What is happening to offices in the post-pandemic era?
Creative Supply founder Youri Sawerschel and Frame Magazine’s Tracey Ingram get together for the fifth in a series on space and branding, bringing together insights from Sawerschel’s realm of brand strategy and brand design, and Ingram’s role as editor at large for one of the world’s leading interior-design publications. Here they discuss what companies can do to attract employees back to bricks-and-mortar offices, what the rise of the hub-and-spoke model means for physical and digital workplaces, and why the future office may be a service instead of a place.
Tracey Ingram (TI): As workers become less tethered to their desks, HQs are now competing with everything from cafés and co-working spots to the home, meaning companies have to do more to attract their employees back to physical spaces. Until recently, it was all about creating fun, colourful, attractive workplaces – and everybody seemed to do so, often without questioning whether it fitted their brand or not. As such, the workscape became homogenized. Now, many companies are reassessing what their offices should be, and thinking about what benefits they can offer to outweigh the convenience of working from home.
Youri Sawerschel (YS): What outcomes have you noticed so far in terms of physical workspaces?
TI: Some companies are offering great hospitality options, while others are turning their attention to wellbeing. Working from home isn’t the healthiest option for everyone – particularly those lacking the right tools for the job – so new offices are considering elements like circadian lighting, adaptable workspaces, areas for socializing and down time, and workout facilities. Some are even building wellbeing into the design itself: Adidas and Nike have just completed new spaces in Oregon whose interiors actively encourage employees to move around, which of course ties in with their brands. What do you think offices can do from a branding perspective to maintain their relevance?
TI: I agree. We’ve mainly been talking about offices in central city locations but, considering remote working and widening urban sprawls, have you noticed a recent change in where businesses are locating their HQs?
YI: It’s funny, when you said ‘where’ I immediately thought, are we talking physical or digital? We need to look at both aspects and consider brand indicators across each. Even Slack channels, Zoom and Microsoft Teams are places where employees come together. I’m sure you’ve had the whole Zoom versus Teams discussion. It reminds me a bit of deciding which restaurant to go to for lunch with your colleagues – do we go to Zoom pizza or Microsoft sushi? Everyone has their own preference for whatever reason.
A couple of companies have announced they now have an HQ in the metaverse – J.P. Morgan just launched a lounge on Decentraland, for instance, and of course, there’s Facebook’s big rebranding. I do think we’re quite far away from every co-worker having a headset and logging into the metaverse, though – if it ever happens.
TI: Indeed, the metaverse idea may not be there yet, but I don’t think we can ignore its potential. A while ago I spoke with design studio Space Popular, who do a lot with VR. They said we shouldn’t just think about headsets because the hardware will rapidly change. What about when VR ‘hardware’ is almost imperceptible? As thin as a piece of fabric? Virtual media are becoming more spatial, meaning our environments will eventually be overlaid by digital content. Space Popular explored these ideas in their Venn Room project, which looks at how new devices will allow a virtual visitor to bring aspects of their environment into that of the visitee to create a shared virtual hybrid home. I also recently talked to the global head of design and build at Spotify, who said they’re looking into what digital means for their offices. It will mean something, but it’s too soon to predict its exact impact. For now, they can imagine that their spaces and meetings will become a blend of virtual and reality.
YS: It will certainly be interesting to see how that evolves, especially as we’ll likely see more and more distributed office setups. You might have a mothership somewhere that’s supported by satellite units, which could be anything from a branch office in another part of town or another city to a co-working desk to your living room at home. Even when working at home alone, you can signify your brand with a virtual background.
TI: Yes, the hub-and-spoke model. As you said, the HQ is the hub, and the spokes can be anything from a co-working spot to your home to a digital platform. We’re also seeing some companies push these spokes further out, setting up workplaces in rural areas to cater to those outside cities. And co-working is as distributed as you can get, of course, allowing digital nomads to access different locations around the globe. Even if co-working spaces aren’t extremely central, they still have to be extremely accessible. I think we’ll see more crop up near or in travel hubs like train stations – or even in EV charging stations.
YS: Speaking of co-working, We-Work’s all-access passes already hint at a future iteration of the office as a service rather than a place. To take things further, imagine a subscription-style model that gains employees not only entry to a company’s different headquarters but to certain co-working spaces, too, as well as discounts at specific cafés. Currently there are companies that offer co-working, others that have meeting rooms and another that lets you compare the price of meeting rooms. I think one step after this is to be able to pick the type of place you want but also the services you want to have with it, like gym classes or dry cleaning. This will affect branding as well. When you ask yourself which brands you’re loyal to, are you talking about providers or aggregators? Is it that restaurant, or Uber Eats? This means that branding isn’t completely differentiated because these separate parties rely on each other for their value. No one has managed to own this office-as-a-service space just yet, but it will be a bit of a winner-takes-all situation, just as there are only a few delivery apps or hotel booking sites that can really make it.
