How to make the office a better place to work
Our clients are frequently drawn to work with us because they realise that their office is either looking or performing in a substandard way. There may be regular complaints about certain aspects such as ‘It is so noisy in the office’ or ‘I can never find a meeting room that suits my time and needs’ through to ‘I have a better working experience at home’. There is so much to navigate in the post pandemic world of office design and strategy and a lot to weigh up in terms of where to spend the money on improvements and indeed is this a ‘move or improve’ moment?
A welcoming entrance space to the office space we designed for our clients Workspace
Through the designer’s eyes
We look at aLOT of office spaces as you can well imagine. Sometimes we are contacted to review and see what we think can be done to improve a space so as we walk around we will automatically be reviewing and considering the following:
What is the welcome like? Whether manned or unmanned those first impressions say an awful lot; is the space warm open and welcoming or cluttered and confusing? Is there somewhere to sit and wait? Is it full of boxes and uncomfortable furniture? Do we connect to the space culture and brand in a positive way in those first few minutes?
Wayfinding? Is it clear where to go and how to get there? Is signage in keeping with the space and brand? What is the tone of voice with this?
Interior Style? Does it look like the space has been considered and thought through? Does it have points of interest? Pleasing furnishings and pops of colour? Does the space connect to the company and culture that works there? Are there moments of joy and surprise along the way? Does it feel like this space is cared for? Are the plants thriving or dying? Does the space inspire?
Spatial flow? Can I move easily around the space and is there a logic to the experience of it? Can I see where I need to go? What are the working areas like are they organised? Are there facilities to support the space and are there enough of them? Were there a variety of useful and usable looking spaces - collaborative areas? Areas to retreat to? Space to create? Space to think?
A bold welcome space for the reception area in the office at Mirrorworks
How are the basics? What were the lighting levels like? Glaring and migraine inducing or did they feel just right so they were hardly noticeable? Were there areas of different lights for different areas? Was it too hot or cold or just right in the office? Was the air fresh or stale? Was it smelly?
Tell all toilets? The office toilets will say alot about your space whether you want to accept that or not! Are they clean and are there enough of them? What are the toilet facilities overall like? Do they look cared for? Has inclusivity been considered here?
We created a beautiful tea-point at trili tech so employees can recharge in a nice environment
Useful meeting rooms? What is the experience of having a meeting here like? Is it comfortable and pleasant? What is the lighting like? Can the tech be operated easily? Are there refreshments at hand? Can I hear people outside or does it feel confidential? Were there options of meeting room type depending on the meeting agenda and content? Does the space fit the needs of the meeting? If people were connecting digitally what was that like? Did it feel seamless or disconnected? Was this meeting room or area impressive?
Good kitchen and cafe facilities? Was it easy to get a cuppa? What was that experience like? Were there lovely teas on offer or was it some freeze dried coffee or nothing!? Did this area feel buzzy with people catching up and having informal conversations? Could you see this area being lively and social for gatherings or was there another area for this? Were the fridges full of a selection of milk or racks of mouldy tupperware!? Did this area feel inclusive and easy to find and access for everyone?
How tidy? What is the storage like throughout Stacks of mess or organised and ordered? What is in the cupboards - do these items need to be there or are they old and dated but no one has bothered to sort them out?! Are there clear areas for coats and personal belongings or coats draped over task chairs near desks? Are there areas of designated team storage? Is there structure around the storage facilities?
How is the ambience? There is a certain ‘je ne sais quoi’ when it comes to this point but there are certain things we are observing; was it deathly and uncomfortably silent or quiet because it needed to be or was there a total lack of atmosphere? How do people interact with each other? Is this warm and friendly or more suitably serious? What is appropriate for this business, is it a Corporate professional company with shabby surroundings and lots of mess? Does this feel like a space that looks after its employees? Does the space demonstrate that it cares?
Space imbalance? Is the reception and meeting room area totally ‘wow’ but the working areas and ‘backstage’ scruffy and unloved? Is there a state of the art client facing cafe with tired badly designed staff teapoints? Is the design democratic or are there an obvious hierarchy to the space with executives in a gorgeous area or floor with everyone else cramped in sad looking working areas?
A good designer will tell you that office space is never just about space - it is about people, the user experience, the visitor experience, the client experience and it is therefore frequently demonstrative of culture and of the care that an organisation has. The overall experience of a workspace helps support and recruit talent and clients alike. What does your office say about you?
We know a thing or 2 about how to improve the overall experience of your office so do get in touch for a no obligation walk around and review of your space.
Author: Emma Morley, Founder and Director
Emma founded Trifle* in 2010 after a career in marketing, event design and production. Frustrated by the fact that only advertising agencies had inspiring spaces she had a desire to make good design the norm for all office workers. Emma has worked across well over 150 interior projects during her career at the helm of Trifle*, she remains passionate about making amazing spaces but also making the industry more accessible, more human and more diverse.