Less Space. Better Workplace.

Why the smartest workplace conversations are no longer about square metres.

For a long time, one of the first questions businesses asked when considering a new workplace was: How much space do we need?

It’s still an important question. But increasingly, we think there’s a better one: What does our space need to do?

Hybrid working has changed how often people come in. Technology has changed where certain tasks can happen. Expectations around flexibility, amenity and workplace experience have shifted.

And as businesses reconsider how much space they really need, something interesting is happening: less space doesn’t necessarily mean less investment. It means every square metre needs to work harder.

From footprint to performance

Workplace consolidation can easily become a numbers exercise: people, desks, square metres. Reducing a footprint without understanding how people actually use your office can simply create a smaller version of the same problems – too much space allocated to areas nobody uses, not enough meeting rooms, poor acoustics, kitchens that become thoroughfares, or collaboration spaces that look great but don’t actually support collaboration.

The opportunity is to make better decisions about what deserves the space in the first place, rather than simply fitting more into less.

The office has a different job now

If people can complete focused individual work effectively from home, the workplace needs to offer something more: connection, collaboration, culture, learning, access to colleagues and a great client experience.

That doesn’t mean individual work is disappearing from the office. It means the balance has shifted, and a high-performing workplace needs to support a broader range of activities – often within a smaller footprint.

So rather than starting with “How many desks can we fit?”, perhaps the better question is: "What are we asking people to come here for"?

The answer should help shape the workplace.

Better space starts before design

As tempting as it is to jump straight into to plans, finishes, furniture and renders, the first steps is, understanding how your people work. Look at what’s working and what isn’t. Consider meeting behaviours, future headcount, client needs and business priorities. Test the assumptions before committing to the solution.

We saw this recently while working with Blue Wealth Property on their new Sydney workplace. Early staff engagement uncovered issues around noise, meeting spaces, flow and the role of the kitchen – insights that ultimately influenced how the workplace was planned and where investment mattered most.

It’s why at PALM, workplace strategy isn’t something we bolt onto design. It’s how we get to design. We call it Think Before You Build.

It’s about spending better, not spending less.

There’s another misconception worth challenging: smaller workplace = cheaper workplace.

Sometimes, yes. But the more useful conversation is about value.

Reducing unnecessary floor area can create an opportunity to redirect investment towards the things that have a greater impact – better acoustics and technology, more considered meeting and collaboration settings, improved amenity, stronger client experience, or higher-quality finishes where they’ll actually be noticed.

Less space can create the opportunity for better space – only if you understand your priorities before you start spending.

Five questions to ask before deciding how much space you need

1. Why are people coming to the workplace?

What can they do there that they can’t do as effectively elsewhere?

2. How does your team actually work?

Not how the org chart suggests they work. How they really work.

3. What’s not working today?

Noise? Meetings? Technology? Flow? Privacy? Collaboration? Start with the friction.

4. What might change over the next three to five years?

Consider headcount, technology, working patterns, organisational structure and client needs.

5. Where will investment have the greatest impact?

Not every square metre deserves the same amount of money. Work out where experience and performance matter most.

Answer those questions first and the number of square metres becomes an outcome of the strategy, rather than the strategy itself.

Less. But better.

We’re seeing a workplace market becoming more considered. Businesses aren’t necessarily asking for bigger – they’re asking for better experience, better flexibility, better use of space and better value from their investment. And we think that’s a good thing.

The success of a workplace has never really been about how many square metres you’ve got. It’s about what those square metres enable your people and your business to do.

Less space. Better space. That’s a workplace conversation worth having.

Planning a move, consolidation, or refresh?

Before you commit to a footprint, we can help you understand what you actually need. Our early workplace strategy, test fitting and cost planning helps businesses challenge assumptions and make better informed decisions before committing to design and construction.

Because confidence starts early.