Many businesses are now looking to design their workplace as a destination office. The destination office is the ideal office which embodies the strengths of an organisation’s culture. Through cleverly thought-out design, it encourages human interaction, collaboration and enhances what the home office lacks.
Why create a destination office?
In the immediate aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent lockdown’s, employers struggled to get staff back into the office. The destination office was therefore conceived in the short-term to encourage staff back into the workplace.
Yet the idea of the destination office is still very prominent. It is a keyway to future-proof your business. Through its creation there are long-term benefits, such as attracting and retaining top-tier talent, fostering company culture, and providing the necessary spaces that facilitate staff productivity.
A destination office is unique to every organisation. Its design is dependent on company values, culture, people, and goals. Yet, the overlining theme which applies to all companies, is the destination office is people-centric and aims to enhance the human experience. To be successful, the destination office must act as a home away from home with better technology, ergonomics, atmosphere, and experience.
How to design a destination office?
Designing for the user:
The idea of the destination office is to put the employees at the heart of the office; therefore, businesses must understand what it is their employees need on an individual level.
Workspaces must be accommodating and match the changing needs of the user. The destination office therefore must create an ecosystem of spaces that cater for different wants and needs. The destination office is designed for flexibility, with agile spaces that facilitate collaboration, creativity, and productivity.
As well as agile spaces, the design of the office should also include spaces for individual work, where staff who need space to concentrate, have a designated quiet area. Furthermore, it is essential that the destination office supports remote workers and by investing in high tech, a seamless collaborative experience can be achieved.
Designing for community:
The destination office must add value to the user. The office provides human connection, and this is a crucial part of the destination office success. Great culture thrives when a company designs an appropriate, engaging, and healthy space for its people. How well an organisation can foster company culture the more likely staff are to come to the office.
Not only should the workspace foster company culture, but a destination office is also a workspace that has purpose, gives back to local community, and supports sustainable practices. Such activities may include fundraising projects, charity events and local employment schemes. Through encouraging these activities, organisation’s make the office more than simply a workspace, they make it a cultural hub.
Designing for health & wellbeing:
The destination office is human-centric, as such the office environment should support employee health and wellbeing. There are many simple design elements that can be incorporated in order to support employee health: regulating temperature, soundproofing, and lighting will ensure the indoor environment is comfortable for staff to work in.
To further encourage staff into the office, the destination office will also need to include amenities that support employee health. Such amenities might include gyms, wellbeing classes, rooftop gardens, and meditation rooms. Through providing these spaces for staff to focus on their health and wellbeing, businesses make the workplace a safe and desirable destination to travel to.
In the new era of work, to create a meaningful workplace that delivers value for the business and the people who work there, the office will need to become a destination.