Designing workspaces that make staff want to return

Designing spaces to make people want to return

One of the big questions facing companies across all sectors is how to get people back in the office. The office is a major asset for many organisations but as more employees search for flexible working arrangements, businesses want to maximise the use of their offices. While there are multiple ways of attracting staff into the office, creating a dynamic environment that responds to the needs of your staff is an essential foundation for navigating the future workplace.

Attracting staff back to the office must begin with something that’s more than simply a benefit. So traditionally perks like food and drinks have been used to get people into the office. However, this isn’t enough to convince staff to make the commute anymore. With companies trying multiple different methods to get people back in, the requirement for an intelligent, supportive workplace is becoming increasingly valuable. As more companies look to increase the number of days staff spend in the office each week, the responsibility falls on business leaders to ensure their environments are up to scratch and back up their desires to get employees to return to the office.

Why do companies want people back in the office?

There are many reasons why companies want people back in the office but some of the common themes revolve around collaboration, learning and development and community building.

Despite there being many variations of hybrid and flexible working, one thing that companies have struggled with is finding a substitute for in-person work. Even though many companies have successfully navigated a remote-first strategy, there are a lot of companies that are pushing for in-person work for 2-4 days per week. The current trend shows that people are back in the office more often than not and while purpose is important, the way businesses deploy new working policies requires consideration.  Regardless of the motivations, it is important to maintain clear communication and include visibility of the wider vision for the organisation.

Do return to office mandates work?

It is difficult to say that return to office (RTO) mandates don’t work but it is a highly risky strategy that can cause unrest amongst staff. Over the last few years there have been varied results from a number of high-profile businesses that have made executive calls to get their people back in the office for a specified number of days a week. In most cases, the companies that have rolled out RTO mandates have met strong opposition from employees.

Mandates can go wrong and when Lloyd’s Bank implemented a return to office (RTO) mandate, they recorded a direct link between the RTO mandate and a drop in staff engagement. Their internal surveys reported a negative impact on staff satisfaction following the communication which goes to show how sensitive this subject can be. This goes to show how tricky this subject can be to navigate and while each business will deploy their own strategies, office design can play a valuable role in helping staff return to the office while maintaining good engagement levels.

Creating an impactful workplace experience

The term workplace experience has become an integral part of office design in recent years. It refers to the way an office environment feels or rather how it makes employees feel when they’re in the space.

As more people are able to work from home or remotely, the experience of the workplace is now more important than ever. There have been a lot of conversations about creating hospitality settings in the office or making it feel like home but a good workplace experience centers on creating a space that they can’t get anywhere else.

Based on our own experience from our project with Siemens, we’ve seen firsthand that creating a more appealing workspace had a positive impact on staff returning to the staff. They stated that “It has all been positive feedback from board members and board members now visit more frequently because it is a nice space for them to work.”

Instead of focusing on making the office into a cool lounge, prioritise attracting staff back to an office that positively impacts them. This can manifest itself in a number of ways whether it’s about being able to be productive, increase the efficiency of the tasks, be near their team or even something simpler such as having a comfortable desk and chair to work from. Whatever the experience level is that you’re providing, employees need to feel like time in the office is worth the commute because they can’t access that experience anywhere else.

Listen to your employees’ wants

It may sound simple but one of the most tried and tested methods of creating a space staff want to spend time in is by asking them what they want. Some companies have managed to master the process of capturing feedback from employees but for those that don’t know where to start, overreliance on email surveys is not the answer.

People want to feel listened to, and want to know what’s being done with their comments and feedback once they’ve shared it. This a key step in the workplace consultancy process and building focus groups that bring their ideas to the table. Asking for ideas, then explaining how and when they’ll be implemented is a critical part of this.

When we partnered with BOBST, the client engagement piece was at the core of their project. Their office design project was all about improving collaboration which we helped them achieve through a robust engagement programme.

“Our driver was to bring all the staff together as everyone was so spread out across the building. Our technical teams/customer teams needed to collaborate more. We wanted world-class facilities for first-class people. And the result is we have seen a huge difference in the collaboration of people, which is great to see.”

Creating tangible business improvements comes from enhancing the day-to-day experience. With so many ways of redesigning an office space, it is essential to understand where you invest your time and efforts.

Avoid design gimmicks

In the same way that our working practices have evolved drastically, the expectations of a workplace have also changed. In the past, offices have installed features like ping pong tables, beer taps and bean bags which, without the right design rationale, can be seen as gimmicky and unhelpful.

Employees have enjoyed more ‘power’ in the role of the workplace in their working week and office design gimmicks have had their time. The BBC reports that the office culture we used to know is dead and the things that staff actually want are “flexible work, equitable pay and a focus on humanity in the workplace.” In addition to this, the focus on wellbeing, quality materials and purpose-driven spaces are leading the way when it comes to attracting staff back to the office.

The best way for companies to avoid design gimmicks is to focus on curating a high-quality working environment. As many employers embark on a mission to create a great place to work, an over saturation of desks, lack of natural light, insufficient collaboration and meeting spaces are all things that contribute to a poor working environment. Getting the basics right by improving the operational aspect of your office can help to transform the way people work.

Designing optimised spaces

If you are trying to attract staff back into your office, it is likely to be motivated by your business objectives. These objectives are unique to your people and therefore need to respond directly to their needs.

The best way to entice people back to the office is to optimise your office and turn it into an environment that helps people be more effective and efficient in their roles. While there is not necessarily one single correct way of doing this, it’s important you are encouraging staff back into the office with the right incentives.

To help give you a deeper understanding of how your business operates, speak to one of our workplace advisors to learn how you can optimise your environment.