We talk about trends in the workspace sector all the time, but what’s happened to the office landscape in recent years has been nothing less than a seismic shift. In a relatively short period, office buildings have gone from being places where people do things to being places that do things for people. And, in today’s fierce war for talent, being able to offer a workplace environment that employees want to spend time in – one that actually enhances their working life, can give businesses that all-important competitive edge. A big part of this is having the right blend and standard of amenities in place.

The demand for meaningful workplace amenities is being driven by a multitude of factors, each one influencing the way our workplaces evolve. A rise in the number of freelancers and self-employed workers, now accounting for around 15 percent of the working population in the UK, has spurred increased demand for co-working space with shared amenities that support networking and collaboration, the growing appeal of flexible workspace to businesses of all sizes is, again, fueling demand for high-quality shared amenity, as is the continuing influence of the Millennial generation that places an onus on the social aspect of work and the impact of workplace wellbeing – with a healthy office now being an essential aspect of the employee experience.

Successful amenity provision speaks to each of these demands, helping to create workspaces that support businesses in attracting and retaining talent; contributing to their growth. Planned in the right way, workplace amenity can also bond building clusters together, forging vibrant new communities in our towns and cities.

The Wellbeing Factor

Happy, healthy people are the biggest asset to any business. Human beings aren’t just units of production, and workspaces that treat them as such create a battery hen experience where wellbeing suffers and productivity drops. Encouragingly, increasing numbers of employers are recognizing the benefits of having a workspace that supports wellness; a recent survey from the Confederation of British Industry, in partnership with Bupa and HCA Healthcare, found that 63 percent of respondent companies viewed workplace health and wellbeing as an important business issue.

This reflects what we’re hearing from our customer steering groups. They’re telling us that that wellbeing at work is no longer a ‘nice to have’, but a ‘must have’ and they want to be able to offer employees convenient access to high-quality health and fitness amenities. Today’s workforce is more health aware than ever before, and with retirement ages being pushed further and further back, employees expect their employers to take a responsible attitude towards their long-term health and wellbeing. Everyone wants to feel like their employer is looking after them. So we must ensure buildings and developments provide amenities that can really help customers to support employee wellness, from both a physical and mental point of view. This goes far beyond providing the essentials like bike storage and shower facilities, to offering access to things like yoga studios, virtual fitness classes, guided meditation sessions, on-site gyms, astro-turf training areas, holistic therapy pop-ups and chill-out zones.

We’re focused on taking these benefits to as broad a range of customers as possible, so we cluster buildings together and share amenities across them. What we say is that, if you’re part of the Bruntwood community, you can come and enjoy the facilities at any of our other buildings too.