5 Good Reasons for the Finance Sector to consider a move to agile working
VIEW CHANGE AS AN OPPORTUNITY BEYOND THE OBVIOUS
Look beyond the traditional benefits of consolidation when merging organisations. Use the opportunity to deliver further savings to your property costs.
Last year, Law firm Allen & Overy predicted ‘the financial services sector is expected to experience an uptick in mergers and acquisitions (M&A) activity worldwide as it continues to stabilise following the 2008 financial crisis.’ KPMG went on to predict ‘As the dust from the political uncertainty settles, we expect a reasonably healthy level of M&A in 2017.
The opportunities of M&A is a perfect time to reappraise how your property portfolio and workplace strategy can deliver the optimum savings from such a period of change. Simply reducing the number of administration buildings and seeking savings by avoiding duplication of roles will not be nearly as effective as considering how your people work, what workplace needs they have and rethinking your workplace strategy. A move to a more agile working environment that better supports their roles and efficiently drives the services required will have far greater impact on the bottom line… and the funds available for the delivery of front line housing needs.
AGILITY IS WHERE YOU SHOULD BE
The desire to scale-up agile ways of working is far stronger than the reality delivered
According to a new McKinsey research report, respondents across industries report a desire to scale up agile ways of working. On average, they believe 68 percent of their companies’ employees should be working in agile ways, compared with the 44 percent of employees who currently do.~
So remaining competitive relies on keeping up with those organisations who are seeking to reduce that gap and make the most of the opportunity.
SURVIVAL OF THE FITTEST
Embracing the future of work is essential to remaining relevant
A recent EY report says ‘Today, 50% of the companies comprising the Fortune 500 just a decade ago are no longer in existence. Each company needs to consider its culture and mission, its workforce and physical facilities, and the way people interact with one another and approach their daily tasks. These elements are core characteristics of the survivors. One of the prime takeaways from that statistic is that being aware of major trends.’#
AGILITY IN AN ORGANISATION MAKES FINANCIAL SENSE
The benefits of agility are seen in performance
The EY report states ‘Organizations today are looking at office space as a value generator, versus merely a cost centre. They will need to find new ways to measure the return on the investment of their workspace.”
McKinsey found that ‘on average, respondents in agile units are 1.5 times more likely than others to report financial outperformance relative to peers, and 1.7 times more likely to report outperforming their peers on nonfinancial measures.’
INCLUSIVE DESIGN FOR MULTI-GENERATIONS
Reflect and embrace the differences of your multi-generational talent, through inclusive design in your offices.
As we start to see a fourth generation enter the workplace, the diverse needs of Baby-Boomers, Generation X, The Millennials and now Generation Z all have to work together and compromise. A Baby-Boomer needs far more light to read. Generation Z have never been off-line. The modern, agile working environment is a reflection of the new dynamic society in which we live. You’ll need to attract the best new talent, while retaining the experience of your long-serving knowledge workers. An agile, inclusive design will create an attractive place to work for all your staff and those you seek to employ in the future.
* source TLT: Renewable Energy Finance Report 2016
~ source McKinsey: How to create an agile organization
# source EY: Is the future of your workforce ready now?
