How Diageo used Habital® to understand workplace behaviour and satisfaction

Even with a modern activity-based workplace, Diageo Brands in Amsterdam noticed something wasn’t quite adding up. The spaces weren’t being used the way they were designed, and satisfaction didn’t match expectations. As part of their search for meaningful KPIs to measure the effectiveness of their workplace strategy, they initiated a study to compare workplace preferences with actual behaviour.

The challenge: A gap between perception and behaviour

As with many activity-based workplaces, Diageo found a familiar gap: what people said they needed didn’t always match how they behaved. They wanted insight into:

Workplace preferences
Perceived satisfaction
Actual behaviour in different spaces
How these patterns related to personality, department, and activity

Understanding these differences was essential for shaping a workplace strategy based on evidence rather than assumptions.

The solution: A two-part Habital® workplace study

The Habital® study focused on measuring the gap between perception and behaviour. It consisted of two components:

Online Questionnaire

This provided insight into workplace preferences and perception, segmented by personality, department, activity, and workplace type.

Experience Sampling

Through a simple smartphone app, employees captured real moments of their workday, gathering meaningful insights. This method made it possible to map real behaviour across the same dimensions as the questionnaire.

At the end of the study, each employee received an individual report. This personal feedback helped employees understand their own workplace preferences and satisfaction levels and encouraged them to adjust their behaviour to find the most suitable places to work.

The impact: Evidence-based insights for a more effective workplace strategy

The study was well received by employees. The initial questionnaire was combined with the annual Post Occupancy Evaluation (POE), reducing survey fatigue by covering related topics in one process.

Running the study through a smartphone app also created new possibilities, as all employees in the Amsterdam office were accustomed to using smartphones or tablets in their work. The solution was co-created with two universities and a PhD researcher (J.G. Hoendervanger), adding credibility and objectivity to the results.

Ultimately, the Habital® study helped Diageo connect the dots between how employees perceived their workplace and how they actually used it. By bringing perception and behaviour together in one narrative, the organisation gained a richer, more human understanding of its work environment. Now this guides its future workplace decisions with far greater confidence.

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