acroread and qpdfview already perform as desired: if an instance of acroread or qpdfview, resp., is already running this instance will open any pdf files, irrespective of the workspace from which these files are "launched".
Now here's the catch: okular, alas, behaves differently:
"launching" (read: opening) a pdf file from a given workspace will create a new instance of okular in that workspace, unless that particular workspace already has an instance of okular up and running.
Anything I can add to /usr/bin/okular to do the trick?
man okular doesn't give any hints to this and also from within okular I see no indicative option in the native settings.