What really matters in the workplace and how to measure it
The GPA's Customer Insights Lead Claire Storey sets the scene ahead of her panel discussion at the Smarter Working Live conference next month,
Civil servants working at Quay House, Peterborough
Last week we revealed that Quay House in Peterborough, the Government Property Agency (GPA)’s first new-build hub within the Government Hubs Programme, has been recognised as one of the world’s leading workplaces by achieving a Leesman+ rating.
Leesman’s workplace experience database is unparalleled – they’ve surveyed more than 1.35m employees across the world - and their Leesman+ certification provides a benchmark that few organisations can meet. In fact, of 9,307 workplaces to be surveyed to date, only 269 have been given the coveted accolade, of which only six were public sector offices.
Quay House has now joined that list. It’s the second GPA building to do so after our Birmingham hub was recognised in 2023.
Beyond recognition: the power of data
Of course, achieving this level of recognition for two of our government hubs is an exciting moment for the GPA and the people who work from these buildings. It’s also a source of pride to the local communities. But for us as workplace experience professionals, the real value is in the detail.
The process of achieving Leesman+ certification involves an extensive survey of office users to gather rich data on their experience of the workplace. While data provides a crucial foundation, it is the insights we extract from that data that truly differentiate us.
Insights transform raw numbers into meaningful narratives, offering a deeper understanding of trends, behaviours, and patterns. This understanding empowers us to make informed, strategic decisions that drive growth and innovation. By focusing on actionable insights, we move beyond mere data collection to make decisions that are more precise, impactful, and aligned with our long-term goals.
As Dr Peggie Rothe, Chief Insights and Research Officer at Leesman, said:
The GPA’s approach of capturing and analysing a far more granular set of end user factors than nearly any other organisation in Leesman’s fully independent data set, really does enable them to develop more inclusive and supportive workspaces for their Civil Service colleagues.
Identifying impactful insights
Alongside Leesman’s extensive benchmarking database, we also have access to over 50,000 customer satisfaction survey responses from across the Civil Service estate. These provide a powerful level of detail, reliability and representativeness to inform strategic decision making. But with such a wealth of information available to us, how do we identify what really matters?
That’s the topic of my upcoming discussion at the Smarter Working Live Conference, a free event exclusive to UK public sector professionals, which takes place on 17 – 18 September in hybrid format from the Vox Conference Venue in Birmingham.
I’ll be joined by Steven O’Leary, Transformation Director at Paragon Workplace Solutions, and my colleague Sally Bayliss, user researcher in our Property Technology team, as we explore how workplace experience can be measured and how to identify factors which will enable you to create the right working environments for your people.
We’ll look at some real-life examples from the government office estate and discuss the role of AI in data insights, different methodologies for collecting data and outline how data can be utilised to make impactful change.
Are you ready to create the right working environment for your teams?
If you’re interested in understanding how to create and optimise the right working environment for your teams, to empower them to work productively, be creative and form connections with colleagues, then you’ll be in the right place at the Smarter Working Live conference.