The demand for spaces other than the workstation or the break room has risen since the global pandemic, making third places more common in workplaces in the past few years. Third places provide a space to engage in other activities than work, like conversation or relaxation, which feed the productivity meter. The work styles of Millennials & Gen Z, who currently account for almost 60% of the U.S. workforce, differ from those of past generations. During the last year, Millennials and Gen Z have increased their time socializing and learning in the workplace, suggesting that these generations prioritize bonding with co-workers and expanding their skill set. Creating alternative spaces for workers is paramount for businesses in the coming years.
Employees are seeking companies with a flexible and adaptive mindset that will acknowledge their need for the choice of work location within the office environment. The most in-demand third places are Amenity-Rich Spaces, Collaborative Spaces, Focus Spaces, Recreational Spaces, and Rest Spaces.
Amenity-Rich Spaces
Keep workers happy by creating spaces that cater to their unique needs. Amenity-rich spaces offer hospitality-like benefits, like rooftop terrace views, apps dedicated to employee experience, holistic programs, and wellness areas. According to a Gensler U.S. Workplace Survey from 2022, younger generations prefer amenity-filled spaces that remind them of coffee shops, or boutique hotels. Office workers have a desire for an enhanced ambiance that balances the traditional corporate feel with a laid-back vibe.
By incorporating elements reminiscent of a resort or café, you can effortlessly cultivate a relaxing atmosphere in the workplace. A simple way to evoke the feeling of hospitality is to install commercial furniture that is highly functional for workers’ needs, like ottomans with storage, built-in book nooks, or a writing desk for journaling, akin to one that might be in a hotel room. Another idea would be adding community tables or high tops with charging stations and supplying notebooks and writing utensils. To foster productivity and relaxation, consider adding lounges and common areas featuring dim lighting and residential touches like throw blankets or magazine racks. Such thoughtful amenities will undoubtedly rejuvenate employees’ enthusiasm and efficiency.
Here are some more ways to design Amenity-Rich Spaces:
A workplace survey from 2023, listed the top reasons employees want to return to the workplace as “socializing with colleagues”, “being part of a community” and “sitting with my team”. Designing collaborative spaces where workers can gather to discuss work or home life is essential to the evolving workplace. Collaborative spaces are designed to promote teamwork, innovation, and bonding within the office environment.
The inclusion of stadium seating or group seating will provide an open space for employees to meet and explore new ideas or brainstorm. Modular furniture that can be rearranged can create opportunities for choice in the workplace, which is highly desired according to a recent study. Sitting at a desk and doing solo work all day isn’t the most productive way to complete tasks. Your mind can only focus on a task for 45 minutes at a time, and breaks are necessary to revive your productivity. Long gone are the days of monotonous desk-sitting and feigning work when you lose focus. Professionals need collaborative spaces to unleash their creativity while strengthening the foundation of inner-office relationships.
Here are some tips for designing collaborative spaces:
Partitions to divide ‘Unfocus’ Zones from Focus Zones
Recreational Spaces
The role of the brick-and-mortar workplace has changed since the pandemic and employees are utilizing office space differently now. Companies are blurring the lines between the work-life balance, because, well, isn’t life inclusive of work? No separation is needed. The integration of domestic rituals, like video games and board games, can help stimulate workers and boost productivity.
Differentiate a workplace by creating a game room or recreation room that goes beyond the typical ping pong table. Spaces like these can create a designated area for employees to unwind and relieve stress. The “On-Site Off-Site” mentality is increasingly important to retaining hybrid employees who may be tempted to seek remote work opportunities. Game rooms can provide an escape from the ‘trapped’ feeling that corporate offices have manufactured. Incorporating playful furniture, like hammocks or hanging chairs, can replenish workers’ imaginations and help enhance creativity. Consider commissioning murals by local artists in a recreational space or hosting art classes monthly to improve the work culture of the office.
Here are some other ways you can design Recreational Spaces in the office:
Interestingly enough, U.S. workers cited privacy as a primary reason for wanting to return to the office space. Distractions at home, like children or pets, can drive hybrid workers on-site to seek a safe haven for work. According to a study from the University of California Irvine, it takes the average worker 23 minutes and 15 seconds to refocus on a task once a distraction happens. Limited access to resources is also a huge factor driving employees back to the office; slow residential Wi-Fi connections, small monitor sizes, and lack of quick access to leadership are major reasons that employees would want to return to workplaces. This leads us to another crucial third places in the office – the Focus Space. Focus Spaces are areas in the workplace that promote serene, unbothered workflows. These spaces may have acoustical paneling for reduced sound disturbance or upholstered walls to create a partition for visual privacy.
Companies can improve the privacy-to-openness ratio by creating focus rooms, tech-free zones, libraries, and outdoor workspaces. Commercial furniture, like seating pods, can be used to divide space and create an “island” where workers can seek refuge to escape visual and auditory distractions. Being in these spaces will also act as a social cue to others that solitude is needed.
