PROJECT OVERVIEW: Indonesia’s high population growth and culturally diverse workforce presented unique challenges and opportunities for our client. Seconded as Project Director responsible for the Workplace Strategy, Design, and Construction, we led a team of consultants to conduct a comprehensive Workplace Analysis and develop a tailored workplace strategy that would not only address these factors but also align with the organization’s operational needs and cultural values.

KEY OBJECTIVES:

• Accommodate a rapidly growing and culturally diverse workforce
• Enhance operational efficiency with new workplace technologies
• Reduce overall office footprint while improving workplace effectiveness

APPROACH:

1. CONTEXTUAL UNDERSTANDING: At the project’s inception, the design team conducted several focus sessions with both staff and management to gain a deep understanding of the corporate and community values. This collaborative approach provided the context needed to ensure the design and workplace strategy would resonate with employees.

2. COMPREHENSIVE WORKPLACE ANALSIS: To develop a workplace strategy that aligned with the organization’s goals and cultural diversity, we conducted:

• • Visioning Sessions: Engaged senior management to understand their vision for the workplace.
  • Interviews: Held detailed discussions with key Business Unit Managers and their deputies to grasp operational needs.
  • Physical Surveys: Observed workforce interactions, actual occupancy, and space utilization to identify inefficiencies.
  • Staff Surveys: Collected data on working preferences, including the balance between in-office work, client meetings, and the need for fixed vs. flexible seating.

3. DATA-DRIVEN STRATEGY DEVELOPMENT: Based on the insights gained, we developed a workplace strategy that effectively reduced the organization’s office footprint by over 15%, without compromising operational efficiency.

RESULT & IMPACT: To ensure a smooth transition, a series of Change Management campaigns were launched, helping staff adapt to the new working environment, technologies and spaces.

• • 3X INCREASE IN MEETING ROOMS: More meeting spaces were created to better support collaboration and space utilization.
  • 85% PRIVATE OFFICE REDUCTION: Managers were brought closer to their teams, fostering a more collaborative environment.
  • BYOD IMPLIMENTATION: The “Bring Your Own Device” policy was introduced, giving employees the flexibility to work with their preferred tools.
  • 80% DOCUMENT STORAGE REDUCTION: Significant real estate was freed up by minimizing physical storage needs. 

EMPLOYEE FEEDBACK: 80% of employees felt that the “open office design made the space feel larger and improved the energy in each workday.”

CONCLUSION: Through a data-driven approach, we successfully transformed the client’s workplace environment. The strategy not only accommodated cultural diversity and operational needs but also created a vibrant, efficient, and forward-looking workspace that energized employees and enhanced overall productivity.