logo-2022-1
MENU
  • Projects
    Region
    • All
    • Americas
    • Asia
    • Australia & New Zealand
    • Europe
    Industry
    • Consumer goods
    • Education
    • Financial
    • Industrial
    • Legal
    • Life sciences
    • Lifestyle
    • Manufacturing
    • Non-profit
    • Professional services
    • Property
    • Resources
    • Sports & Entertainment
    • Technology & Communications
    • Transport & Travel
  • Services
    Strategy
      Design
      • Experience design
      • Hospitality design
      Construction
      • Health, safety, environment, and quality
    • Expertise
      Corporate interiors
        Life sciences & regulated environments
          Branded environments
            Hospitality and hotel design
            • Insights
              Thought leadership
              • Unispace Global Workplace Insights
              • Life Sciences Global Benchmarking report
              • Future Labs
              Blog
              In the news
              • Awards
            • About
              About us
              • Diversity Equity & Inclusion
              • How we work
              • Our brands
              Our locations
              Our people
              Careers
            Contact
            Use the up and down arrows to select a result. Press enter to go to the selected search result. Touch device users can use touch and swipe gestures.
              Contact
              • EN
              • FR
              • DE
              21  March  2017

              Unlocking Workplace Change

              Unispace in 
              Insider
              2 minute read
              170315_Unlocking Workplace Change_EDM Graphics

              In early March, the Unispace team held an event series in Dublin and London around unlocking workplace change. The events brought together the talking points of workplace strategy, geopolitics, socio-economic theories and positioning a workplace for the future through best practice and change.

              The Dublin seminar brought together Albert De Plazaola, our Global Principal for Strategy, but also, rather remarkably, former Irish Prime Minster, John Bruton.

              Occupier demands have changed more in the past five years than in the previous fifty and workplace design is at the heart of these new requirements. Ensuring a business’ culture fits their workplace strategy is of critical importance.

              Workplace designers now face the challenge of very different workforce demands and a radical shift in perception of what constitutes office space.  Enabled by technology, the contingent workforce increases year on year in every major economy, with freelancers, part-timers and consultants now a key element of the labour market. 

              Mr Bruton supported the discussion with this poignant quote:
              "Machines will provide the answers: it's people that will design the questions."

              Technology, mobility and the speed by which we consume communication has created new geopolitical environments that we have never seen – environments that can be frightening for both the privileged and disenfranchised. 

              When faced with uncertainty, people long for past systems of power, for past hierarchies of order which, paradoxically, did not always protect their best interest. But these systems were safe, they were rooted in cultural and historical narratives, and when understood with a sense of nostalgia, provided stability and predictability.

              Fast changing environments can cause people to feel anxious and fearful, which can lead to resistance. This is where a positive workspace comes in.

              At its core, design brings workers together to generate ideas and create better business outcomes.  More than ever, therefore, the role of the designer is to create environments that engage and inspire, to match more fluid client requirements. But we also need to recognise the pace of change, the role technology will play within all this and how people will react to these changes. 

              “When you take people from a traditional working environment, and put them into a new working environment, and simply expect them to work differently, what ends up happening is they bring those legacy work practices into the new workplace and end up saying: ‘this is not going to work for me at all’.

              Albert De Plazaola explained, “the biggest inefficiencies we see in workplace are around noise, quiet areas and privacy issues. This is always the challenge with activity based working. The distractions come in when people start talking to them and it pulls them away from their work. We need those collaborative spaces but are we really providing those kind of introspective focus work spaces that people are requiring and asking for?”

              Of the invitees to both our Dublin and our London events, there were similar discussion points: the need to unlock the potential of real estate and address change. 

               

              Steve Hicks, Mastercard Leader Global Real Estate, said at the London event: “We have all got similar problems when it comes to space.  No one is looking to take on more real estate, they are looking at existing space and trying to make it work as well as it can.”

              In Dublin, John Bruton set the context for change in a society that is moving fast and how that change affects people’s behaviour.  There were clear parallels between wider societal issues and how change must be integrated into the workplace.  We must recognise that this type of change must be thought through and planned for; and to accept that it can be tough for people initially. We have no doubt our sector is undergoing radical evolution.

              At Unispace, we recognise that we have to adapt this approach to address divergent occupier needs.  It is our role to work together with clients, to translate strategy and business goals into places that empower staff, to do their best, most creative work. 

              Keep Reading
              Insider
              Albert de Plazaola website news profile_0
              Insider

              Design Profile: Albert De Plazaola

              In this Unispace Design Profile we put the spotlight...
              12  April  2016
              Insider
              AIA website rollup
              Insider

              Albert DePlazaola: Challenging the industry to think differently

              Albert DePlazaola is constantly challenging CRE...
              23  November  2016
              Insider
              Albert de Plazaola website news profile_0 (1)
              Insider

              Albert De Plazaola: Shaping strategic thought

              Albert De Plazaola, Unispace's global strategy leader,...
              11  May  2017
              Insider
              Albert de Plazaola website news profile_0
              Insider

              Design Profile: Albert De Plazaola

              In this Unispace Design Profile we put the spotlight...
              12  April  2016
              Insider
              AIA website rollup
              Insider

              Albert DePlazaola: Challenging the industry to think differently

              Albert DePlazaola is constantly challenging CRE...
              23  November  2016
              logo-2022

              Follow us

              LinkedIn - Negative youtube Instagram - Negative pinterest-logo
              STAY CONNECTED
              Subscribe for our latest news, projects, and insights

              Projects Insights About Contact Us
              STAY CONNECTED
              Subscribe for our latest news, projects, and insights

              • Privacy Policy
              • Cookie Policy
              • Modern Slavery Statement
              • Whistleblower policy
              • © Unispace 2023
              © Unispace 2025