Top 3 Questions From Clients (and our Answers)
The office is no longer built around private offices and assigned seats. First and foremost, it’s a place where people come together to make great things happen.
This blog is all about what our expert Infinity Group team is learning in this quickly changing marketplace. Infinity Group exists to Make Work Beautiful. We help our clients create memorable collaboration spaces people want to spend time in. We share the top three questions our workplace designers are hearing from corporate clients across the country. And of course, we also share our best answers to those questions.
HOW DO I GET MY EMPLOYEES BACK INTO THE OFFICE?
If there is one big question out there for many companies, this is the question. Our Design team answers it more than any other question at the moment. And honestly, this question has layers.
We often invite our clients to consider whether a flexible or hybrid model is sustainable into the future. For many companies it is. And a flexible model must be supported by a few key things. While away from the office, people need access to technology and other team members. While in the office those things are also important. In the office they also need access to heads down rooms for quiet work as well as access to collaboration areas.
Another idea we offer companies to consider building upon what is working. If there are some employees who have returned to working in person, companies could survey those people to understand why. What benefits, amenities, and perks make it worth the commute? Is there a way to lean into any of these things that are working and make them even better.
Companies can also take cues from residential design. The trend is to bring those elements into the commercial workspace. Comfort into the workplace is more important than ever before. This is known as resi-mercial workspace design. You can see an example of this type of project here.
HOW DO I RETAIN GOOD EMPLOYEES?
What’s helpful about this question, and all three questions in the blog for that matter, is that they really work well together. What is true in our answer to the first question also applies here.
And there’s more to consider. If you’ve got good, talented people working for you, congratulations! That’s wonderful. Include these people in your conversations about building culture and any enhancements you’d like to make to the office space. If you give your people a fantastic workspace, if you create a beautiful space, the culture will be created or enhanced by it. A culture of collaboration, teamwork, achievement, and excellence can start with a great place to gather.
HOW DO I RECRUIT GOOD TALENT
The answer to this question also builds on what has been covered so far in this blog. The physical space you offer new employees can also help your chances in this talent market. When you speak with candidates you should clearly share your company’s take on workplace flexibility as well as what your physical office offers. You can also build enthusiasm by inviting candidates in to tour your workspace. And while they’re in the office, give them time with employees at different career stages in the company. A memorable workspace with great natural light, ergonomic chairs, the latest technology, fantastic temperature control, modern building amenities, and a 2022 approach to working from home doesn’t guarantee you’ll get a talented candidate to sign on. But if any of these things are missing, it could be a deal-breaker.
In a proper collaborative environment there are impromptu moments, creative inspiration, water cooler conversations, and literally the genesis of this blog. We wanted to cover the topic of collaboration, so Marketing met with the Design team in our Hartford Studio after lunch to ask which questions they’re fielding most frequently from clients right now.
Do you have your own questions for our Design team? Contact them today.