Clearly as this is a self-assessment and as such is your perception of your workplace.

There could be any number of reasons why you have marked a particular element in the way that you have and so this is not meant as a definitive guide, but it is a good start. There are there are other elements vying for inclusion, and these need to be taken into consideration in a deep dive review along with how the workplace supports individual work activities and demography’s. It would be critical to include these in any business case for a change.

Where you have marked your workplace down we would encourage you to ask questions based on the building blocks for that particular element.

In today's tech heavy world, the physical workspace is merging with the digital and this has implications for our thinking about physical space and change. We need to review a simple mindset of design principles around a practical outlook that makes up an excellent workspace.

Whilst each element is included as a standalone and is transferable and there are relationships between them. Mostly these relationships are positive and self-reinforcing but occasionally these may need caution. 

The 3 elements are treated as a holistic construct, and it is recommended that none of the elements be cherry picked or treated in isolation. 

That said we have included individual scores to highlight focus areas for action.

Congratulations you are on level three of the path to an Experiential Workplace. At Level 3 your workplace is focused on two out of the three environments, which, depending on those combinations, are classified as Engaged, Empowered, or Enabled workplaces. 

This should be seen as an accomplishment and a long way away from being either In-Experienced or Emerging. You may notice that the words used to describe these workplaces are all positive because even though many workplaces aren't perfect and are indeed lacking in various areas, they are striving and moving in the right direction. 

Let's look at what it means to be in an Enabled workplace in more detail.

An Enabled workplace means you have scored above average in the Environmental and Functionality sectors but not so well in the Cultural area. Accordingly, these workplaces tend to be fit for purpose and well equipped when it comes to working productively. Enabled workplaces are very productive and efficient, almost like a modern‐day assembly line. In these types of workplaces employees come to view their jobs as simply a pay check, one they're happy to receive and work for, but still just a pay check. 

Productivity can be high, and things just get done but at the cost of the overall culture. Supplemental individual contribution to the business is limited and unsustainable in the longer term.As a result, burnout happens more frequently, and issues begin to arise with attracting and retaining top talent. 

There is probably not a great vibe in the place and the policies, procedures and practices that are adopted make the working experience suboptimal. It is for this reason that people may remain distant and do not engage with each other or their team that can potentially lead to a lack of collaboration and innovation.

In Enabled workplaces you will find employees have access to the right tools to do their jobs effectively together with a healthy environment in which to operate but a lack of connection with employees and culture exacerbated by a poor set of house rules or practices that leave employees uninspired, unengaged and unmotivated. The cultural environment is the one that employees care about most, so when it's not being invested in properly, it can really have a negative impact on the employee experience. 

When we refer to environment here we are referring to the need for an environment that is healthy for humans to work and thrive in, rather than being environmentally friendly, although these often go hand in hand. Sustainability issues are taken into consideration in our deep dive assessments.In the assessment we asked you questions on elements such as lighting, air quality, temperature, and noise and whilst you have an Enabled workplace means that you scored better in this area there is a way to go yet. If Covid has taught us one thing it is that indoor environments can be incredibly unhealthy. We spend a great deal of our time worrying about outdoor pollution, yet it’s the indoor environment that has the greatest impact on our health. Having a healthy environment to work in is essential.

We have good news to share, there are easy ways to make a building healthier and healthy building strategies are good business strategies. Because it turns out that the true cost of operating our buildings is not energy, waste, and water (the drivers of the “green” building movement); it’s the people inside. So when we make our buildings healthy, we make the people in those buildings healthier and more productive, and that translates into a healthier bottom line.

The big challenge for Enabled workplaces is allowing employees choice, influence and control over their surroundings This can be difficult for some management teams to not only accept but implement. Whilst employees have access to the best technologies and work in a beautiful office environment, it all feels a little hollow because many of the human and psychological needs of employees are simply not met. 

Workplaces that we designate as Enabled pride themselves on how tech savvy they are. The tech functionally works well for the organisation and for the employee. Enabled workplaces typically spend all of their time and resources on designing aesthetically pleasing places to work, sometimes to the point of indulgence, but this doesn't always have to be the case. You might have designer office furniture, funky meeting rooms and layouts that would make Google blush, tons of amazing free food, expensive lighting fixtures, and pretty much anything else that makes the office space look like it's too nice to sit in but if the culture isn’t there to fully engage with the employees then these just become distractions.

Organisations that purely focus on aesthetics will eventually find that the beauty of the physical space starts to fade as employees are faced with the reality of actually working there, So, sadly all the whizz tech and designer furniture make this more of a shop window than a ‘machine for working’.  

Employees here have very little emotional connection to the people or the organisation they work with, and they are very much uninspired by their physical surroundings. Tools can take an employee experience only so far! 

A great workplace alone will not save a rotten culture or reputation. If your organisation does have a beautiful physical and functional space but with an unpleasant culture and one that assaults your body with poor environmental.