What is Workplace Consultancy & Why is it important?

The modern office is now expected to respond to a number of requirements beyond the traditional 9-5 of working at a desk. The increasing demand for flexibility in the workplace has stretched what employees expect from their office design and this has a knock-on effect on our working environments.

The factors that drive changes within workplaces are all different as every company is unique. From their ways of working to the occupancy strategies and staff demographics, there are multiple factors involved in the composition of an organisation. This combination
of people, process and place is the underlying framework of modern office space and developing a detailed understanding of these three components will help to shape a successful workplace.

With all the various ways of working that have emerged in recent years, on top of the expectations of the physical workplace, companies have to look for more scientific and strategic design methods that are built on facts, rather than assumptions. Workplace consultancy is one of the most reliable processes that businesses can use to gather insights on the way their people operate within the office. In this article, we will explain what workplace consultancy is and why it is beneficial in the office design process.

What is workplace consultancy?

Workplace consultancy is a strategic process that uses a series of activities to create a detailed picture of an organisation’s dynamics. The process will usually assess workplace factors relating to people, place, and process as it helps to reveal how an office operates.

The reason for doing a workplace consultancy is to develop a clear picture of how your organisation uses their working environment. From the way they occupy meeting rooms, to when specific parts of the office are the busiest, the goal is to dig into what your team needs to be productive at work.

When it comes to using this information to create an effective workplace, it can provide the foundation of your design brief. Designing workplaces without a clear understanding of the types of spaces your business requires can impact performance and growth. With workplace consultancy, you can understand the DNA of your organisation and engineer a successful office design based on facts.

At Rhino, we conduct comprehensive workplace assessments using our People & Place study. This study allows us to gather data to inform decisions that align your physical office space with your business objectives.

What are some of the activities associated with workplace consultancy?

To inform the office design brief, different activities are carried out at the beginning of the project to discover how a workplace is being used. There are multiple activity types that can be used within the workplace consultancy process. We have listed a few examples of the more common workplace consultancy activities that can be conducted when gathering data on an organisation’s use of a workplace. These data points and insights are then used to inform design briefs and workplace strategies.

Sensors and badge-data

As workplaces have evolved, the role of data has become increasingly important to monitor the ongoing performance of an office. There are a number of sensors on the market that are linked to Wi-Fi and lighting in the office that can capture utilisation in certain parts of the office. For those spaces without sensors, access passes and badge data will give you a more basic insight into office occupancy levels.

In-person workshops

Workshops are one of the most reliable ways of bringing groups of staff together to understand their insights and opinions on their workplace. These engagement sessions will offer a chance to understand work patterns as well as their requirements to make the office more effective and supportive.

Observation Studies

One of the less technology-driven activities but observation studies are still a trusted way of capturing utilisation and occupation data in a workplace. By placing a consultant into the workplace to measure activities, it provides an insight into the way an office is used which reveals where inefficiencies are.

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These are just examples of some of the activities you may encounter during the workplace consultancy process. Using data-backed facts allows us to create strategic solutions and recommendations that will enhance your workplace.

If you are interested in conducting a workplace consultancy of your workplace, get in touch with one of our team.

Why is Workplace Consultancy important?

With a growing requirement for the office to become a destination that offers value to employees, the need for defining the exact role of your workplace and how to enhance it has never been greater.

Organisations are being tasked with designing environments that improve workplace experience for their staff but without understanding what elements of your office work and don’t work, there is no way to track progress. While more and more workplace professionals are relying on data capture to drive decisions, the use of workplace consultancy helps to go one step further by transforming data and statistics into real world strategies.

Another reason workplace consultancy is so important is that it helps establish a foundational purpose or goal for the office. It is a strategic investment that aligns your workspace with your organisational goals and enables you to deliver tangible benefits in employee engagement, space efficiency, and overall performance.

This was something we saw when we partnered with recipe box and food delivery business Gousto on the transformation of their Shepherd’s Bush office. Through our People & Place study, we helped them to create a vibrant, flexible environment that embodied their brand values and supported their commitment to sustainability. This not only enhanced employee satisfaction but also set a standard for their future workspaces.

Whether it’s optimising space utilisation or futureproofing your office space by adding in flexibility, there are multiple benefits which underpin workplace consultancy. These benefits can be broadly grouped into the three areas of influence which the survey focuses on people, process and place. Each office will have a slightly different focus in terms of these three areas but the process is invaluable in helping to uncover the different ways of enhancing work environments.

Workplace Consultancy FAQs

Is Workplace Consultancy about picking design finishes?

Workplace consultancy is all about the initial discovery phrase of a project but it is a term that is frequently misunderstood and used out of context. This can cause people to think of workplace consultancy as being directly linked to specific design decisions which is not what is intended to do.

Workplace consultancy is not about picking colours or soft finishes like cushions and planting for the workplace. The focus of workplace consultancy is to gather data, facts and opinions about the way a workplace operates. From there, these data points are analysed and turned into practical solutions and options for how to make your workplace more efficient.

There will be some crossover with design but only in a holistic sense of how to layout an office to make sure it enhances productivity and efficiency – it is not intended to single out individual finishes and colour choices.

Is Workplace Consultancy expensive?

Workplace consultancy fees can vary depending on many factors which makes it difficult to definitively say if it is cheap or expensive. It is uncommon for workplace consultancy fees to fall outside of a larger fitout or refurbishment project and should be looked at in relation to the overall project value. The process can be cost-effective as it can be spread across your headcount or it can be calculated on a cost per square foot per year.

The actual cost of the workplace consultancy becomes a strategic move towards long-term savings and increased efficiency. By optimising your workspace, it can help to reduce absenteeism, lower staff turnover, and improved performance which in turn delivers a substantial return on investment.

Getting the most out of your people

With a growing trend pointing towards more days working from the office, there is a responsibility on organisations and their leaders to create environments that get the most out of their people.

If people are expected to work in the office for part of the working week, it has to be an environment that responds to their needs but also offers them something that they can’t access while working from home. Taking the time to listen to your teams and understand how the office can support the work they do is a positive step towards improving the workplace experience.

Workplace consultancy is all about engaging with people to understand friction and workplace challenges. Once these issues are identified it allows for progressive changes to develop and ultimately harmonise people, place and process within a business.

If you need help with your workplace strategy and how to get the most out of your people, speak to one of our team today.