The CIPD and BIFM, the British Institute for Facilities Management, developed an online interactive platform open to professionals from the world of facilities management, HR, IT, design and construction and anyone else interested in the world of workplace in order to start the first real Workplace Conversation.

The idea was to ask users to identify the biggest challenges to create better workplaces and suggest ideas to overcome them.  And the result was a simple, clear idea: in order to succeed, workplaces must be designed with a clear notion of the kind of work that is being developed and the needs implied regarding that work –technology, facilities, machinery, the sort of human relations that emerges-.

In other words, the organizational culture must be fully understood by those designing the workplace as these two elements have a powerful effect on the quality of the work and on working lives.

This means that the ideal workplace is different for each organization. What works best in a particular organizations may not fit the needs of another company. So, in order to design the best workplace possible, an organization must reflect on what gets the best out of their people and, consequently, build the workplace around that to provide support to the workforce.

Similar to what happens with human capital debates, company managers tend to disregard discussions about the proper workplace. This is a fact in Latin America too, where these two sorts of debates are usually ignored by executives, who need to attend what they consider more pressing matters.

The thing is that a company’s workforce is its main asset. People provide value to daily operations and their well-being is a very important matter as it has a direct impact on the company results. And a fundamental aspect of people’s well-being is a workplace where they feel comfortable and that provides them with all the tools and facilities they need in order to perform properly.

Usually, people who work in HR are taught that they need to express suggestions and ideas in numbers, in order to speak the same language than executives, who are the ones making decisions. The same happens with workplace conversations. Ideas and discussions regarding the needs of investment on this area must be clear and provide proof and real data of the impact it will have on workers’ productivity.

To sum up, the key ideas of the report are that:

• Making changes in the workplace does not necessarily demand massive investments
• Involve employees in the process of transforming the workplace, considering their needs to perform better. Do not force the workplace on people.
• Make sure employees understand and are confident with what is happening to their workplace.
• You need to really understand the company in order to develop the workplace that best suits it. The company’s culture, goals, strategy and values a key facts to take into account.

To read the entire report in English, click here.