Revolutionize Your Business with 7 Innovative Approaches to Workplace Transformation
As remote work becomes increasingly prevalent due to temporary office closures worldwide, the need for revitalizing workspaces upon the return to normality becomes evident. Large city offices, once standard, are undergoing a transformation, spurred by shifting work attitudes, the rise of freelance culture, and the integration of wellness into workplaces. With work-life balance gaining prominence, employee expectations for their workspace have heightened.
Businesses now have a unique opportunity to elevate their brand experience by ensuring that their workspace aligns with the demands of the modern age. Given the widespread acceptance of flexible and remote work, providing an adaptable workspace solution is crucial, especially when reengaging employees after extended periods of remote work.
A reimagined workspace can contribute to your brand experience in the following ways:
1. Shared Purpose
In the era of experiences, having a clear purpose is paramount. Both your customers and employees want to grasp your values and principles. More than half of global millennials prioritize company values over higher salaries. Therefore, this is an ideal time for your workplace to embody your ethos and serve as a hub for your community.
Virgin Media’s new headquarters, designed around the concept of Social Media, aligns with the brand’s core value of fostering meaningful connections. Immersive portals are integrated throughout the building to connect employees, while each floor features a communal kitchen for staff to socialize and connect. By enabling employees to embrace these core values, Virgin Media strengthens the impact of its brand experience, starting from the top and resonating throughout the organization.
2. Attracting and Retaining Talent
With a significant 71% of the UK workforce contemplating entrepreneurship or freelancing, companies should be concerned about retaining their valuable employees who contribute to the overall brand experience. Maintaining an engaged and motivated workforce is paramount for talent retention.
An appealing workspace can be a game-changer. Nationwide, recognizing the need to attract top digital talent to their Swindon innovation center, opted for a contemporary, industrial-style design to resonate with their target audience. As the competition for the finest talent intensifies, the workplace takes on a heightened significance as a battleground for creating the complete brand experience.
3. Fostering Creativity and Innovation
Investing in your workspace can cultivate a culture of creativity and drive new innovations—crucial for any brand striving to stay relevant and successful in a world where groundbreaking ideas prevail.
Consider Apple’s unrivaled product design expertise, exemplified by its inspirational workspace at One Infinite Loop. It’s no wonder this tech giant consistently leads with pioneering designs. In today’s landscape, where audiences perpetually seek the novel, brands must embrace creativity as a business tool to deliver the most captivating experiences for customers and target audiences.
4. Fostering Collaboration
Workspace design can promote collaborative work patterns, connecting individuals who might not otherwise interact. This fosters creativity and nurtures cross-organizational relationships.
Nationwide’s Swindon workspace features the innovative “Bump Space,” a versatile restaurant area designed to facilitate serendipitous encounters. This open-plan zone transitions from a café to a communal hub for informal meetings, town halls, yoga classes, and all-day dining, allowing employees to work and socialize as they prefer. Cultivating a strong community within your organization greatly impacts your brand experience, and promoting collaboration among employees is pivotal in achieving this.
5. Cultivating an Inclusive Culture
While an aesthetically pleasing workspace is a good start, cultivating a vibrant workplace culture is the glue that binds your organization together and instills pride in employees as part of the experience.
Co-working pioneer Second Home has redefined workplace norms by prioritizing employees and encompassing wellness, cultural enrichment, personal fulfillment, self-optimization, and personal development. Regular yoga and meditation sessions, along with open discussions spanning topics from finance to philosophy and sociology, foster an inclusive environment where employees feel supported. Your work culture distinguishes you and enables employees to fully embrace your brand experience – getting it right yields significant rewards.
6. Client Engagement
Your workspace serves not only your employees but also clients who value transparency in brand behavior and experience. The workplace is evolving from merely ‘back-of-house’ to a ‘brand home,’ a genuine reflection of the brand that beckons audiences to explore further.
Google’s Parisian office exemplifies this concept as a brand home open to select clients. It offers two distinct areas – ‘The Workshop’ for relaxation and ‘L’Atelier’ for conferences, private events, and training. This inviting, residential-style office feels like a private space that fosters expression, creativity, and innovation. Brands that blur the lines between front-of-house and behind-the-scenes enable clients to connect with them on a deeper level and enhance their overall experience.
7. Enhancing Productivity and Efficiency
A UK survey revealed that 20% of office workers feel their workspace hampers their job performance. This concerning statistic underscores the importance of a well-designed work environment in boosting employee productivity and efficiency.
Unilever, a proponent of flexible work arrangements, has tailored its offices to accommodate various work styles. Employees can choose from different spaces – open or enclosed, formal or informal – to support focused independent work or collaborative tasks. This strategy has led to increased employee productivity, translating into greater efficiency and revenue growth – a goal any brand can appreciate.




