Controlling the layout of workspaces

There is advice online to change the number of workspaces with gsettings. It seems sad that only the Workspace Switcher applet can change the layout (I am using 3 wide * 2 high), and none of the visible items can change the numbering order, which is documented here:
https://specifications.freedesktop.org/wm-spec/1.4/ar01s03.html
under _NET_DESKTOP_LAYOUT.

What, if anything, can be done with this sadness?