An ideal office space prioritizes employee comfort and wellness for an ideal work environment, including natural lighting, ergonomic furniture and collaborative areas.
A top workplace also encourages productivity with amenities that boost morale, such as healthy snacks and standing desks. Furthermore, its location should allow clients and employees to easily reach it.
1. Location
Offices should offer more than working spaces and meeting areas; they should also feature amenities like a break room and gym to break up long workdays and keep employees healthy and productive throughout their working lives.
Your ideal office space depends entirely on the needs and desires of your company. Sit down and carefully consider your budget, the amount of space required and any optional extras such as parking before making a decision.
Flexibility is often an essential consideration for companies when selecting an office space. Employees with childcare obligations or other commitments that interfere with their daily schedule require flexible workspaces with moveable furniture and various rooms that accommodate these responsibilities. Furthermore, proximity to public transit, restaurants or other establishments will help your employees move about easily during their commutes.
2. Amenities
A great office environment should include amenities that keep employees comfortable and productive, such as standing desks, ergonomic seating, cafe or lounge area with fresh fruit or snacks, or fitness center/onsite gym for increasing employee health and productivity.
With the rise of hybrid work models and flexible scheduling, office spaces have taken on greater significance than ever. A great office experience can foster collaboration while reducing friction to help bring teams closer together in new ways.
Since people spend eight or more hours each day at work, it’s essential that office spaces contain amenities designed to reduce monotony during this time – including bathrooms, kitchens, closets and personal touches such as bathrooms. Furthermore, considering location is also key: whether the location offers access to restaurants, shopping centers or gyms will help break up their daily work routines and make them more pleasant experiences.
3. Technology
Accessing technology at work can enable employees to work from any location at any time, regardless of time zone or distance constraints. This includes having access to hardware, software and collaboration tools which support productivity and collaboration.
When searching for an office space, look for options with up-to-date infrastructure, such as high speed internet and compatible phone systems that work for business telephony. Ask about such amenities when comparing available spaces.
As well as offering cutting-edge services, the best offices prioritize employee wellbeing. Wellness initiatives such as yoga and meditation rooms, healthy food options and air-purifying plants can reduce stress levels and enhance wellbeing in workers. Companies committed to making an impactful difference can further demonstrate this commitment by providing bike storage and public transit access – such as Flatiron Health’s SoHo office which boasts plenty of natural light and features a minimalist design.
4. Flexibility
Teams benefit when given the freedom to select their workspace based on the tasks at hand, since this allows for collaboration as well as quiet working areas or relaxation areas.
Flexible workspaces enable businesses to avoid costly underutilization of space that would otherwise occur with dedicated offices. Be it vacation time, maternity leave or turnover; companies can quickly scale up or down in their flexible workspace without incurring unnecessary expenses.
No matter the workspace type – coworking space, executive suite or private office – the best workspaces will always offer flexibility to meet the needs of your company. This means providing a comfortable and attractive setting with all of the technology your team requires in order to be productive.
5. Culture
Office amenities designed to create a vibrant workplace culture typically include lounge areas, game rooms and other social gathering places like lounges. Lounge areas and game rooms often serve to boost employee morale and foster collaboration among staff members. Younger generations also value third places such as coffee shops or parks outside their work environments – we are seeing more companies creating these kinds of informal workspaces within their buildings or campuses, such as working lobbies with outdoor access for fresh air as well as interior areas open to fresh air for inspiration.
Corus Entertainment boasts one of the most distinctive offices around – often called Toronto’s “smartest building”. Their space accommodates 1100 employees in an innovative collaborative and fun-filled environment complete with five story atrium, three story slide and lounge area located above two tv studios – drawing talent from various industries. Corus’ strong culture has attracted talent across industries.