What is happening to offices in the post-pandemic era?
What is happening to offices in the post-pandemic era?
Creative Supply founder Youri Sawerschel and Frame Magazine’s Tracey Ingram get together for the fifth in a series on space and branding, bringing together insights from Sawerschel’s realm of brand strategy and brand design, and Ingram’s role as editor at large for one of the world’s leading interior-design publications. Here they discuss what companies can do to attract employees back to bricks-and-mortar offices, what the rise of the hub-and-spoke model means for physical and digital workplaces, and why the future office may be a service instead of a place.
Tracey Ingram (TI): As workers become less tethered to their desks, HQs are now competing with everything from cafés and co-working spots to the home, meaning companies have to do more to attract their employees back to physical spaces. Until recently, it was all about creating fun, colourful, attractive workplaces – and everybody seemed to do so, often without questioning whether it fitted their brand or not. As such, the workscape became homogenized. Now, many companies are reassessing what their offices should be, and thinking about what benefits they can offer to outweigh the convenience of working from home.
Youri Sawerschel (YS): What outcomes have you noticed so far in terms of physical workspaces?
TI: Some companies are offering great hospitality options, while others are turning their attention to wellbeing. Working from home isn’t the healthiest option for everyone – particularly those lacking the right tools for the job – so new offices are considering elements like circadian lighting, adaptable workspaces, areas for socializing and down time, and workout facilities. Some are even building wellbeing into the design itself: Adidas and Nike have just completed new spaces in Oregon whose interiors actively encourage employees to move around, which of course ties in with their brands. What do you think offices can do from a branding perspective to maintain their relevance?
TI: I agree. We’ve mainly been talking about offices in central city locations but, considering remote working and widening urban sprawls, have you noticed a recent change in where businesses are locating their HQs?
YI: It’s funny, when you said ‘where’ I immediately thought, are we talking physical or digital? We need to look at both aspects and consider brand indicators across each. Even Slack channels, Zoom and Microsoft Teams are places where employees come together. I’m sure you’ve had the whole Zoom versus Teams discussion. It reminds me a bit of deciding which restaurant to go to for lunch with your colleagues – do we go to Zoom pizza or Microsoft sushi? Everyone has their own preference for whatever reason.
A couple of companies have announced they now have an HQ in the metaverse – J.P. Morgan just launched a lounge on Decentraland, for instance, and of course, there’s Facebook’s big rebranding. I do think we’re quite far away from every co-worker having a headset and logging into the metaverse, though – if it ever happens.
TI: Indeed, the metaverse idea may not be there yet, but I don’t think we can ignore its potential. A while ago I spoke with design studio Space Popular, who do a lot with VR. They said we shouldn’t just think about headsets because the hardware will rapidly change. What about when VR ‘hardware’ is almost imperceptible? As thin as a piece of fabric? Virtual media are becoming more spatial, meaning our environments will eventually be overlaid by digital content. Space Popular explored these ideas in their Venn Room project, which looks at how new devices will allow a virtual visitor to bring aspects of their environment into that of the visitee to create a shared virtual hybrid home. I also recently talked to the global head of design and build at Spotify, who said they’re looking into what digital means for their offices. It will mean something, but it’s too soon to predict its exact impact. For now, they can imagine that their spaces and meetings will become a blend of virtual and reality.
YS: It will certainly be interesting to see how that evolves, especially as we’ll likely see more and more distributed office setups. You might have a mothership somewhere that’s supported by satellite units, which could be anything from a branch office in another part of town or another city to a co-working desk to your living room at home. Even when working at home alone, you can signify your brand with a virtual background.
TI: Yes, the hub-and-spoke model. As you said, the HQ is the hub, and the spokes can be anything from a co-working spot to your home to a digital platform. We’re also seeing some companies push these spokes further out, setting up workplaces in rural areas to cater to those outside cities. And co-working is as distributed as you can get, of course, allowing digital nomads to access different locations around the globe. Even if co-working spaces aren’t extremely central, they still have to be extremely accessible. I think we’ll see more crop up near or in travel hubs like train stations – or even in EV charging stations.
YS: Speaking of co-working, We-Work’s all-access passes already hint at a future iteration of the office as a service rather than a place. To take things further, imagine a subscription-style model that gains employees not only entry to a company’s different headquarters but to certain co-working spaces, too, as well as discounts at specific cafés. Currently there are companies that offer co-working, others that have meeting rooms and another that lets you compare the price of meeting rooms. I think one step after this is to be able to pick the type of place you want but also the services you want to have with it, like gym classes or dry cleaning. This will affect branding as well. When you ask yourself which brands you’re loyal to, are you talking about providers or aggregators? Is it that restaurant, or Uber Eats? This means that branding isn’t completely differentiated because these separate parties rely on each other for their value. No one has managed to own this office-as-a-service space just yet, but it will be a bit of a winner-takes-all situation, just as there are only a few delivery apps or hotel booking sites that can really make it.
