Expanding The Workplace User Experience
Expanding the workplace user experience is what’s trending ahead for the fate of the office. This has been a huge topic of discussion as we roll out of the pandemic state of mind. The bottom line is, the office is not going anywhere. Flexible work was going on before and will continue, in some industries more than others.
Trending now is how to create that lure for connection that will welcome your team back with gusto. Statistically, people want to return to the office. They miss the collaborative experience and team engagement. As part of the social distancing preparations, there are additional design aspects that can boost the workplace user experience and entice employees back with intention.
Delivering a pristine user experience, one that is preferable to working at home or at a coworking space, will deepen your brand presence in ways you may not have imagined. Even though working from home and working in an office may seem worlds apart, there is a common denominator. And it focuses on how your staff experiences the workplace environment on a daily basis.
Environmental User Experience
The user experience we see trending for the lure back to work is founded in resimercial office design. It’s all about making the workplace a human-centric environment. For a long time, workplace environments were sterile gray blocks of anonymity, with very little flexibility and personalization. At home, you make your office anywhere or anyway you chose. Typically, at work, you are very limited.
One positive from our recent lockdown is that considering employee fulfillment and happiness levels, along with health and wellbeing, is more important than ever in the lure back to the office. Comfort levels and the importance of creative spaces have paved the yellow brick road back to work for forward-thinking office plan design and construction.
Creating a workplace user experience that enables humans to thrive dwells in a space of engagement, empowerment, and fulfillment:
Engagement = ensures staff commitment and company loyalty
Empowerment = provides staff with a sense of being in control of their work and outcomes
Fulfillment = gives individuals the means to take comfort in their working environment.
The Future of Work is Flexible
Clever space planning that creates a meandering flow. Harnessing different styles, such as biophilic design, to set a harmonious, social scene. Creating a unique shared environment that enables people to belong and openly collaborate. Most importantly, creating an environment that encourages your people to want to be a part of this ideal.
Comfortable reception areas that imitate boutique hotels and canteens that resemble hipster cafes started this trend within the last decade. It then proceeded to encompass other amenities like onsite gyms and workout rooms, quiet zones, zen spaces for prayer and reflection, roof gardens that open to indoor gathering spaces including bars and coffee points.
This basic, people-centric concept provides for all anticipated needs while rethinking the environment to entice workers to become a part of it and to want to stay and be present in the space.
Defining Your Brand Ethos
Brand ethos focuses on developing the characteristic spirit of a culture, era, or community manifested in its beliefs and aspirations. Two corporate brands that have been in on the idea of creating this type of branded user experience for quite some time are Airbnb and WeWork.
The Airbnb Environments Philosophy imbibes their Belong Anywhere ethos as a transformative philosophy with the power to change how work gets done. Their environments belong to the cities they serve, offering a variety of amenities and concepts tailored to those surroundings. Resimercial styling provides the ethos within a coworking environment. Their corporate HQ thrives on this concept of the sharing economy. Airbnb hosts employees and guests, creating environments that encourage and exemplify their core values of belonging.
Similarly, WeWork designs creative workspaces that reflect the vibrant surrounding neighborhoods where they reside. Collaborative lounges fuel creative discussion, sleek private offices drive productivity, and comfortable conference rooms are the perfect backdrop for brainstorming sessions. They also provide Rooftop spaces for those who want to work outside. Hallmarked by the ease of access to onsite parking and public transport. There are several themed WeWork environments in the Austin area that you could visit for inspiration.
Summary
Given that the creatives, the communicators, and the thinkers are those who will be dominating our future workspaces, the ethos of creating a workplace experience makes sense. Designing offices for a genre and the multi-generational workforce of the future provides a platform for a multidimensional workspace that can appeal to a variety of hosts. Each one, client or employee, appreciating and savoring the communal experience of the surroundings.
It is well-documented that a freestyle approach has been proven to deepen connectivity and collaboration, while improving the social aspect of the environment – which is, in itself, a great user experience.
If we fully give ourselves over to becoming a people-led workforce, operating from offices fueled, primarily, by the quality of the experience offered to employees, we will ultimately better serve our community and our commercial interests. After all, we collectively have a vested interest in the outcome. Creating a well-crafted user experience in your workplace, while simultaneously meeting individual needs, will secure the future of the office Infinitum.
We hope you have used the downtime to think about your workforce community and what that connection means to your future. Rethinking your workplace design while simultaneously embracing the challenges of social distancing will boost your team morale and give your brand an edge that will certainly secure the future of your work. Our team of designers can guide you in the right direction and keep you informed of what lies ahead for workplace culture.
MEET TERESA ALVAREZ: Teresa is an office furniture specialist who can help your workspace become more in touch with your user experience. With 12 years of experience in the office interiors and office supply business, she can help you find creative solutions for your branded office design. Contact her via email at teresa@officefurniturenow.com or give her a call at 888-910-3769 x139.
