RELOCATION
Improved efficiency and productivity requires more than new furniture
F
ears of ‘sardine can’ workplaces in the public sector are not
justified by the approach being recommended by leading consultants.
As public sector employers develop their plans for more efficient workspaces, it is clear that this need not mean a simple cut in individual space allocations.
Efficient use of space is fundamental to any strategy for cutting occupational costs in the public sector. Whatever side of the debate an organisation leans towards – relocation versus retrenchment in existing locations – it will be expected to minimise space use.
There is a strong argument for avoiding relocation out of the south east. Organisations know that relocation of jobs is not the same as relocation of people and that they risk losing key talent in the process. Those employees who are well established on the south east’s property ladder will not want to step off it, however far their money goes in a north of England town or city and however high the resulting standard of living.
Fundamentally the key to good workplace planning is to ensure that your accommodation strategy supports the core objectives of the organisation and that you understand fully how people work not just where people work.
Reducing space use becomes vital for any organisation that wants to resist relocation or has its eye on a new base much closer to home. The basics
32 pse
will be expanding on their approach and discussing case studies during free seminars in the exhibition hall theatre at November’s Public Property Summit.
On Tuesday 2 November at 11.25 there is a joint session by Lambert Smith Hampton and IPD (Investment Property Databank) on Workplace efficiency and benchmarking.
The presentation will start with the requirement for government departments to drive space utilisation down to 12m2
per
full-time equivalent employee in occupied property and 10m2 for newly acquired or refurbished property. IPD will explain its role in annually reviewing the performance of all buildings.
– such as open plan office layouts, dismantling of meeting rooms and, yes, reduced space allocations – are now widely taken for granted.
Head of public sector advisory services at national commercial property consultancy, Lambert Smith Hampton (LSH), Steve Armitage, says: “New furniture and space planning are just some of the ingredients in a complex strategy. Getting it right means driving efficiency and maintaining productivity. It’s about cultural change. Communication is a case in point. If an employee has no permanent desk, then team members need to make a positive effort to keep them informed and management needs to facilitate better communication.
Armitage believes that the current efficiency drive could, in fact, lead to more investment in workplaces than public sector employees are used to.
“There has to be investment – in IT, HR, desking and working environments – and this will show a payback in improved productivity. Benchmarking is the key to demonstrating value for money. A strategy of ‘spend to save’ is not out of the question – especially where there are capital receipts from the sale of assets that become surplus following rationalisation – but it will have to produce short-term savings and it will have to promise service delivery improvements in the longer term. Service delivery is what the public sector is all about.”
Armitage and his colleagues Sep/Oct 10
The session will then review some of the techniques for analyzing occupational cost data and options appraisal and will end with a discussion of benchmarking and the availability of accurate comparators.
The Public Property Summit is at the Business Design Centre in London from 1-2 November. Exhibition-only visitors can attend for free – and have access to the free seminar programme – but are still encouraged to register in advance.
Delegate bookings can be made through 01462 490609 or at www.publicpropertysummit. com
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