Workplace Strategy

When you're planning an office relocation, redesign or wider workplace change, one of the biggest challenges is knowing what you actually need from your space.

Our workplace strategy service helps organisations define that clearly.

We work with clients to understand how their people work, what the business needs from the workplace, and how space can better support culture, performance and future change. Whether you are relocating, reviewing your current office or redesigning for hybrid working, we help you make informed decisions before moving into design and delivery.

Workplace strategy is often the right place to begin when there is a significant decision to make about your office or workplace.

You may need workplace strategy if you are:

• Planning an office relocation
• Reviewing whether your current office still works for your organisation
• Redesigning your workplace for hybrid working
• Responding to growth or a reduction in staff numbers
• Bringing teams together following a merger or acquisition
• Trying to create a workspace that better reflects your culture and ways of working
• Looking for clarity before committing to a new office, floorplate or refurbishment programme

For many organisations, workplace strategy provides the foundation for better decisions around space, brief development and workplace design.

Workplace strategy helps answer the practical and strategic questions that often come up before a project moves forward.

These may include:

• How much space do we need?
• What type of workplace do we actually need?
• How can the workplace support hybrid working?
• How do we reflect our culture in our workspace?
• Should we adapt our current office or relocate?
• What should the next steps be?
• How do we create a brief that is grounded in real business and user needs?

By answering these questions early, organisations can move forward with greater confidence and reduced risk.

Our workplace strategy service supports a range of stakeholders, including:

• Facilities and Estates teams
• HR and People leaders
• Office Managers and Operations teams
• Managing Directors and leadership teams
• Client-side project leads
• Project managers, building surveyors and property agents acting on behalf of occupier clients
• Building owners looking to improve the appeal and relevance of office space

Different stakeholders come to the process with different priorities. Some want to understand future space requirements. Others want to ensure the workplace supports culture, collaboration and employee experience. Our role is to bring those priorities together into a clear, workable strategy.

Every organisation is different, so the scope of each project is tailored to your needs. Workplace strategy may include:

• Stakeholder discovery sessions
• Understanding your business goals, ways of working and organisational priorities
• Review of how your current workplace is used
• Identification of workplace challenges and opportunities
• Defining what your people need from the workplace
• Establishing workplace principles to guide future decisions
• Helping shape your accommodation brief
• Strategic recommendations to inform relocation, refurbishment or redesign

Where appropriate, workplace strategy can work alongside our Space Analysis and Workplace Design services.

Workplace strategy helps turn uncertainty into a clearer plan.

Clients typically use it to gain:

• A clearer understanding of what the organisation needs from its workplace
• Better alignment between people, space and business objectives
• More confidence in relocation or refurbishment decisions
• A stronger brief for design and delivery teams
• A workplace approach that supports culture, performance and future change
• A more structured path from early questions to practical next steps

For leadership teams, this means better decision-making. For internal project leads, it means a more manageable process. For HR and People teams, it means the workplace can be shaped around how people actually work.

We take a consultancy-led approach to workplace strategy.

That means we do not begin with finishes, furniture or visual concepts. We start by understanding your organisation.

We look at how people work, what the business is trying to achieve, how the current workplace performs and what the future workplace needs to support. From there, we help define a clear strategic direction that can inform the next stage of the project.

Our work is human-centred, but always grounded in practical organisational needs.

Workplace strategy often sits at the front end of a wider project. It can help clients:

• prepare for an office move
• shape a refurbishment brief
• guide workplace design decisions
• inform conversations with agents, surveyors and project managers
• avoid making space decisions without a clear understanding of future needs

We regularly work alongside wider project teams, including property agents, project managers, surveyors and fit-out partners. Our role is to help clarify the brief and create a strong foundation for what comes next.

We do not deliver the fit out itself, but we can help ensure the brief and design direction are properly defined before delivery begins.

Workplace strategy often works alongside our other core services.

Space Analysis helps you understand how much space you need, how your current workplace is performing, and what type of environment may be most suitable.

Workplace Design translates the strategic direction into a physical environment that supports how your organisation works.

Together, these services help clients move from early uncertainty to a workplace that is well-considered, practical and fit for purpose.

What is workplace strategy?

Workplace strategy is the process of understanding what an organisation needs from its workplace and using that insight to guide decisions around space, design and future workplace change.

Do we need workplace strategy before relocating?

In many cases, yes. Workplace strategy helps define what you need from your new office before you commit to a space or move into detailed design.

Can workplace strategy help with hybrid working?

Yes. It can help organisations understand how the workplace should support collaboration, focus work, flexibility and employee experience.

Can you help us decide how much space we need?

Yes. Workplace strategy often works alongside Space Analysis to help define future workplace requirements.

Can you work with our existing project manager, surveyor or agent?

Yes. We often work alongside wider professional teams and can help shape the brief early in the process.

Do you do the fit-out as well?

No. We do not deliver the fit out itself, but we can help define the workplace strategy and design direction that informs the next stage of the project.

If you're planning an office relocation, redesign or workplace change and need clarity on where to start, we can help define what your organisation needs from its workplace.