Hello all,
This week's message was inspired by a recent Harvard Business Review Management "Tip of the Day" that arrived in my email. As written, it's great advice for companies planning relocations or expansions, or even rethinking a return from remote work policy. And then, I rewrote it to offer some advice for us, as we work to improve our SUNY workplaces using the SUNY WIT Mission: "The SUNY WIT Program's Mission is 'to empower, support, and retain a more gender diverse information technology related workforce within SUNY.'"
The HBR Original...
"Make Office Location Part of Your Strategy
Most companies still evaluate office locations using cost, space, and incentives. But those factors miss what actually drives performance. The strongest locations today operate as “knowledge campuses,” where work is embedded in a broader environment of transit, services, and daily life. Here’s how to choose the right location for your organization.
Measure return on place. Evaluate how your location drives interactions, reduces daily friction, and strengthens your industrial and talent ecosystems. Look for environments that naturally create frequent, informal encounters. Assess how much time employees lose to commuting and daily logistics. Prioritize locations that minimize these burdens and surround your team with relevant talent, partners, and institutions.
Build districts, not buildings. An isolated office is a disadvantage. You need an environment that extends beyond your walls. Choose locations that integrate work with dining, wellness, public space, and social infrastructure. These elements signal that you understand what people need to do their best work. Focus on places where employees can move seamlessly between their professional and personal lives.
Manage location as a portfolio. Don’t rely on a single headquarters. Different locations attract different types of talent. Maintain a mix of sites that align with how people want to live and work, and adjust over time as those preferences shift.
Focus on housing. If employees can’t live near work, productivity suffers. Factor in housing access and commute realities when choosing locations, even if you can’t control them directly."
Now, what if we thought about how to apply these principles to the way we configure our SUNY workplaces? And explicitly thought about how to increase inclusivity and the potential for allyship as part of the concept? Here's my start on a reworking of this message.
Holly's Rework: Make Office Inclusivity Part of Your Strategy
Most organizations still assign office space and meeting space access by function, random available spaces at the moment of hire, proximity to service functions, or according to some privilege factor based on hierarchical rank. And although some of us work remote part of the time, we still rely primarily on in-person workplaces. But these factors miss what actually drives retention and inclusivity. The most inclusive organizations leverage differences in knowledge and experience to create the best services and programs for their intended users. Here's how to choose the best connections for your organization.
Measure return on interaction: Evaluate how staff space assignments and access to shared spaces drive innovation, service improvement, cultural knowledge exchanges, reduce conflicts, and promote allyship. Look for configurations that encourage cross-pollination of ideas through casual interactions. Track how frequently employees connect with folks not in their exact area of work, and document the impact of any improvements and changes that result.
Build communities, not silos. An isolated function is a disadvantage. Focus on creating workplace "mixed use neighborhoods" that include elements of the work life that support multiple activities, such as flexible meeting spaces, conference rooms that are shared by support staff and the executive teams, dining and wellness spaces, and possibly even customers. Small changes can open the doors to interoffice community and appreciation for diversity wide open.
Manage locations as opportunities. Don't rely on single buildings for your organization. Different locations offer a multitude of opportunities to see customers and colleagues in a new light, inspire creativity, encourage collaborations, and provide choices that can increase a sense of belonging and improve retention. Maintain a mix of sites that align with the different needs of your organizational groups.
Focus on retention. If employees can't be themselves at work, connection suffers. Factor in preferences for light, sound, privacy, commuting times to other work obligations when assigning workspaces, even if you have limited options. Do what you can with what you have.
So, that's my version. I'd love to hear from folks who have other ideas or have made gains in this area at their SUNY's.
All the best,
Holly
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