**Understanding the workplace spectrum**
BY DEBBIE ROGERS ARUP.COM
Debbie is an accomplished property and workplace professional with over 20 years of experience. She is responsible for Arup’s real estate transactions, including property acquisitions and disposals, lease negotiations and portfolio management. She also advises Arup’s board members in the UK, India, Middle East and Africa on property strategy and the future of the workplace. Debbie is passionate about delivering forward thinking workspaces set around an eco-system which focuses on people, agility, equality, wellness, smart and sustainability.
I think it really depends on a corporation’s business model and its culture but potentially yes. There is certainly an appetite from a financial perspective and for companies such as Arup. Any reduction in our carbon footprint is attractive, so that is another big driver.
However, I think it is still too early to be projecting with any great certainty the long-term reductions across the wider market. The situation is still very fluid and I do believe that it is important to take a step back, take stock and consider what will be the purpose of the core office and the wider workplace spectrum going forward. For Arup, that spectrum will include home, people’s core offices, our network of offices across our portfolio, client/partner spaces and other more focused flex spaces. I think it is important to also consider lease terms. Many developers/landlords now realise the need to offer more flexible terms. This flexibility is something we have already embedded in our property strategy.
I believe space requirements need to be considered in the context of the culture and business model of any organisation. But for those, like Arup, who do believe physical space to be an important element of their property strategy, I believe the ‘purpose’ of the core office becomes more relevant than ever. Why do we require space, what do we require the space for and how will we use the space? In doing exactly this kind of thinking we came up with our 6Cs: Culture/Core Values, Coaching, Connection, Creativity, Clients and Capability, which is how we showcase our capability/brand. These we believe, will be the reasons we as a company will need and want to come together. We are also looking at personas, days in the life of different types of Arup people, whether it be a designer, a grad, an accountant or an engineer. Therefore, we are not just looking to understand how much space we need but to ensure our spaces reflect our people’s and business needs. This thinking will also incorporate the need to consider the home working element of our workplace spectrum. Many companies report a vision to shift toward a standard two to three day working week away from the core office. Again, this hybrid blend of working requires an understanding of how space, people and business will blend to continue to be productive and successful. This element is still unclear, as we are still living and trying to plan in an uncertain world. Those thinking ahead will already be looking at technology to help manage space to ensure it is being both effectively and efficiently managed. Unsurprisingly, Arup has already developed our own wayfinding and space monitoring software to optimise our use of our space, and initial use by staff has provided us with valuable insights. We have also developed a data service insight platform to better understand our buildings to inform short and longer term decisions about energy performance, utilisation and planning.
As I am sure you would expect, Arup is just as passionate about looking to reflect our core business values and services internally as much as externally. As such, we look to work with developers and landlords to ensure the buildings we occupy are sustainable, drive the carbon agenda forward and ensure smart enablement. We also look to address such issues within our own fitouts and workplace strategy. In relation to tech, the digital agenda is one that has been a winner within this challenging year with a lot of investment needing to be injected quickly to ensure continued connectivity. Whilst I am sure I am not alone feeling a little bit of ‘Teams burnout', it has also given us a great way to stay connected. It is an area I believe many will need to focus on further, if not already doing so, as we start to look to the future and what I believe will be a more hybrid working environment. It is, therefore, going to be so essential to continue to invest and develop technology to support this blend of varied working across our workplace spectrum. However, what we must be very careful of is that we do not underestimate the need to consider the emotional and wellbeing impacts of a hybrid working model.
I am always surprised how many times I attend various forums and seminars where inclusivity and diversity are still not as far up the agenda as they should be. I do believe those companies that are not ensuring these are core to their property and workplace strategies will be negatively impacted. One of the many things that I am proud of is Arup’s drive to ensure we consider equality, diversity and inclusion in our everyday working practices. In my role leading property and workplace, it is important to ensure we work closely with our EDI and accessibility leaderships as well as our members. This helps us create inspirational, vibrant and flexible environments, maximising the effectiveness and wellbeing of our members, whilst reflecting the diversity of our people.
No not at all. I believe the reason to come together, certainly for Arup, will be to be social, to connect, collaborate and create. In fact, one of the offices we have been looking at recently is of interest because the developer thinks along the same lines as Arup in relation to the future of what an office needs to offer. It isn’t about long leases with little or no facilities. Many companies, like Arup, will have a rich and varied demographic. As such, we need to be aware of what is important to anyone attending one of our core offices. We, therefore, see value in a variety of amenities, such as on-site cafes and breakout/flex spaces, rooftop bars, gyms and being able to cycle into the office with good refresh facilities. I do believe developers/landlords combining such amenities with high levels of environmental standards, smart enabled buildings and flexible terms will be those who will be attractive to companies looking to remain agile in a fast-changing world.