Office co-design: the Kytom method in 4 steps, collaborative workshops and design thinking to align HR directors, workplace managers and employees. 12-week timeline.
"How do we co-design with them"
A project that is not co-designed generates 18 to 25% of post-delivery modifications according to <a href="https://www.arseg.asso.fr/" rel="noopener" target="_blank">ARSEG</a>. For a 850 m² fit-out, that represents 40,000 to 80,000 euros of rework (rewiring, relocated partitions, reassigned furniture). The overall timeline is then extended by 4 to 8 weeks.
Nearly 47% of psychosocial disorders linked to the work environment stem from a feeling of not being consulted. Turnover increases by 12% within the 18 months following a poorly prepared move. HR directors then absorb a high social burden, often invisible in the project budget.
Consulting the works council is mandatory for any fit-out project that modifies working conditions. A rushed procedure exposes you to an obstruction offence and to an average delay of 6 weeks. For workplace managers, the internal image of the real estate department is lastingly damaged as a result.
Kytom structures co-design into three circles: a steering committee (HR director, workplace manager, management), a user panel of 8 to 15 representative employees, and workshops open to all teams. The method draws on the principles of design thinking and on observing real usage at the workstation. Each workshop produces a signed deliverable: empathy map, user journey, test mock-up. Our 11 agencies mobilise a dedicated space planner and facilitator. Across 1200+ projects, this approach markedly reduces post-delivery modification requests and strengthens team satisfaction at six months.
In situ observation of usage over 2 weeks, presence counting, acoustic measurement according to the regulatory thresholds applicable to workspaces, interviews with 10 to 15 employees. Deliverable: a quantified diagnostic report, mapping of under- and over-used areas, and a summary of priority irritants validated by the steering committee.
Three 3-hour design thinking workshops with the user panel. Method: empathy map, weighted vote, paper prototyping. Deliverable: a prioritised functional brief, validated workstation/pod/collaborative ratios, and a report sent to the works council for formal information.
Immersive 3D mock-ups and an 80 m² pilot zone installed for 4 weeks. Employees test furniture, acoustics and lighting. Deliverable: a quantified arbitration grid presented to the steering committee, quantified feedback (5-criteria questionnaire), and a final plan signed by management.
Works carried out in 12 weeks on average, change support (guided tour, co-written usage charter). Deliverable: satisfaction surveys at 1, 3 and 6 months, measured occupancy indicators, and a quantified adjustment plan if the gap exceeds 15% compared to the initial brief.
"We dreaded co-design, but we experienced it as an accelerator. The trade-offs were settled upstream, the works council approved without reservation, and the teams took ownership of the spaces from day one."
Between 8 and 15 people representative of roles, seniority and status. Below 8, diversity is lacking; above 15, running the 3-hour workshops loses effectiveness. For 200 employees, 12 panellists are enough.
No, if it is framed upstream. The 6 to 8 weeks of workshops fit within the programming phase. The total timeline remains 12 weeks on average for the works, compared with 16 to 20 weeks in the event of post-delivery modifications.
The works council is informed as early as the diagnostic, then formally consulted on the brief resulting from the workshops, in accordance with article L2312-8. The traceability of workshop reports strengthens the quality of the file submitted and speeds up the opinion.
Allow for an additional 30 to 60 euros excl. tax/m², i.e. 3 to 5% of the overall fit-out budget. This additional cost is paid back in 18 to 24 months through reduced rework (40,000 to 80,000 euros avoided on 850 m²).
Yes, from 30 employees onwards. For smaller structures, Kytom simplifies into two workshops and a panel of 5 to 7 people. The method remains valid; only the formalism is lightened to preserve agility.
Three indicators: actual vs planned occupancy rate (target above 85%), satisfaction at 6 months (target above 75%), volume of post-delivery modifications (target below 5% of the budget). Kytom provides the dashboard.