A report published earlier in the year by CBRE, based on its latest annual European Occupier Survey, shows employee well-being has risen up the agenda for company strategies with workplace strategies becoming increasingly more important in the retention & attraction of staff and when making real estate decisions.

Respondents for the CBRE research were mainly Western Europe and North American companies within multiple sectors, the largest of these being professional services, banking and finance, technology and telecommunications.

There has been a shift from previous times where cost was the main driver for core business strategy, potentially affecting the relationship between a business and its staff negatively. The workforce now plays a large role in location, with 33% of respondents stating cost of labour or labour shortage had an effect on location of a business.

65% of company’s researched also stated factors such as: amenity rich locations, quality work space and transport accessibility are increasingly sought by companies for building selection and to attract the younger generation.

We believe workspace and location should both be high on the agenda for any business looking to improve staff productivity and retention, or attract the younger generation. Staff wellbeing is key for maximum performance, and having a workplace that provides high quality space can be essential for business growth.

Relating to challenges with workforce and quality work space, an issue City Health Care Partnership (CHCP) had before re-locating to The Beacon offices was a lack of space at its previous office building. An environment where it’s 100+ business centre staff could communicate efficiently was lacking, therefore Horncastle provided open plan office space with quirky and modern interior features to improve performance, functionality and boost staff morale. Check out CHCP’s workspace here.

Location, environment, amenities, transport links and quality space are all intricate spokes of a wheel; equally important for a workplace strategy and vital to retain existing & attract new staff to improve business performance.

To read the full article on staff well-being by CBRE, please click here.

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