Build it and they will come

This sense of choice is opening up new opportunities for firms to work in new ways. In 2022, Airbnb announced that it was allowing people to work from anywhere, including internationally for 90 days of the year. And interestingly, did not specify whether people should work from home or from an office.

Choice appears to be one of the most important factors when it comes to the new era of work. Employees with full autonomy to choose where they work are happier in their job, yet only one in five are currently able to do so, according to Jabra’s 2022 edition of the Hybrid Ways of Working Global Report.

The factor that most impacted engagement, productivity and feeling connected to the company culture is when people like working from the office. Satisfaction with the office leads workers to feel 32 percent more engaged, 29 percent more connected to culture and 27 percent less likely to leave.

In addition, the characteristic of home working that most appealed to people in comparison to the office was having space for focused work.

The upshot is that the problem is not the office per se. It is to do with the experience the office offers to the people who use it and the choices they have about when and how to use it. It’s about the physical space, of course, but only within the context of a working culture that allows people to choose for themselves. Culture eats design for breakfast.

What we can expect from the best firms that seize the opportunity to offer people something better is a new balance between physical and digital space as more of them embrace the full potential of remote and flexible work for the first time.

The most likely outcome of this new era will not be the death of the office, but much better workplaces. These will be integrated into a new system of work which takes place in different times and places depending on people’s needs and those of the organisation.

What does this look like in practice? How have organisations created a great working culture that emphasises choice and empowers people to work in the best way possible?

Case Study: IRI

To stimulate the creativity of employees, the new HQ for forward-thinking market research and data company IRI is an agile workplace that inspires collaboration by offering multiple ways of working that are not ordinarily possible at home. The huddle room is designed to act as an adaptive informal meeting space complete with carefully chosen objects to create a homely yet functional feel. Elsewhere, open plan collaboration areas feature high tables and chairs conducive to team-based assignments while other areas of the floorplan are designed for more formal work, featuring fixed desks and greater privacy.

The variety of spaces facilitates both planned and unplanned interaction. Not only are there spaces to support concentration and in-person collaboration, but the IRI brand is felt throughout the space, with lighting angles and ceiling details which mimic its logo, as well as wall covering designs and wayfinding features that borrow from visual cues in the branding. This helps create a sense of identity and belonging, bringing people together in pursuit of a shared purpose.

The design principles behind these projects shine a light on how the office can claim victory over the home. The level of variety on offer, coupled with a working culture that grants people the freedom to choose while driving a culture that everyone feels part of, tops anything the office’s biggest competitor could hope to offer.

The design principles behind these projects shine a light on how the office can claim victory over the home.