Office Design in 2023

CEO Lizzi Whaley shares what we might see in Office Design this year.

Some years I think the upcoming trends are much the same as last year… This year is fairly similar – however something that caught my attention is that office design is becoming much like retail design. Create a space that will make me want to leave home to experience it – this has been the key drivers for retail for some time. This now applies to Office Design – create a working environment that is commute-worthy.

So what does commute worthy mean? It means that the office experience has to be worth me spending 1-2 hours either in a car or on public transport.

The key trends for 2023; a commute worthy space include:

Health & Wellbeing in the work environment.

This includes the physical, mental and emotional wellbeing of all employees at work. Enhancing the work environment and making these 3 factors a priority assists with job satisfaction, team work, trust, enjoyment, which all lead to retention. Retention is key for any business, especially with recruitment costs. Wellbeing is enhanced through some of the following ways:

• • Ergonomic furniture – making sure your team are physically looked after whilst working
  • Greenery – biophilia (the innate human instinct to connect with nature and other living beings) – green spaces to improve air quality
  • Focusing on a positive and supportive culture
  • Getting natural light to the areas where people spend large amounts of time working
  • Encouraging work life balance and allowing hybrid working from home and at the office balance
  • Ensuring great spaces for people to collaborate and focus

Make the office your social anchor for human connection and interaction.

With hybrid working being so common, there is significant understanding that the office is now the heart and community centre to a business. Some tips to encourage this connection

• Watercoolers / Coffee Machines – install them to allow social interactions and dwell time for people to connect
• Less desks more collaboration spaces to encourage group working
• Create layouts that encourage teams to come together, if your business has multiple floors -ensure there is one lunchroom encouraging movement to a central meeting space

 
Sustainability.

Not just a light touch with recycling bins.
Go deep, really understand what your team knows, what they want and how they can get involved. With many businesses, leaders will need to lead the sustainability journey however the engagement is likely to be high with many individuals aware of the positive impact sustainability has. If you are embarking on an office design sustainability journey, consider the following:

• Aim for Net Carbon Zero or even carbon reduced. Knowledge is power, and even understanding where you are at is a great place
• Engage your team on the sustainability journey, this will inspire from inside with some and will have them encouraged to be part of something bigger
• Consider using upcycled furniture, LED lighting, incorporating planting. Consider ways that you can lower your carbon footprint as a business

Inclusivity & Acceptance.

Have inclusive spaces, speak inclusive language, ensure your people all believe that they belong. This will make your team want to come to the office to be part of a space where they are seen and included. To design inclusive spaces, consider the following:

• Gender Inclusive facilities
• Gender Inclusive values and marketing language
• A DE&I support group that can design and assist with creating space so all can feel a sense of belonging inside the workplace

Technology.

Coming to the office should be better than what I can do at home. This has featured year on year and our understanding of the importance of technology was brought into the forefront when we all immediately had to work from home. This has not changed, in fact now – it needs to be substantially better. No longer is it just a form of communication but it also assists wellbeing and convenience too.

Lizzi Whaley
CEO