Your Office is Your Sales Pitch — Make it Impressive
Coffin Chairs, Nap Boxes, Eco-Pods, Thought Pods, Vibe Mapping, Privacy Tents, Ecotones, Treehouses, Virtual Golf, Free NFL Tickets, Car Sofas, Caravan Relax Rooms, Massive Slides, Catered Banh Mi for lunch. Need I say more? I can’t even make this stuff up people. Some of us have officially lost our minds in our efforts to entice our teams back to the office.
All joking aside, with the widespread proliferation of hybrid working, it’s incredibly important that you invest in both your people and your space. Workplaces and offices are becoming people-centric. All the research being done has shown that people need a better reason to come into the office than strictly because it’s policy. The common denominator is the “human connection”. Eighty-four percent of employees say they’d be motivated to go to the office to socialize with coworkers, and 85% indicated they are motivated by rebuilding team bonds. Additionally, over 73% of employees reported that they would go to the office more frequently if they knew their direct team members or work friends would be there.
Since people are your organization’s most expensive asset, you need to invest in workplace designs that improve the financial value of the intangible assets and inherent value that your people create. The focus going forward should be on making your workplaces matter and measuring its success. The spaces need to foster human connection and generate authentic experiences tailored to your employees and clients alike. It should also be reflective of the purpose, principles, and priorities of your organization and the staff that works there. A well-designed space provides your employees the opportunity to build relationships through personalized experiences, which ultimately strengthens your business.
This shift to a more people-centric workplace is also changing the definition of workplace performance and the organizational outcomes generated within your space are the new office design KPI’s. It involves adopting a combination of strategies including incorporating material advancements, new technologies, improvements in energy efficiency and enhanced environmental quality. Monitoring your office’s air quality, access to natural light and temperature. It also means embracing your employees as people and taking a vested interested in their wellness and providing amenities that support their unique needs. At the same time, creating curated office environments that reduce friction, are flexible, and which offer a fulfilling experience for your team. It should provide something that is unique, memorable, and authentic.
Building that vibrant work culture will likely involve reorganizing or repurposing your workspace to encourage moments and areas for spontaneous connection, learning, and networking. There should be design elements that feel effortlessly scattered throughout that remind everyone of your core values and brand identity. Spaces should incorporate some of the comforts of home and demonstrate that you prioritize your people and are invested in their wellbeing and growth. Remember that what is ‘better than home’ for one person, might mean something entirely different to someone else, so keep a close eye on the pulse of your people. Ultimately, your employees want to return to regain a sense of community and connectedness. Designing spaces that deliver on each of those elements are the foundation for the future of work.
At the end of the day, your office is your sales pitch — for getting people excited to return, for hiring and retention, as well as for prospective clients and customers. Make it impressive!
And if all else fails, “Alexa, set the Nap Box timer for 30 minutes please and queue up the Ecotones in the Tent. This Coffin Chair I have is not as ergonomically sound as I thought. I knew I should have spent the morning working from the Car Sofa. On top of that, I’m exhausted from all the Banh Mi we had for lunch and this morning’s Virtual Golf tournament. BTW, are there still NFL tickets available for this Sunday’s game?” 😉
Rob Kubiak, Wurkwel Ventures, LLC
Rob Kubiak is Director, Research & Analytics for Wurkwel Ventures, LLC, a holding company consisting of a portfolio of businesses that focus on the needs of corporate tenants when expanding, relocating or downsizing their office space. He is a marketing professional with over fifteen years of experience in a variety of facets of marketing, sales, business development and research & analytics. When he’s not expounding on what to expect from the workplace of the future he enjoys consuming copious amounts of HI-CHEW candies and gummy bears while taking continuing educational courses.
