Is a Workplace Strategy worth the investment?

It’s not just about what you save, it’s about what you gain 

*Spoiler alert* It will come as no surprise that this article concludes that absolutely yes, a Workplace Strategy is worth the investment — Workplace Strategies are core to what we do at COMUNiTI. But what might surprise you is the returns that the right Workplace Strategy can deliver, beyond savings per m2. 

You see, not all Workplace Strategies are created equal. 

There are Workplace Strategies that just give you a design brief, and this might help you improve the aesthetics of your workplace and save some square meterage costs. ✅

And then there are Workplace Strategies that unlock a much bigger return on your investment. These Workplace Strategies are data-driven and strategically tailored to your organisation’s vision, goals, values, unique brand story, aspirational culture, and operational needs. ✅✅✅

They are developed by Workplace Strategists who know how to form a much deeper understanding of your business and they unlock significant returns in terms of financial savings, as well as productivity gains, wellbeing benefits, behaviour change, culture transformation, and higher levels of employee engagement.

Let us explain…

Financial savings

One of the most immediate benefits of an effective Workplace Strategy is its ability to optimise costs. It’s the main reason why our clients initially engage us, and we meet with so many who are paying for office space that doesn’t get used. 

Think about how much the idle desks are costing your business while people work from home or from other locations. We crunched these numbers for a client recently and found that empty desks were costing them up to $3,000 per day, $15,000 per month, and $800,000 per annum.
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And what about the unused office that has become a storeroom filled with junk and a stockpile of Christmas decorations? Or the awkward corner space that houses a lonely plant and a coffee table that no-one uses? Every square metre counts.
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A good quality Workplace Strategy analyses office space utilisation data, identifies underused areas, and proposes solutions to activate these spaces — giving them purpose and making them inviting for employees to use — which maximises space and cost efficiency.

Productivity gains

A Workplace Strategy that’s worth its weight delivers value beyond the design aesthetics. It should demonstrate that your Workplace Strategist really understands your people — their workflows, their neurodivergence and preferred working styles, their cross-departmental relationships, and their pain points with the current office design. 

Think about the rows of desks that border the kitchen and other communal areas… are your employees sitting with headphones on? Do they complain about how difficult it is to concentrate with all the open-plan distractions? Studies suggest that noise is a primary cause of decreased employee productivity and increased absenteeism, and in Australia, absenteeism costs businesses $7 billion per year.
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What about all the natural light that streams into the windowed offices… which remain closed most of the day while executives are in the Boardroom for back-to-back meetings. Could the floorplate be redesigned so that all employees can see outside? Studies suggest that access to natural light and outdoor views can increase employee productivity by 18%.
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Think about the docking stations and meeting rooms that don’t provide seamless plug-and-play technology. IYKYK! Not only does poor technology integration cause frustration, it also creates downtime. Studies found that that 74% of employees believe access to good workplace technology is critical to their success. 
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An effective Workplace Strategy isn’t cookie cutter. It should respond to employee and business needs, which means your Workplace Strategist engages with your team to identify the factors helping or hindering their performance.

A quality Workplace Strategy will prioritise productivity enhancers like integrated technology, access to natural light, good air quality, outdoor views, biophilia, and offer a variety of workpoints and spaces to separate noisier collaborative spaces from quiet and deep concentrative work zones. When people feel good in a space, they're more likely to enjoy being at work and want to put in extra discretionary effort.

Your Workplace Strategy should never shy away from shining a light on the unspoken workplace truths that are holding back high-performance in your organisation.

Employee engagement

It’s no secret that what your office looks and feels like has a big influence on where people choose to work and if they plan to stay. Attracting and retaining top talent is a real challenge across many industries, and your Workplace Strategy has an important role to play.

Think about the old carpet, the mis-matched chairs, and the reception area that you inherited from the previous tenants. Does your workplace align with your employee value proposition and your espoused brand experience? Does the office environment give your business the competitive edge over your competitors, when it comes to attracting and retaining the industry’s best talent? Studies suggest that total costs associated with employee turnover can range from 90 - 200% of an employee’s annual salary.
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Does your office have areas where employees can disconnect and take a break, ergonomic sit-to-stand desks, and spaces that foster wellbeing? Active workplace designs — those encouraging movement and incorporating elements like standing desks — improve mental wellbeing and help mitigate the health risks associated with sedentary work. Compared to those who used traditional desks, a study showed that employees who used adjustable workstations reported 65% increased productivity and concentration, and 65% of the study participants also indicated that they positively impacted their health outside of the workplace.
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A high value Workplace Strategy should propose solutions that bring your organisation’s rich history and bold vision for the future to life. It’s about materiality choices that tell a brand story, not just a selection of paints and carpet colours that match your logo. Your workplace should make people feel something — provide an experience for employees and clients that feels uniquely and authentically, ‘you’.

By creating spaces that reinforce the company values our clients tell us they also reduced recruitment costs — by walking candidates around their workplace it became easier to talk about who the company is, at its core, which would either see candidates really excited about the prospect of working there or quickly opting-out of the recruitment process.

An experienced Workplace Strategist knows how to integrate art and science, design and strategy, and form and function to deliver solutions that go beyond aesthetics and cost savings.

For COMUNiTI’s clients, the case is clear. A Workplace Strategy is not just a cost, it’s an investment in the organisation’s future. When done well, they can save money, improve productivity, and create environments where employees really thrive.

If you’d like to chat about what a Workplace Strategy could deliver for your business, get in touch!

Mel x