Enhance Workplace Value Proposition for an office revival!

Workplace Value Proposition – tl;dr

• Workplace Value Proposition (WVP) includes all tangible and intangible office-related privileges, such as ergonomic desks, private work pods, and teamwork workspaces. It also covers more abstract benefits that such amenities provide like comfort, focus, and collaboration. When a company realises its WVP, its office meets workers’ expectations and requirements without compromise.

• EVP refers to the value that an organisation offers to its workers in general, for example, salary, professional development, culture, and so on. WVP is considered a subset of EVP focusing specifically on the benefits provided by the physical workplace.

• If you want to define and enhance the Workplace Value Proposition of your organisation, leveraging the workplace benefits that encourage employees back to the office, concentrate on the Four Cs: connection, collaboration, creativity, and culture.

Back to the office: what employees expect and how employers respond

Successful organisations are characterised by flexible, inclusive and adjustable office design addressing the needs of employees. Of course, you need to skillfully reconcile needs with business goals in order to create an office that employees dream of.

What are the employees’ expectations concerning the office?

Let’s consider statistics from Capital One’s 2019 Work Environment Survey and Savills’s 2021 Office FiT Survey…

• 89% of workers want calming, restorative spaces in their offices for regular breaks
• 74% want less noise in the workspace
• 73% achieve better performance when provided with access to flexible furniture arrangement
• 87% claim that the office should boost their health and well-being by appropriate design

Read more: What does each generation want from the office?

Employers face significant challenges in their attempts to draw teams back to the office.

How to reconcile the freedom of remote work with the need to collaborate side-by-side? Employees are used to a flexible working style and relative freedom – privileges they really appreciate. Can the office offer such privileges, fostering the autonomy that boosts performance? We believe it can, but it needs to be carefully designed.

And WVP can help.

What actually is Workplace Value Proposition (WVP)?

WVP includes all tangible and intangible office-related privileges, such as ergonomic desks, private work pods, and teamwork workspaces. It also covers abstract benefits that such amenities provide, like comfort, focus, and collaboration.

WVP is a declaration of all benefits the office can offer workers.

All things aimed at fostering wellness and productivity. When appropriately leveraged, a WVP framework helps create the most appealing and rewarding environment and atmosphere for your team members, maximising opportunities for development and success.

A well-planned, fully developed WVP helps attract and retain talent.

And enhances the general level of comfort. A company with a robust WVP framework can boast an office environment that meets employees’ expectations without compromise. In a nutshell, it’s a place where people want to be – a place where the rewards of real-time collaboration are reaped.

Overall, defining and enhancing the discrete value proposition of your office makes a valuable exercise for an executive team. It pinpoints where you meet your workers’ expectations regarding the workplace and where you need to improve. By gradually improving the value through the office to make up for the shortcomings, you create a more appealing working environment. And it’s the attractive environment that employees look forward to, appreciate and effectively use as a complement to remote work

– says Mateusz Barczyk, Senior Brand Manager, Hushoffice.

What is the difference between WVP and Employee Value Proposition (EVP)?

EVP refers to the value that an organisation offers to its employees in general, for example, salary, professional development, culture, and so on. It’s the comprehensive package making an organisation an appealing workplace. In general, WVP is part of the EVP framework focusing specifically on the benefits provided by the physical workplace.

The main focus of WVP is the tangible, sensory experience of the workplace.

While a considerable part of modern work involves mental and knowledge-based tasks, physical environments will always impact our well-being and cognitive skills. That’s why, sensory experiences, workplace comfort, aesthetics, and the opportunity to collaborate with other team members in a flowing setting, all contribute to the overall development of the team.

Technically speaking, WVP is a subset of EVP, but it is so crucial that it needs to be considered as a separate aspect. WVP is a confirmation of the basic truth that humans are sensory creatures strongly influenced by the surrounding space. That’s why our workspace has a powerful impact on how we develop our abilities. In the end, a supportive, well-designed workspace makes everyone feel valued and inspired, playing a significant role in organisational success, just as valuable as any other form of measurement

– adds Mateusz Barczyk, Senior Brand Manager, Hushoffice.

Once you’ve identified and developed your WVP, drawing your employees back will be much easier.

The office must be more than satisfactory. It needs to offer what workers really need for their well-being and clarity of mind in the most effective, motivating ways. By following your employees’ expectations, you create an appealing space – an office that becomes a destination that they really value and appreciate.

What can you do to define the Workplace Value Proposition of your organisation?

The best idea is to follow Gallup’s Four Cs: connection, collaboration, creativity, and culture.

• Connection. One of the main advantages an office has over a home setting is connection – socialising and building relationships. If you want to foster spontaneous, natural discussions connecting people, invest in a partially enclosed booth, such as hushMeet.open.

• Collaboration. Collaboration isn’t only about productivity gains; it also bolsters trust within a team, particularly in face-to-face settings, such as the office. To encourage natural, effective collaboration, consider a multi-person work or meeting booth, such as hushMeet.L.

• Creativity. What is the main source of raw creativity at work? The unexpected: chance encounters, spontaneous meet-ups, informal project reviews, and so on. To spark creativity in the workspace, promote taking regular breaks in private, calming spaces, such as the hushMeet pod, where employees can relax together, allowing inspiration to come.

