Does my Office Need an Update?: How to Determine a Business Case for a Workspace Refurbishment

The evolution of the workplace is being driven by a myriad of things such as “talent competition, emerging technologies, the experience economy, and growing business demands” (Gensler, 2020). It’s true, the workplace is more complex than ever before but nonetheless the positive impact of providing employees with an optimal working environment is now undeniable. What makes a workspace optimal however, is going to differ from business to business and depend on a range of aspects such as organisational structure, company culture, strategy, staff values and more.

It’s certainly useful to gain inspiration from other aspirational office designs but it’s most important to ask the right questions, not only to evaluate whether your office space needs updating, but to define the exact needs and opportunities that are specific to your company. Too many workspace alterations are based on hot-button trends and don’t account for the nuanced complexities of the specific operations and culture that’s unique to your own organisation.

An ideal way to create a business case for your workspace refurbishment is to do a SWOT analysis, which asks key questions that relate to important areas in your organisation. The answers to these questions and identified opportunities also serve as an excellent basis for writing a useful and comprehensive refurbishment brief to work on with your design partner.

We’ve done an example for you below and also produced a blank template for you to download and fill out for yourself to help you determine the best course of action for reviving your workspace.