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 ...

What is the role of a workplace strategist?

A guide for People & Culture leaders

The role of a Workplace Strategist has gained a lot of attention post-pandemic as businesses focus on attracting and retaining talent and enticing people back into the office. 

But what exactly does a Workplace Strategist do, and how can we help People & Culture leaders drive employee engagement?

💫  What we do

Workplace Strategists leverage design thinking principles with an analytical business mindset. 

We create a strategic framework that captures the complex essence of your business — your unique operational structure, how it functions, how employees interact, and how your office space can support these dynamics. 

Rather than jumping straight into the planning phase and putting desks and offices onto a floor plan, a Workplace Strategist knows how to transcend aesthetics and deliver a workspace that aligns with your company’s mission, values, and goals, while elevating the employee experience a...

First published on COMUNiTI, September 2024

How People & Culture teams are repositioning this Boardroom conversation

“Can you help me explain what a workplace strategy is, to my leadership team?”

It’s a question that we get asked a lot at COMUNiTI, and it’s easy to understand why: while workplace strategy is a pivotal concept for forward-thinking organisations, it continues to be misunderstood among many executive teams, who consider their workplace as simply a “place to accommodate people to work”, resulting in a desk + chair approach where they see no strategy is needed.  

Re-imagining, redesigning, recreating, and rebuilding a workplace often falls in the remit of the Facilities Management, Operations, or Accommodation teams. HOWEVER, what this approach fails to acknowledge is that our workplaces are created for PEOPLE.  To ensure that organisations consider all aspects of what people need to thrive at work, the workplace strategy conversation must be three-way between the Facil...

First published on COMUNiTI, September 2024

Making the office better than home

Commentary on return-to-office mandates certainly heated up in recent weeks following the NSW Premier’s directive for employees across the public service to work principally from an approved workplace. While this mandate appears to be less about concerns relating to employee productivity and more to do with the reactivation and revitalisation of the city centres [a whole other conversation!], employee reactions to mandates remain unchanged.


While some organisations are mandating employees return to the office, others are exploring a motivation-based approach, with the state of their workplace being a key consideration.

And, it’s an important strategy.

The average workplace experience, as measured through the Leesman Index score (Lmi) has increased by nearly four points from 64.3 pre-pandemic to 67.9 post-pandemic. Organisations are clearly investing in workplace improvements to make the office more app...

First published on COMUNiTI, August 2024

How workplace strategy helps teams 'live the values'

Is your workplace helping or hindering company culture?

When I engage with new clients, I am quickly curious about their company values. Whether they are written in a strategy document, printed and hung on the walls, or just shared as a general feeling of what's important - it's crucial to for us understand whether the physical workspace drives values-aligned behaviours. 

So often we find that the office layout and design is really misaligned.

What do I mean?

When creating a new workplace we can influence people to act in a way that aligns with the organisation’s desired outcomes. I do this by introducing different types of work spaces and zoning areas to consolidate similar types of activities and environmental cues like texture and colour. This thinking is based on nudge theory, which is a behavioural science  concept that proposes we can influence the behaviours and decisi...

First published on COMUNiTI, April 2024

Look beyond the walls and workstations

"Building a community outshines workplace design."

This is my philosophy on successful placemaking. 

When I embark on workplace redesign, my primary goal is to build a strong, interconnected community. Why? Because a thriving community is a surer road to achieving organisational objectives than just focussing on the desks, decor, walls and workstations.

Sure, office layout and aesthetics matter, but they shouldn't overshadow the ultimate goal of placemaking: creating a collaborative, productive, thriving community, where everyone feels connected to purpose. 

When I guide clients through a a community-centric approach to workplace redesign I help shift the collective mindset from ‘we’re redesigning the workplace’ to ‘we’re building a thriving community’.

This means I’m not just answering the question: "How many desks do you need to fit on the floorplan?" By reframing the conversation from work...

Budget-friendly ideas to start your workplace transformation

First published on COMUNiTI, April 2024

Struggling to figure out how to improve your workspace with limited funds?

I understand the challenge of upgrading existing spaces on a tight budget. In my line of work, I’m often met with this remark: “...but I don’t have a million dollars to redesign the space!” 

Fear not! 

Here are some creative and budget-friendly ideas to kickstart your workplace transformation. 

👀 OPTIMISE THE BASICS

• Never underestimate the power of a good de-clutter and clean! Clear unnecessary items from filing cabinets, shelves and corridors, organise storage spaces and streamline work areas. You’ll be amazed at how much extra space you’ll feel like you’ve gained. Engage employees by turning the cleanup into a team activity or competition.
• Feel like a Meerkat every time you poke your head over a high partition? Consider removing bulky partitions and replacing them with sleek dividers to open up the...

What’s the right solution for you?

First published on COMUNiTI, March 2024

As a workplace strategist I often get asked: "What's the best flexible work option: hot-desking, activity-based work or hybrid work?"

The answer isn't straightforward, and what I have learned is that people tend to use the terms interchangeably when they are all very different things.

Hot-desking:

Hot-desking became popular in the early 2000s when laptops and wireless connectivity meant employees didn’t have to work from a fixed desk.

My verdict: 😕

I am not a fan of hot-desking. No matter how it might be ‘sold’ to employees, hot-desking is really about cramming more people into less space without any added amenities.

Activity-based work (ABW):

ABW and hot-desking often get confused, but they are not the same thing. ABW has surged in popularity in recent years as hand-held devices and cloud-based apps enabled even more work flexibility. Technology aside, ABW is also being fuelled by evolving workpl...

As I step into the new year, I’ve been reflecting on this question:

“If we are still talking about whether or not people need to return to the office in 2024,
are we having the right conversation?”

I’m looking forward to a different type of conversation this year — one that looks beyond where we work and focuses equally on what we need to be our best and do our best work.

The latest Thriving Workplace report, released by SuperFriend, helps shine a light on the path forward.

SuperFriend facilitates Australia’s largest annual corporate mental health survey, with 10,000 employees taking part, and the results provide an impressive Thriving Workplace Index. The Index highlights the industries that are making inroads to provide environments where employees can thrive, and over the past year, those that made the largest improvements were Mining and Real Estate.

So, what can we learn from them?

According to the report, focusing on five key domains helps people thrive at work and improves...

Has the workplace pendulum swung back towards the office?

*Cue the drumroll please*… another workplace trend has been coined: the new remote.

My disdain for catchphrases aside 🙄, I too am observing the ‘new remote’ phenomenon.

Essentially, it means that working from home (or a third place) 100% of the time is becoming a lot less common, with hybrid work patterns finding a more permanent place in our days, weeks, and months. In most of the organisations that I’m working with, employees are finding their way back into the office 2 to 3 days a week [a stat that has been supported in the latest Thriving Workplace Survey from Super Friend].

In my opinion, a few things are contributing to the ‘new remote’:

• Human nature: we are ultimately social creatures and we crave connection. So while working at home is great for deep, concentrative work, and some solitude, many employees come to realise that doing it 100% of the time leads to feelings of isolation. They crave the socialisation,
...