Our top tips for bringing your work space back to life…

Firstly, let’s start with the facts. A recent survey of 800 company leaders, undertaken by workplace platform Envoy, showed just how much the pandemic had altered staff’s approach to the workplace. According to Envoy: 

• 88% of companies are incentivising workers back on site.

• 77% of companies have adopted a hybrid office/home working model

• 61% of businesses are making changes to the physical workspace

• 5% have no office attendance policy

Own a business and starting to panic? There’s no need! As with all change, there is immense opportunity. Read on as we use our experience in the corporate events industry to showcase 5 new work space opportunities. 

1 - Create a compelling space.

If there’s one thing that the comforts of home working cannot replace, it’s the buzz of the team. Indeed the ‘Zoom boom’ actually showed us how valuable it is to get face to face - even when at home (even if Gary from accounts never quite figured out how to turn the web cam off). Those all important water cooler conversations and shared experiences cannot be replicated at home, so how can we remind our colleagues of this? 

Create breakout spaces - take away the office vs home debate by making your workplace a hub for your team to interact and socialise in. Gone are the days of a pizza Friday being enough to unite the team, innovate your spaces with input from the team. Whether that be letting the team release some pent up energy around the table tennis table or providing privacy pods for when the hustle and bustle of the office becomes too much. 

2. Create a calendar.

If working from home during the pandemic did one thing it was break the cycle. Let’s face it, working the 9-5, 5 days a week , 52 weeks of the year, can become monotonous but only if you let it!

Give your team reasons to look forward to coming to the office, other than necessity, with a calendar of events. Mondays always a struggle? Why not give your team something to look forward to with a coffee morning brainstorm to start the week. We’re not saying every week needs to be a party, but it’s vital to give your team things to look forward to - if these can be tied in to office attendance then all the better!

3. Get them out of the office.

Ok, we admit this one might seem contrary to the title but hear us out. Returning to the office after 2 years of workspace freedom (ironically) can be daunting, so why sacrifice your teams sense of ‘freedom’ when you don’t have to.

Whether it be team outings, communal lunches or a hybrid remote/office model, it’s increasingly important to freshen up your teams surroundings. From planning larger scale events (based on success) to simple things, such as team lunch outings, it’s apparent that to keep our teams united we must be flexible and not fight against the trend but embrace it. 

4. Reward the body and mind.

Identified as one of the biggest benefits of home work was the flexibility to have work fit around your lifestyle and the use of home comforts. The expense of travel and food, and the time saved on this cannot be replicated in the workplace…but that doesn’t mean your work place shouldn’t try.

Ross Kernez of Clear Match Medicare explains “Our directors had a hard time getting people into the office. Staff had gotten so used to working from the safety of their homes that they no longer wanted the added headache and complexities of traveling into the city and working from the office.Our directors decided to take action. They introduced a free lunch program and asked HR to book the staff a different type of food truck for each day of the week.”

Kernez said, “One day it could be pizza made fresh in the food truck, one day it could be a green food truck serving salads, smoothies, and fresh juices. Sometimes a few hours after lunch an ice cream truck would turn up or a doughnut truck. Thursdays became happy hour days and a tab at the local bar was arranged.

He concluded that “When word of this spread, people started flocking to the office…”

In summary, if the pandemic taught us anything, it’s that the work life balance must re adjust. The good news? The change should be looked at as a positive, smart businesses have the opportunity to create workspaces that thrive on connectivity and innovation, in tern creating a sense of community, loyalty and productivity. 

Planning an event to welcome your team back to the workplace? Take a look through our portfolio of world class events on - 

Renovating your workspace or looking for a food truck? Look no further than our sister company www.innovativehire.co.uk