BY JEREMY REDING, AIA, LEEP AP, global workplace leader / senior principal, DLR Group

The future of the workplace is here. Flexibility and adaptability are the new standard, but we have moved beyond this baseline to deliver designs that take a unique approach for each company and provide employees with choices of how they work and enjoy their space. By integrating hospitality design to deliver amenity-rich, wellness-focused, state-of-the-art technology offerings, we are evolving the workplace into a true destination to engage employees and meet their needs in a way that can compete with remote working possibilities.

Surpassing the Standard

The standard stagnant corporate office is a thing of the past, replaced by a design for motion and collaboration. In making the workplace a home away from home, unique hospitality-infused amenities reflect the same luxury and convenience employees have come to love while working remotely. Organizations are integrating the hospitality approach to provide their teams with a healthy, happy and fun work environment. The most unique offerings in the market come in the form of leisure spaces, on-site food trucks, tech innovation rooms and podcast rooms to create content on-site.

Productivity-focused spaces allow employees to work in different ways that best complement their work style. Cozy libraries and individual phone-booth-style pods promote quiet work, while multiperson breakout rooms with soft seating accommodate collaborative work. The varying sizes and styles of spaces throughout the office allow employees to venture through the workspace, able to work remotely without leaving the campus. Choice of work venue within the space enhanced with aesthetic touches creates an environment that allows employees to work productively in their own way.

The Wellness Factor

Health and wellness practices shouldn’t take a back seat in the workplace, so employers are prioritizing facilitating their teams’ holistic needs to improve their well-being in and outside of the office. RTG Medical’s new headquarters accomplished this by including fitness options like a yoga studio, basketball court, golf simulator, lakeside kayaks, and a cafe stocked with healthy food options. Access to spa facilities and outdoor activities also connects employees to their surroundings and gives them a reprieve from their workday. Furnished outdoor spaces are easily converted as both workplaces and social areas for company events. Beyond amenities, aesthetic wellness includes the use of natural and sustainable (Red List Free) materials, comfortable lighting, optimal acoustics and active furnishing to provide a healthy and happy work environment.

We Want You to Want to Be Here

Purposeful design, amenities and variation that resonate with employees are crucial to creating an engaging environment and shifting the mindset from the workplace being somewhere you must be to one you want to be at. At DLR Group, it’s our job as designers to understand the unique pulse of each organization’s objective and culture to cultivate a space that meshes with employees and business goals. Building consensus, surveying employees, and integrating ourselves into our clients’ community, engaging with them during planning and design, help us understand how to deliver a space that makes the workplace a true destination.

View Jeremy’s bio here