ARCHITECTURE

Celebrating Culture and Brand in the Workplace.

In today’s evolving office, many companies will need to manage a blended workforce of remote and on-site staff.

Even before COVID-19, companies were beginning to offer employees more flexibility in how and where they work. The pandemic only has turbocharged the trend – the future of work is here.

Most organizations we’re talking to report that, even after it’s safe to bring their people back into the office, some will continue working remotely at least one day a week. They will need to manage employees occupying an entire ecosystem of spaces including traditional office hubs, homes, and spokes like coworking centers.

The challenge for company leaders will be to sustain their culture and brand across every part of this hybrid workplace while empowering their people with the options they need to succeed.

The good news is that the pandemic has demonstrated that culture isn’t tied to a specific place. It’s more of a mindset that, when nurtured, enables employees to bring to life their company’s brand in their interactions with coworkers, clients, and customers.

IN THE OFFICE

In the last 18 months, employee expectations have changed, work processes have evolved and the purpose of the physical office has transformed. Most companies want to ensure that people will not be returning to the same spaces they vacated. In addition to the expected changes related to accommodating physical distancing (fewer workstations and more open spaces) and instituting new health protocols to prevent infections, it’s now essential to offer people access to experiences and tools they simply can’t get while working remotely. Company executives want to give people reasons to want to be in the office – and choices about how to work when they are there.

The ability to once again interact in person with colleagues and clients is one obvious benefit. As effectively (and remarkably) as people been able to work from home, there is still great value in face-to-face collaboration. We’ve all missed the creativity and collaboration that comes from casual encounters and coffee pot discussions.

The pandemic forced us to adjust to regular video calls in lieu of the audio-only calls of 2019. In turn, single-camera conference rooms and predominantly open-office layouts aren’t conducive to the way we now meet. Technology and space planning strategies will have to adjust accordingly.

In addition to well-planned meeting and private work spaces, companies can entice people with branded environments like social spaces, cafes, high-tech conference rooms,

and curated experiences that build the culture and reinforce the brand. What previously had been “nice to have” amenities have become more like “must haves.” Offices will need a higher percentage of gathering, collaboration, and private meeting rooms moving forward. And because a certain percentage of employees won’t be in that office every day, the brand messaging in these spaces needs to be less nuanced and more direct – and clearly celebrate the organization’s mission and values.

Additional tech tools for people returning to the office can include wayfinding, check-in apps, health-screening apps as well as concierge and desk and conference room booking apps, all of which should be part of how employees and visitors alike experience an organization’s brand and culture.

REMOTE ENGAGEMENT

For people who aren’t in the office, culture and brand must now transcend the physical workplace. As we’ve all seen since March 2020, it’s the individual people working toward common goals – even when doing it from their kitchens or bedrooms – who are the company. And companies who are using at least a partial remote workforce still want to position themselves as great places to work.

Organizations can support the virtual experiences of their people working at home or from remote spokes with the same intentionality they use for the physical experience. Leaders will need to treat all staff equitably and consistently, regardless of where they are working.

From videoconferencing with Zoom or Microsoft Teams (with curated work from home spaces) to using Slack for chatter, a variety of collaboration tools help build camaraderie and maintain culture among remote workers. Frequent communications and virtual events will help them feel engaged.

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A more inclusive virtual work community starts with how we design the office environment. Poor audio technology in conference rooms means remote workers are often unable to hear the full conversation in the room. Existing video technology displays a room full of people, making it hard for virtual participants to read body language or discern who is speaking. These previously minor inconveniences are now major hurdles in ensuring remote workers’ contributions aren’t marginalized with the return to the office.

Technology integration will need to adjust quickly to make virtual participants feel welcome. Video displays in conference rooms could still showcase faces (in person and virtual) in the “Brady Bunch” grid format that people have become all-too-familiar with over the past year. THE RIGHT BALANCE

Though this is far from the end of the office, companies have realized that where people are located – if they want the best and brightest – is no longer relevant. With this influx of remote team members, we can expect greater rigor in how we design for culture, brand, and employee autonomy.

The moment is now. How we define culture is shifting, and companies can capitalize on this moment to strengthen how they convey their identity. As HOK’s interior and experience design teams help organizations prepare to bring some people back into offices, we’re working with them to identify the key elements of their cultures and brands. We then can suggest changes to their physical spaces and remote environments that celebrate these characteristics.

Eric Linebarger Emily Payne Peter Sloan

ABOUT THE AUTHORS

Eric Linebarger is a senior project designer in Kansas City. Emily Payne is a KansasCity-based regional leader of Experience Design. Peter Sloan is director of Interior Design in Kansas City.