THE FUTURE OF PUBLIC SECTOR WORKPLACES: HOW WORKING PRACTICES HAVE CHANGED INFRASTRUCTURE

For the last 10 years, the preferred workplace model for the public sector has been the consolidated approach. Simon Dunstan, Director at GT3 Architects, discusses the benefits and challenges of a campus model and whether this method provides the holy grail of increased workplace performance, happier staff and lower costs.

he consolidated model, which has reigned supreme for the last decade, saw staff placed into a single headquarters, often located in a town or city centre, where the benefits of teamwork, co-location and urban regeneration could be leveraged.

Often led by cuts in budgets, a consolidated model focuses on reducing the size of an organisation’s property portfolio and removing inefficient buildings, which require extensive maintenance works or are being underutilised.

When the COVID-19 pandemic hit, an enforced period of homeworking began a social experiment that tested the relationship between employer and employee. Despite coming out the other side, employees’ work habits have changed for good, which leaves many public sector organisations asking what their ‘new’ future workplace strategy should look like.

Workplace models are a product of social and economic trends and, until the pandemic, creating a communal atmosphere with staff in a central location was beneficial. With ‘work from home’ and ‘flexible working’ now normalised, what employees and employers are looking for in an office and employer has changed.

The campus model – which refers to multiple buildings located across a town or city – is another option for public sector organisations that are looking to make financial savings, whilst improving the delivery of services, enhancing the health and wellbeing of their staff and facilitating the regeneration of their cities, towns and villages.

Similar to a university campus, having a variety of buildings spread across a city or borough has many benefits. Firstly, it increases opportunities and choice, as staff can pick where they want to work and, since location is a high determining factor for employees, businesses will be able to open themselves up to a wider pool of talent without making commuting distance a barrier. We also can’t deny there is a cost-of-living crisis happening, so having the option to travel less and increasing choice for the employee will help staff wellbeing and retention.

The model is also more sustainable, as usually a new headquarters would need to be built from the ground up, but a campus model allows you to utilise existing assets and upgrade what you have. And, with more locations, organisations are likely to reduce their overall carbon emissions from unnecessary travel.

The campus model can often work out better value in comparison to a consolidated, single-use option.

On a recent project, we were able to save the local authority 30% on its original plan by trimming its property portfolio from 30 to five buildings, and carefully considering the space requirements and functions of all departments. Initial plans included a large headquarters as well as streamlining its assets, but due to changes in the political landscape, the HQ option was discarded. In the end, this provided an opportunity to adopt a campus model that had a better impact on the employees, the organisation and the community.

The public sector is always slightly behind the private sector trends and when choosing a workplace model, both are financially motivated, but their motivations differ. For example, many councils decided to close offices, even after the pandemic, to save money and continued to urge staff to work flexibly. However, for many private companies who may have invested in new or refurbished office space, there was a push to return to work so their investment is not wasted.

In many cities, there are plenty of underutilised assets, which provides an opportunity to tackle challenging buildings and anti-social behaviour head on. To kickstart regeneration in these areas, which often suffer from economic poverty, having a council presence and a central location for locals to visit will not only create social impact but will increase footfall and support the economy, bringing in more shops and restaurants.

However, this approach does reduce the economic impact in city centres, which is where a majority of these large HQs are based. It’s, therefore, important to create a robust strategy to make the most of your assets within the campus model.

It’s important to acknowledge the challenges of any workplace model. With multiple offices, there is a risk of losing cohesion between teams and staff. Undoubtedly, having everyone in one space makes it easier for creating a team environment and socialising but also for IT infrastructure, which is often harder to manage across multiple sites. www.gt3architects.com

With more buildings also comes more maintenance, which risks a lowerquality work environment and money wasted on upkeep if the space is not utilised correctly.

Our workplace consultancy service gives us an in-depth insight into the strategic and specific needs of different user groups and helps organistions better utilise their assets to not only save money but keep their employees happy.