Today’s workplace is so much more than an environment in which to work. It’s a tool that can drive organizational change, improve performance and productivity, bolster employee engagement and attract, retain and motivate talent. It’s also a strategic asset that can communicate corporate mission, branding and cultural messaging.
Such a broad agenda makes the job of planning for tomorrow’s workplace that much more complex for designers who are charged with balancing business and real estate needs while creating solutions that align with corporate mission and deliver competitive advantage.
Recently Knoll hosted members of ONE Global Design, a consortium of owner-led interior design firms in the U.S., Canada and Mexico, to discuss some of the challenges they were experiencing, trends observed and current and future design needs of their corporate clients.
Leveraging the broad geographic diversity and deep expertise of the ONE Global Design network, our discussion goals were to better understand the changing nature of work, especially the global escalation of group-based work, shared-unassigned workspaces and how organizations are planning and allocating space and using furniture to support new ever-more casual workstyles.
Casual and Tech-Influenced are the New Normal
“Everyone wants to be cool,” was the general consensus about corporate clients today.
Aesthetics are strongly influenced by clients’ desire to model technology companies, an industry that many clients relate to. That identity, combined with a continued shift to groupbased workstyles and casual work environments, has given rise to a preference for a more hip design sensibility.
Even traditional legacy companies increasingly view themselves in a more modern context, and want their space to reflect that ambiance, even if they can’t quite articulate it. “We just did an insurance company that decided to call themselves a technology company. Everybody is a technology company now. They came to us and said, ‘We want an innovation center. We need a garage, a digital garage. What is that?’ They had no idea,” one designer recalled.
The Anti-Office Office
Today’s workplace is looking less and less like an office and more like a home or hotel, designers related.
Several reasons for the shift:
- The need to appeal to new and existing talent
- A more design-conscious employee base informed by consumer retailers like Target who “bring high design to the masses”
- A desire to not look like a traditional office
- Greater expectations for memorable experiences from clients and employees
- Fewer and smaller workstations, freeing up space for more and larger common areas
- A disappearing need for bulky bookshelves and file cabinets
Seeking a more informal aesthetic that encourages collaboration, and inspired by the hospitality industry, designers are bringing a more casual vibe to workspaces in numerous ways.
- Greater focus on amenities that elevate the basic musthaves – technology and coffee – to new levels of choice and access
- Incorporating a welcoming overlay, with bar-like settings and communal spaces for casual gatherings
- Bike parking and corresponding end-of-stay rooms with showers and changing areas.
The influence of the technology industry on office design cannot be underestimated, attendees noted. “Employers are lavishing amenities and providing a level of furnishings and services not only to visitors, but also to their staff.”
Five Drivers in Workplace Design
Five primary influences were identified as informing workplace design:
1. Shape organization culture
Workspaces are instrumental in articulating and expressing company culture.
2. Attract and retain talent
Spaces are not only where clients and consultants come together, they also function as event space for on-site job fairs and presentations.
3. Foster innovation
From the top down, every organization is under pressure to continually innovate to gain or maintain competitive advantage.
4. Right-size real estate
Virtually all companies are seeking to optimize their real estate.
5. Reduce silos
Despite widespread adoption of open, collaborative office environments and a growing effort to flatten organizations, many firms still struggle with getting employees to connect outside their immediate department.