Is your workplace working for you?

A positive and inspiring environment is more important for creating high performance in creative businesses than in most other industries. Your workplace impacts on culture, recruitment, productivity, and shows your prospective clients who you really are. Small things make big differences when your success is really about the people and the exceptional output they can deliver. If you’re not getting it right it will be hurting your bottom line.

In the battle for talent, the workplace has a big influence. Big corporations are creating cutting edge work environments to help persuade the best creatives to move in-house. And co-working spaces for start-ups and individuals offer outstanding collaborative and social spaces. Both are competing for your talent and both have more resources than you do. You need to keep up.

If your occupancy costs make you wince you’re not alone, even global creative networks have consolidated in huge spaces where several of their companies now live together. The rest of the creative industry are in a battle to fight rent hikes, maintain their locations - or to find good alternatives.

You need to think boldly about your work environment. Not about spending more, but how to make it work harder for the business. Move, renovate, reshape, share, challenge your rent or rates. As a leader you need to look forward, and future proof the business. Take a good look at what’s working and what’s not and decide whether you need to relocate, renovate or reshape. There is usually something which can add significantly to the performance of your team and business.

There are lots of ways to change your environment without it costing the earth. Some clever thinking and smart approach to investment can achieve substantial results. If you aren’t planning how your workplace will help you keep ahead for the next 5 years you should be.