In light of rising shares of working from home and falling in-office presence, many companies view their office space as an obvious lever for cutting costs. Measures such as reducing desks, cutting square metres or consolidating entire locations are direct responses to this economic pressure. However, a purely quantitative approach falls short if the functional contribution of premises to business success is overlooked.
The physical working environment forms the foundation for operational structures and processes. If the existing infrastructure does not align with actual usage patterns, operational disadvantages arise. When premises hinder collaboration, stifle innovation or remain largely unused, reducing leased space misses its actual objective.
Shortcomings in existing space concepts
A joint survey by the consultancy M.O.O.CON, the Bundesverband Der Mittelstand, BVMW e.V. and Great Sales Force reveals where organisations currently identify the main weaknesses in their office concepts. According to the findings, 40 per cent of surveyed companies complain that their working environment insufficiently encourages creativity, communication and innovation. In each case, 31 per cent view the fostering of silo thinking as well as low occupancy or vacant areas as structural problems.
Christoph Müller-Thiede, Managing Partner at M.O.O.CON, emphasises in this context that minimising floor space must not take centre stage. Rather, the decisive factor is whether the existing space supports the organisation in fulfilling its tasks effectively and efficiently. Other criteria are therefore essential for forward-looking space planning.
Three parameters for space planning
First, the analysis recommends starting from actual workflows rather than rigid organigrams. As employees nowadays switch flexibly between focused individual work, meetings and mobile ways of working, companies must first determine which tasks are sensibly performed on site and what space requirements arise as a result. Second, property should be understood as an instrument of organisational development: strategic objectives such as cross-departmental exchange, specific security zones or energy sustainability standards must be reflected in the space strategy.
Third, exploring the potential of existing space often provides greater scope than sweeping expansions or reductions. Changing zoning and adopting multi-use arrangements can unlock additional flexibility. Müller-Thiede points out that property decisions should not be made in isolation. Anyone introducing changes today must take time horizons of three to five years into account; the crucial question remains whether the property supports or hampers future developments.
