The 7 habits of a highly effective workplace strategy

The Instant Group, global office advisory service and Flexible Space Association member, have set out 7 steps to help you remain agile and deliver the most effective and valuable approach to contemporary workspace in 2022.

As we all wrestle with hybrid ways of working, Instant’s predictions this year focus on how we can make this new approach habitual.

Instant have taken inspiration from the seminal model set out by Stephen R. Covey in his book ‘The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People’. Instant believe that the habits Covey highlights will help businesses remain agile and deliver the most effective and valuable approach to contemporary workspace.

1. Be Proactive: The war for talent is over (and talent won)
   Companies are testing new workplace strategies that put talent first. Developing an agile approach to space, underpinned by technology, is key as they “test and learn” their way to success.
2. Begin with the end in mind: What is the workplace for?
   Collaboration has been identified as the primary purpose for workspace and design is changing to reflect that.
3. Put first things first: Agility is the primary driver in workspace strategy, for now
   The ability to move quickly and efficiently is the #1 driver in future workspace strategy in 2022. Adoption of flexible workspace remains high compared to conventional office environments.
4. Think win-win: What is best for society as a whole is best for the workspace of the future
   In the medium term, sustainability will become the key driver of real estate activity, superseding previous considerations around head count and cost. This is a win for ambitious net zero targets but also in providing staff with better working environments that focus heavily on wellness.
5. Seek first to understand, then be understood: Bridge the knowledge gap
   There is still a fundamental lack of real estate data from which to make evidence-based decision making. Only after companies can better understand usage, can they adapt their workplace strategies to take into account the new habits of the workforce.
6. Synergise: Can the office market pull together to deliver a better experience?
   The silos that exist across the commercial real estate market make it extremely difficult for clients to optimise their workplace strategy. Even the most progressive occupier teams struggle to pull data and full market visibility across their portfolios.
7. Sharpen the saw: Individuals are upskilled and willing to go it alone
   The last 18 months have allowed individuals to develop new opportunities or reassess their work life balance which has created an influx of entrepreneurial activity. This will create renewed growth of 18% for the flexible workspace industry by the end of 2022.

Download the full report here.