DownloadWhat is happening to offices in the post-pandemic era?
Tracey Ingram (TI): As workers become less tethered to their desks, HQs are now competing with everything from cafés and co-working spots to the home, meaning companies have to do more to attract their employees back to physical spaces. Until recently, it was all about creating fun, colourful, attractive workplaces – and everybody seemed to do so, often without questioning whether it fitted their brand or not. As such, the workscape became homogenized. Now, many companies are reassessing what their offices should be, and thinking about what benefits they can offer to outweigh the convenience of working from home.
Youri Sawerschel (YS): What outcomes have you noticed so far in terms of physical workspaces?
TI: Some companies are offering great hospitality options, while others are turning their attention to wellbeing. Working from home isn’t the healthiest option for everyone – particularly those lacking the right tools for the job – so new offices are considering elements like circadian lighting, adaptable workspaces, areas for socializing and down time, and workout facilities. Some are even building wellbeing into the design itself: Adidas and Nike have just completed new spaces in Oregon whose interiors actively encourage employees to move around, which of course ties in with their brands. What do you think offices can do from a branding perspective to maintain their relevance?
TI: I agree. We’ve mainly been talking about offices in central city locations but, considering remote working and widening urban sprawls, have you noticed a recent change in where businesses are locating their HQs?
YI: It’s funny, when you said ‘where’ I immediately thought, are we talking physical or digital? We need to look at both aspects and consider brand indicators across each. Even Slack channels, Zoom and Microsoft Teams are places where employees come together. I’m sure you’ve had the whole Zoom versus Teams discussion. It reminds me a bit of deciding which restaurant to go to for lunch with your colleagues – do we go to Zoom pizza or Microsoft sushi? Everyone has their own preference for whatever reason.
A couple of companies have announced they now have an HQ in the metaverse – J.P. Morgan just launched a lounge on Decentraland, for instance, and of course, there’s Facebook’s big rebranding. I do think we’re quite far away from every co-worker having a headset and logging into the metaverse, though – if it ever happens.
TI: Indeed, the metaverse idea may not be there yet, but I don’t think we can ignore its potential. A while ago I spoke with design studio Space Popular, who do a lot with VR. They said we shouldn’t just think about headsets because the hardware will rapidly change. What about when VR ‘hardware’ is almost imperceptible? As thin as a piece of fabric? Virtual media are becoming more spatial, meaning our environments will eventually be overlaid by digital content. Space Popular explored these ideas in their Venn Room project, which looks at how new devices will allow a virtual visitor to bring aspects of their environment into that of the visitee to create a shared virtual hybrid home. I also recently talked to the global head of design and build at Spotify, who said they’re looking into what digital means for their offices. It will mean something, but it’s too soon to predict its exact impact. For now, they can imagine that their spaces and meetings will become a blend of virtual and reality.
YS: It will certainly be interesting to see how that evolves, especially as we’ll likely see more and more distributed office setups. You might have a mothership somewhere that’s supported by satellite units, which could be anything from a branch office in another part of town or another city to a co-working desk to your living room at home. Even when working at home alone, you can signify your brand with a virtual background.
TI: Yes, the hub-and-spoke model. As you said, the HQ is the hub, and the spokes can be anything from a co-working spot to your home to a digital platform. We’re also seeing some companies push these spokes further out, setting up workplaces in rural areas to cater to those outside cities. And co-working is as distributed as you can get, of course, allowing digital nomads to access different locations around the globe. Even if co-working spaces aren’t extremely central, they still have to be extremely accessible. I think we’ll see more crop up near or in travel hubs like train stations – or even in EV charging stations.
YS: Speaking of co-working, We-Work’s all-access passes already hint at a future iteration of the office as a service rather than a place. To take things further, imagine a subscription-style model that gains employees not only entry to a company’s different headquarters but to certain co-working spaces, too, as well as discounts at specific cafés. Currently there are companies that offer co-working, others that have meeting rooms and another that lets you compare the price of meeting rooms. I think one step after this is to be able to pick the type of place you want but also the services you want to have with it, like gym classes or dry cleaning. This will affect branding as well. When you ask yourself which brands you’re loyal to, are you talking about providers or aggregators? Is it that restaurant, or Uber Eats? This means that branding isn’t completely differentiated because these separate parties rely on each other for their value. No one has managed to own this office-as-a-service space just yet, but it will be a bit of a winner-takes-all situation, just as there are only a few delivery apps or hotel booking sites that can really make it.
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