• Culture. Culture is fostered when workers share values and an ability to work together effectively. In the case of hybrid teams following different schedules and expectations, synchronisation may pose a real challenge. Make the most of the time your team spends in the office by planning simple, optional events like coffee hours or happy hours once a fortnight.

Read more: How “isolation” pods make the office more social, not less

Revive the office. Attractive workspaces have robust WVPs.

Atmosphere, greenery, and flexible seating arrangement can all boost your WVP.

A pleasant atmosphere inspires

A positive work environment can increase employee performance. What’s more, it can raise employee commitment level and achievement-striving ability significantly, which contributes to enhanced employee performance. 

Biophilic design fosters focus and positive attitude

A little nature in the workspace can boost morale and performance. Nowadays, it’s common knowledge that nature makes us feel good, improving our cognitive skills, mood, and even our social instincts. Read more about our greenWall vertical garden wall for office pods.

Hot desking ensures flexibility and autonomy that employees expect nowadays

Hot desking complies with an increasing employee desire for freedom and flexibility at work. It allows workers to choose their workspace depending on their daily needs, be it a quiet corner for team review or a private work pod, such as hushWork.sit&stand.

The workspace of the future. Living up to employees’ new expectations.

In a time of change, adaptability is the key.

New order: hybrid, flexibility, and autonomy

Present-day employees appreciate the freedom of adjusting their daily schedule to particular tasks and individual approaches. This freedom contributes to the delicate balance required between office and remote work, depending on the circumstances. Such autonomy matters as it helps maintain work-life balance, allowing for a more intuitive, efficient, and engaged workflow every day

– says Mateusz Barczyk, Senior Brand Manager, Hushoffice.

The increasing demand for hybrid work opportunities shows the changing nature of work with productivity defined by tasks, not time and location. And employers who understand and support this workplace flexibility are able to enhance job satisfaction, employee retention, and overall professional growth.

Acoustic office booths facilitate effective collaboration and focused work in a single place…

Acoustic booths play an important role in any office upgrade intended to enhance WVP. They make an excellent spatial solution, offering a number of benefits that knowledge workers appreciate: a quiet working environment, privacy, and a comfortable, user-friendly workspace.

Office booths, such as hushTwin, offer impeccable soundproofing that works both ways: they cancel out background noise while containing all speech made inside. So, they enable users to enjoy a calm, noise-free environment where all the commotion they generate will not disturb their colleagues on the floor. And this is the acoustic win-win aspect of premium booths, pods, or cabins

– says Mateusz Barczyk, Senior Brand Manager, Hushoffice.

Environment and culture create a high-performing, close-knit team…

With its dynamic collaborative areas and touchpoints for casual conversations, the office is a space where culture flourishes. What’s the key element? People. By defining, analysing, and enhancing your WVP to draw employees back, you can foster the culture that contributes to a fulfilling work environment, restoring the social aspect of work in the office.

Creative brainstorming boost…

Brainstorming belongs to one of the most significant creative functions cultivated within the office environment. If you want to facilitate it, consider a pod, such as hushMeet, comfortably accommodating four people, and providing excellent isolation from the office hubbub. In such an environment, no distraction can smother the creative spark.

The hushHybrid acoustic cab – a vital connecting point for on-site and remote workers.

HushHybrid is a space specifically designed for virtual meetings. Once inside, an employee can communicate with remote-working team members without disturbing colleagues sharing the same floor. The booth ensures undivided focus, so remote participants feel heard and understood.

So, what’s your opinion on WVP? How does yours work? Do you think that pods might be a missing piece for your employees?

Workplace Value Proposition – summary

• Workplace Value Proposition (WVP) includes all tangible and intangible office-related privileges, such as ergonomic desks, private work pods, and teamwork workspaces. It also covers more abstract benefits that such amenities provide like comfort, focus, and collaboration. When a company realises its WVP, its office meets workers’ expectations and requirements without compromise.

• EVP refers to the value that an organisation offers to its workers in general, for example, salary, professional development, culture, and so on. WVP is considered a subset of EVP focusing specifically on the benefits provided by the physical workplace.

• If you want to define and enhance the Workplace Value Proposition of your organisation, leveraging the workplace benefits that encourage employees back to the office, concentrate on the Four Cs: connection, collaboration, creativity, and culture.

Workplace Value Proposition – frequently asked questions

What is your Workplace Value Proposition (WVP)?

It’s a unique combination of office benefits that make your workspace an excellent place to work. It refers to all aspects that really matter to employees, such as location, equipment, and design. So, your WVP includes such elements as: convenient location, available amenities, facilities meeting everyday needs, or office aesthetics and atmosphere.

What can I do to enhance WVP for my organisation?

Concentrate on improving Gallup’s Four Cs of WVP: connection, collaboration, creativity, and culture. Each of these Cs is connected with an essential advantage the office has over alternative work locations. Once you enhance each of them, you will maximise your office capacity to break the occasional monotony and isolation associated with remote working.

How can I encourage my employees to return to the office?

You should consider some statistics from recent employee surveys. 89% of workers want calming, restorative spaces in their offices for frequent breaks. 74% want less noise in the workspace. 73% achieve better performance when provided with access to flexible furniture arrangement. Finally, 87% claim that the office should boost their health and well-being