about the amenity in the building, different ways of working in the space and how it will serve their people. It’s no secret that the quality of buildings is advancing at a rate of knots. Businesses are increasingly aware of the power of quality amenity towards the wider culture piece. A nice new office isn’t by any means the sole answer to a strong culture but workspace certainly plays a key part.?

Landlord & Flex operators in partnership with tenants

The employee is now the key customer, not solely the business and their decision makers. And it’s evident that a large number of businesses still want face to face time in the office with their teams. Saying this, whether it’s hybrid or back to the office full time, some businesses have failed to achieve this.

Landlords/Flex operators and businesses have a shared interest in attracting their people back to the office in some capacity. For this to work collaboration, as will an understanding of how they can together create fit for purpose solutions on employees terms to ensure the office does not die out.

Values based workspace decisions

When businesses make decisions on their next workspace, an increasing number are factoring in how their values align with the building they select. Sustainability is at the forefront for many businesses as we increasingly step into 2023. ESG isn’t going anywhere, it is quite the opposite and is growing in stature. So, for businesses aiming to reduce their carbon footprint it is imperative that the workspace they choose reflects their own working practices and efforts to reduce their carbon footprint. Further to this a number of firms are embracing diverse and inclusive working practices and workspaces need to be aligned to this e.g. prayer rooms, disabled access, quiet spaces etc.

Hybrid work

It’s the dominant working model now but how are businesses going to successfully achieve this? Firms are taking less space but are very specific around working with flexible landlords and operators that accommodate the fluidity of their workforce. For example, businesses need assurance that if their attendance hits 100% on certain days, the building in question has alternative spaces to accommodate their teams. Forward thinking operators are investing in providing a significant level of amenity for their tenants; work, social and fitness areas