Four in five Australian CEOs believe the workplace is where innovation and creativity are best cultivated, and even more see it as the key to unlocking a positive culture. So how do we take all we’ve learnt over the past two years to create workplaces that enrich, excite and energise?
Letitia Hope, ISPT’s Workplace Partnership Manager, has spent the last two years considering this question.
“Home is now the workplace’s biggest competitor. Home is a comfortable and convenient place to be, but there are some things that can’t be created or accessed while we’re there. Social connection and support, mentoring, networking and accelerating career progression, for example, are some of the areas where a workplace environment has the upper hand.”
Most of Australia’s business leaders agree with Letitia’s assessment. Last year, ISPT gathered the opinions of 66 CEOs from some of Australia’s largest organisations to understand how they were adapting to the rapid change in how we work, and the insights are illuminating.
The workplace remains the centre of innovation and creativity for 79% of CEOs, for instance. It’s also the foundation for building a positive workplace culture, according to 86% of business leaders.
So, how do we redesign the workplace to enhance culture and relationships with customers, retain talent and regenerate innovation when people can work anywhere?
“Covid has changed people, and what enriches, excites and energises them now is very different to what it once was,” Letitia says. “People want to better integrate who they are into their work. This requires fresh thinking and a new approach to the workplace.”
“Working from home is beneficial for certain tasks and preferences. But the workplace is where a company’s culture is born and where it thrives. Technology has allowed us to connect from anywhere in the world, but the energy and buzz of a room full of people is a special kind of magic that can’t be replicated onscreen.”
Fresh thinking for a flexible future
With a masters in positive psychology from the University of Melbourne, Letitia spends her days translating scientific evidence into real workplace experiences.
“The desertion of our cities and workplaces over the last two years correlates with an increase in people reaching out for mental health support services. This tells us a lot about the human need to connect and unite in places that are not only safe, but also energising and better equipped to cater to the entirety of our identity.”
What might these places look like? Is it simply a matter of coffee and conversation that’s worth the commute? Every precinct is different, and a variety of factors come together to make a great place, from the quality of the built form to the customer mix to the climate.
The solution, Letitia says, is ‘co-creation’. No building is an island, and the best places are part of a ‘precinct ecosystem’ that brings together everyone with a stake in its success. This includes retailers, neighbours and even competitors.
ISPT is always looking to create experiences that are tailored to each precinct’s community. But now we’re taking this a step further by:
- co-creating with our customer partners
- bringing teams together in new ways
- driving connection
- emphasising purpose
- helping to refocus on collective goals.
In one precinct, it might be Italian classes each Tuesday evening, in another networking drinks with a hard-to-get speaker, and in a third it may be school holiday workshops that help people be parents and professionals at the same time.
“Everyone is offering online wellbeing classes, and ISPT properties are no exception. But we’re also looking to provide those social connections and experiences that aren’t available at home – whether that’s enjoying the free infrared sauna at the precinct gym, trying out a Peloton bike or tapping into one-on-one wellbeing coaching through the precinct’s wellness programs.”
From work domination to work integration
As workplace flexibility evolves, so does ISPT’s approach to placemaking.
“Flexibility is no longer about negotiating one day a week of working from home with your manager. Today’s flexibility means everything is on the table: workdays, part days or nights, even weekend work if it’s mutually agreeable. It’s about getting the best out of employees and helping them to thrive in all parts of their life.”
Letitia calls this concept ‘lifestyle working’ and says it requires a reimagining of our buildings and the places in between. ISPT is already collaborating with customer partners to reconfigure offices, optimise layout and amenity, and create socially supportive spaces that make everyone feel welcome.
“We’ve recently adjusted our lease terms so people can bring their dogs to work with them, and we’re looking at how we can support workplaces to be more flexible operations, rather than the traditional five, for the ultimate in flexibility.”
ISPT is also accelerating the rollout of EPIC, an app that offers super convenience and connectivity, whether that’s helping people book a carpark or order their morning coffee in a couple of clicks. “EPIC help us maintain a direct line of communication with the people who work in our buildings and connect them with the services we offer, so people can continue to feel a sense of belonging, even when they aren’t in the physical place.”
But lifestyle working is more than flexible work hours, or hybrid working arrangements. It’s about people feeling empowered and having more agency over their work lives. People are looking for less work domination and more work integration.
Working from home helped a lot of people find an organic balance between their work priorities, personal values, interests and wellbeing, Letitia notes. “They do not want to let that go, and lifestyle working recognises that they don’t have to. The future of the workplace is about facilitating people to be their best. It’s an exciting time.”
