Workplace Strategy at the BBC

As a group, we in Workplace have been talking a lot about new ways of working, flexible working and hot desking. To my mind, all of these fall under workplace strategy. This is a term which may not be familiar to many, so, over the coming months, I intend to blog on key aspects of this interesting and challenging topic.

To get the debate going, let me explain what's happening in my world as a consumer of commercial space and how my team helps support the BBC with our strategy for our workplace. We no longer call ourselves by the outdated label BBC Property but have reinvented our function as BBC Workplace.

The nature of work is changing fundamentally. This is best described by the phrase - (used in an earlier post) - 'work is what you do, not a place you go'. But it is more than this and requires BBC Workplace to assume a wider role than may have been regarded as our traditional scope which was focusing on asset management and operating the buildings. The shift from bricks and mortar to the 21st century workplace is about changing to a new position where we consider how we are using space and how we best support creative work, enabling BBC staff to work anywhere, anytime and anyplace.

Our role is also to enable people to foresee how they might be able to work in the future taking maximum advantage of the new workplaces brought about by changes to the BBC estate. Our developments in W1 and Salford aim to incorporate these possible changes which include:
• Flexible working practices
• Enhanced collaboration leading to creativity
• Enabling mobility and flexibility

Our vision for BBC Workplace is to be a trusted advisor, able to advise the Executive Board and Divisions on all aspects of how to make the best use of the workplace. We are, in effect, consultants to the BBC and have the capability to suggest new and innovative ways of working. Charged with the challenge of acting as an agent of change, for me, this equates to being a leader in innovation.

For those providing new buildings, a key consideration in any new development is assessing how this might enable organisational transformation A move to a new building is a catalyst for and can symbolise change - it is no longer acceptable for a move to a new facility to be simply a 'lift and shift' from an old building to a new.

Moving the BBC to a transformed estate will probably require:
• A shift in organisational and cultural practices to enable the BBC's movement towards being an on demand content provider
• Achieving more efficient space layouts and adjacencies
• Embracing new and alternative ways of creating content
• Moving towards standard working conditions

BBC Workplace is already challenging the status quo when it comes to how the BBC uses space. Media Centre in West London is a great example of open plan team based working.

Watch this space for more thoughts - and do feel free to comment in the meantime - I'm very happy to respond.

Chris