Standards Development

Scope

This British Standard provides guidance for owners, occupiers and users in their decision making towards an appropriate strategy for their workplaces. It identifies the questions and challenges that have to be addressed to enable owners, occupiers and users determine their workplace strategy as a key input to a management of change process. It makes recommendations on practices that should be adopted and explains the reasoning behind them.

This standard is intended to be used by owners, occupiers and users, and those acting on their behalf, for example, facility managers and their teams.

This standard does not recommend workplace options or offer design solutions.

Purpose

The evolution of the workplace has, in some cases, become a revolution, as the nature of work changes to satisfy multiple demands simultaneously. Transient workforces, work-life balance, personal wellbeing, diversity, social equity, talent attraction and retention are just some of the demands that represent drivers for change. Owners and occupiers of facilities are increasingly in need of authoritative guidance on how to plan and manage their workplaces to enhance user experience while coping with often competing demands.

Existing guidance takes various forms and presents owners and occupiers with a potentially confusing range of workplace options, each of which is likely to be appropriate in one particular situation. The single solution cannot, therefore, be optimal for all situations. Determining the workplace option that is right for any given organization and its people relies on understanding the complexity of the problem being faced. A standard that was able to guide owners, occupiers and users in their decision making towards an appropriate strategy for their workplaces could be expected to lead to improvement in the working environment, increasing user satisfaction and raising productivity.

This standard would not recommend workplace options or offer design solutions; instead, it would identify those questions and challenges that have to be addressed to enable owners, occupiers and users determine their workplace strategy as a key input to a management of change process. As a guidance document, it would make recommendations on practices that should be adopted and would, where necessary, explain through informative elements the reasoning behind them.

The standard will be steered by a panel of experts drawn from the public and private sectors.

Proposed contents

         Introduction

1       Scope

2       Normative references

3       Terms and definitions

4       Drivers for change

4.1    Transient workforces

4.2    Work-life balance

4.3    Mental and physical wellbeing

4.4    Diversity and social equity

4.5    Talent attraction and retention

4.6    Future workforce

4.7    Availability of residential accommodation

4.8    Commuting costs and environmental impact

4.9    Supportive organizational culture

4.10 Eco-friendly decision making

4.11 Ethical behaviour

4.12 Neurodiversity

5       Work settings

5.1    Sustainable space provision

5.2    Work from anywhere – office, WFH, remote and hybrid

5.3    Repurposed space for living

5.4    Technical connectivity and smart systems

5.5    Organizational resilience and continuity

5.6    Modular and flexible space

5.7    Hub and spoke workspaces

5.8    Collaboration and social areas

5.9    Ergonomic furniture

5.10 Internal environment – natural light and air quality

5.11 Health, safety and security

5.12 Facility services