Hybrid Risk Register

Category 1: Strategy & Culture

1. Starting with Logistics: Strategies leading with desk layouts or tech stacks fail. Always begin with a clear corporate vision.

2. Fads Over Function: Superficial trends like slides don’t build culture. Avoid gimmicks; good design lasts, while fads date quickly.

3. Over-Optimisation: Density-driven planning pleases finance but punishes users. Maximise the human experience, not just occupancy.

4. Design by Committee: Without a single owner for the strategic brief, outcomes remain generic. Aim for decisive leadership over pleasing everyone.

5. Misalignment with Culture: A space contradicting actual behaviours creates dissonance. Claiming transparency while building closed private doors rapidly erodes trust.

6. One-and-Done Communication: Workplace communication is a continuous conversation. Avoid single broadcasts by building robust feedback loops to monitor sentiment.

7. Ignoring the Magnetism Mandate: Purely functional spaces cannot compete with the immense comfort of working from home.

Category 2: Property & Lease

8. Signing the Lease Before the Survey: Committing to a commercial building that lacks the mechanical and electrical capacity for your proposed staff density is a severe financial trap.

9. Ignoring Dilapidations on the Old Office: Failing to rigorously budget for the exit costs of your previous lease is dangerous, as these reinstatement costs frequently run to £15 – £25 per sq ft.

10. Missing the Licence to Alter Timeline: Forgetting that formal landlord approvals can take a minimum of eight weeks will severely eat into your negotiated rent-free period.

11. Overlooking Wayleaves: Not checking the specific legal agreements required for fibre optic installation often leads to a ninety-day wait for essential internet connectivity.

Category 3: Technology & Delivery

12. Underestimating the Comms Room: Allocating a small cupboard with absolutely no cooling infrastructure for servers will lead to overheating, as these machines generate massive heat.

13. Wi-Fi Optimism: Assuming wireless networks can handle everything and failing to install hard-wired data points for high-bandwidth tasks will cripple your workforce.

14. Choosing the Wrong Partner: Selecting a fit-out partner based solely on the lowest initial tender price often leads to poor quality, extended delays and severe financial exposure later.

15. Cutting Corners on Quality Control: Letting standards slip in the final rush to finish leads to permanent defects and ongoing maintenance issues that drain the facilities budget.

16. Poor Documentation and Handover: Executing a chaotic handover with missing manuals and incomplete training leaves the facilities team completely unable to run the building safely.

17. Failing to Review Post-Occupancy: Walking away once the ribbon is cut is a massive, missed opportunity. Without ongoing measurement, you cannot prove your return on investment or learn lessons for future phases.