Workplace Design as a customer experience

We have spent a lot of time navigating what will be next for the Workplace sector and what the Office of the future will look like. Whilst there is a lot of speculation on this topic, what we do know is there opportunity to sculpt and mould our spaces to really work for us and the companies our spaces represent.

The future of the office is all about creating hybrid. Workplace leaders will continue to debate the ideal balance between remote and office-based working for some time to come, but hybrid working is a good balance for many. In particular, it offers organisations the opportunity to streamline their corporate real estate portfolios and focus on agile workplace design whilst responding and reacting to what our team want from a work life balance perspective.

Well-designed workplaces are more important now than ever. Uninspiring, poorly designed workplaces will not incentivise staff to take on the time and cost of a commute as they offer little above remote working. Offices that do not provide space for collaborative work or quiet focus are no more appealing than working from home, particularly when the population has become far more health and hygiene conscious. So how else can we encourage our teams back to our spaces and reconnect not only with their team mates but with the company they represent? 

We need to think about the workplace in a new way. The workforce has options as to where and how to work, so the office must be an attractive offering. While there is a history of research in workplace design to draw from, a new approach is needed. The office has been an essential feature for potential employees and clients. But now, the office must sell itself to encourage employees to spend more time together and collaborate more effectively. What precedence can we learn from in selling the workplace to our employees? Coming from a strong background in Retail design, I look at our workspaces as the 'shop window' for the company. It is the first impression new aspiting talent have of the company so it must portray that through every touch point. We must excite, educate & and create an experience.

The hospitality and retail sectors rely on creating spaces in which encourage customers to increase their dwell time. The hospitality industry sells an experience and the ambience created through both design and front of house sit at its heart. We never just remember the food from a memorable dining experience, more often than not it was about who you spent it with, what discussions you had an how the ambience of the space felt which bought the whole experience together. On the other hand, retailers rely upon a more subtle design that encourages customers to increase their ‘dwell time’ within a shop so as that to notice more, interact with stock with and learn about the brand throughout their journey, encouraging them to become a fan. 

Falling in love with the office

It might sound like hyperbole to suggest that staff could love returning to the office. But after a year of isolation - the same people and the same rooms - spending time in beautiful and inspiring places can transform your staff’s mood and productivity.

People fall in love with brands and build strong loyalty when they feel they have connected with them. It might be an organisation’s ethics that draw customers in, but often it is the little extras. Whether offering a service or product, organisations are selling their culture from the moment a customer steps through the doors. The same should be the case in the workplace. Employees and potential employees should feel comfortable using their space in an agile way, finding areas that suit their working style. The workplace should represent company culture and help individuals to feel part of a larger team. I always use the example of a workplace acting and performing a little like a retail pop up store. They are often brands we discover unexpectantly and during our first encounter of meeting such brands, we fall in love with them because within a small space they need to portray who they are, what they are selling and what their values are. They offer experience and uniqness that leaves customers wanting more, often following up with an online purchase. The transaction rarely happens here, but this is where the loyalty and fan base is created. HQ's should mirror some of these qualities, becoming the Hub of the brand, a space which absolutely makes us want to become a fan.

Individual experience must be at the core of workplace design. It might seem obvious but too often, it is an element that is overlooked in favour of cost or practicality. Of course, good design does not demand sacrificing any of these elements.

It is an exciting time to be in the workplace design sector because the pandemic has accelerated workplace transformations. Organisations are increasingly recognising that workplaces can only offer value if they are used effectively.