Most of the Real Estate / Facility Management departments have a lot of focus and attention on creating alignment of the workplaces, ‘outer environment’, with the organizational strategy. But what about the ‘inner environment’ (body, mind, heart, spirit) of the human beings working in the built environment (physical, digital, social)? When you transform the workplace, you must also transform the workforce to the new normal. Have a human-centered approach to the workplace environment and the built environmental experience. Change from the outside in but also from the inside out. Mind, body, heart, spirit and built environment. It is in essence about Environmental energy balancing.
“Real estate is not only about square meters.
It’s also about behaviour, the real state of people.” (René Stevens)
It’s about people
In the end, it is not (only) about the right working environment but much more about how people feel and act in their working environments. It is about their passion and commitment to their work. How they collaborate and share ideas to create together added value for the organization and at the same time also for their own well-being. Overall, contributing to the betterment of society and the planet. Scientists discovered that transparency in leadership is directly linked with employee commitment, effectiveness, and trust in leadership.
“Employee wellness is still not being given much importance despite the priority on attracting and retaining the best people and achieving better productivity.”
(Source: ‘Maximising your Business’s Value through Workplace Strategy’ by Property Directors Forum)
Bridging Real Estate and the Real State of Humans
The purpose of business is not only for profit but also for creating shared value. By synchronizing, within the framework of Corporate Social Responsibility, the needs of the organzation and the needs of their employees, students, patients, clients, added value is created for all parties involved.
Research has proven that not the objective environmental conditions, but the subjective interpretation of it, affects the well-being and behaviour of humans. The way human beings experience the environment therefor also influences their productivity (efficiency and effectiveness). ‘Soft’ employee engagement metrics are therefore in most cases even more important than ‘hard’ cost metrics. By combining quantitative and qualitative measures for productivity, overall harmony on all levels can be created from which your organization can benefit a lot and be an example in their industry.
In measuring the performance of the workplace strategy, this formula of ‘inner environment’ of humans (The Inner Architecture of Mind) is equally important and is the other side of the coin, which we mostly ignore in the technical field.
Making your organization more human
The awareness that human capital is of greater value for an organization than the capital invested in its accommodation raises several questions.
- How to make the ‘inner environment’ at least equally strong and valuable as the ‘outer environment’?
- How to create spirited work environments and spiritually strong organizations and employees?
- How to help people to uncover their creative potential and to practice creativity within the organization?
- How to encourage employees to develop an accurate and realistic sense of the impact that other people have on them and the impact that they have on others?
- How to encourage employees to use their unique skills within the organization?
Life designs
After 20 years of research and experimentation in the field of Real Estate, we have developed formula type problem-solving programs which can take Real Estate to a new height. The whole world is focussing on the development of the outer structure and the construction of the superficial image which is not going to last long.
In today’s business world, ‘Average’ is no longer good enough. What is average today will be below average tomorrow. What is superior today will be average tomorrow. The business world is in a continuous forward motion. If we stand still (with our existing superficial business formulas), we will be left behind.
“LIFE DESIGNS, from Real Estate to the Real State of Humans”
New business formula
Let’s take the advantage of change. It’s the time when new business formulas need to be introduced. Besides the four major organizational resources – capital, people, technology and information, the 5th business resource real estate need to be re-invented, re-discovered and re-constructed in order to facilitate corporate spiritualism, a way of expressing more humanity.
“Spirituality in the workplace is about individuals and organizations seeing work as a spiritual path, as an opportunity to grow and to contribute to society in a meaningful way. It is about care, compassion and support of others; about integrity and people being true to themselves and others. It means individuals and organizations attempting to live their values more fully in the work they do. Spirit at work enhances the overall value of the organization.” (International Center for Spirit at Work [ICSW])
“People are no resources, they are change-makers.” (Richard Branson)
Growing people
The business world is focusing on growing more and more profits but has completely lost the essence and the spirit behind the whole concept. Profits can be generated only by people. When we focus on growing people, profits will grow automatically. Organizations and people working in an environment where the business is on good terms with emotion, they will both grow and prosper. There will be a lively link between soul and business. Both poles have to be there. Not only excel in professionalism, but also in passion. It is not just about the ratio, but also about the emotion. The inner and external focus should be in harmony because at the end… it’s all about people!
Healthy business world
Our goal is to strive to take part in new business strategies which is constructive and creative for everyone involved, in order to make this ‘Business World’, a ‘Better World’ to work in. So that, we may dream of leaving behind a ‘Healthy Business World’ for those who follow.
As an organization, dare to think big, but start small. Experiment and gradually find out which form and speed of implementation best suits the organization.
If you have a common goal, please feel free to contact us. We would be privileged to develop a tailor-made program for your organization.