Here are some more design tips for creating Focus Spaces in a workplace:
Drowsiness is the enemy of productivity. After a few cups of coffee comes the inevitable midday crash and decline in focus. Over 80% of workers experience an afternoon slump at least 3.2 days per week. With staggeringly high reports of workplace sleepiness, companies need to provide solutions to exhaustion. According to studies at the Salk Institute, power naps of 15 to 40 minutes increase brain activity, memory, and happiness (along with a slew of additional benefits). Designing Rest Spaces that offer furniture for relaxing or napping can enhance overall productivity throughout the work week.
As we break away from the traditional corporate office space and create third places that promote productivity and focus, we will continue to advance the future of the workplace. Optimize the employee experience by designing spaces for individual work, collaborative work, recreation, and rest while offering plenty of perks and amenities.
5 Trending Spaces in the Workplace and How To Design For Them
The demand for spaces other than the workstation or the break room has risen since the global pandemic, making third places more common in workplaces in the past few years. Third places provide a space to engage in other activities than work, like conversation or relaxation, which feed the productivity meter. The work styles of Millennials & Gen Z, who currently account for almost 60% of the U.S. workforce, differ from those of past generations. During the last year, Millennials and Gen Z have increased their time socializing and learning in the workplace, suggesting that these generations prioritize bonding with co-workers and expanding their skill set. Creating alternative spaces for workers is paramount for businesses in the coming years.
Employees are seeking companies with a flexible and adaptive mindset that will acknowledge their need for the choice of work location within the office environment. The most in-demand third places are Amenity-Rich Spaces, Collaborative Spaces, Focus Spaces, Recreational Spaces, and Rest Spaces.
Amenity-Rich Spaces
Keep workers happy by creating spaces that cater to their unique needs. Amenity-rich spaces offer hospitality-like benefits, like rooftop terrace views, apps dedicated to employee experience, holistic programs, and wellness areas. According to a Gensler U.S. Workplace Survey from 2022, younger generations prefer amenity-filled spaces that remind them of coffee shops, or boutique hotels. Office workers have a desire for an enhanced ambiance that balances the traditional corporate feel with a laid-back vibe.
By incorporating elements reminiscent of a resort or café, you can effortlessly cultivate a relaxing atmosphere in the workplace. A simple way to evoke the feeling of hospitality is to install commercial furniture that is highly functional for workers’ needs, like ottomans with storage, built-in book nooks, or a writing desk for journaling, akin to one that might be in a hotel room. Another idea would be adding community tables or high tops with charging stations and supplying notebooks and writing utensils. To foster productivity and relaxation, consider adding lounges and common areas featuring dim lighting and residential touches like throw blankets or magazine racks. Such thoughtful amenities will undoubtedly rejuvenate employees’ enthusiasm and efficiency.
Here are some more ways to design Amenity-Rich Spaces:
Collaborative Spaces
A workplace survey from 2023, listed the top reasons employees want to return to the workplace as “socializing with colleagues”, “being part of a community” and “sitting with my team”. Designing collaborative spaces where workers can gather to discuss work or home life is essential to the evolving workplace. Collaborative spaces are designed to promote teamwork, innovation, and bonding within the office environment.
The inclusion of stadium seating or group seating will provide an open space for employees to meet and explore new ideas or brainstorm. Modular furniture that can be rearranged can create opportunities for choice in the workplace, which is highly desired according to a recent study. Sitting at a desk and doing solo work all day isn’t the most productive way to complete tasks. Your mind can only focus on a task for 45 minutes at a time, and breaks are necessary to revive your productivity. Long gone are the days of monotonous desk-sitting and feigning work when you lose focus. Professionals need collaborative spaces to unleash their creativity while strengthening the foundation of inner-office relationships.
Here are some tips for designing collaborative spaces:
Recreational Spaces
The role of the brick-and-mortar workplace has changed since the pandemic and employees are utilizing office space differently now. Companies are blurring the lines between the work-life balance, because, well, isn’t life inclusive of work? No separation is needed. The integration of domestic rituals, like video games and board games, can help stimulate workers and boost productivity.
Differentiate a workplace by creating a game room or recreation room that goes beyond the typical ping pong table. Spaces like these can create a designated area for employees to unwind and relieve stress. The “On-Site Off-Site” mentality is increasingly important to retaining hybrid employees who may be tempted to seek remote work opportunities. Game rooms can provide an escape from the ‘trapped’ feeling that corporate offices have manufactured. Incorporating playful furniture, like hammocks or hanging chairs, can replenish workers’ imaginations and help enhance creativity. Consider commissioning murals by local artists in a recreational space or hosting art classes monthly to improve the work culture of the office.
Here are some other ways you can design Recreational Spaces in the office:
Focus Spaces
Interestingly enough, U.S. workers cited privacy as a primary reason for wanting to return to the office space. Distractions at home, like children or pets, can drive hybrid workers on-site to seek a safe haven for work. According to a study from the University of California Irvine, it takes the average worker 23 minutes and 15 seconds to refocus on a task once a distraction happens. Limited access to resources is also a huge factor driving employees back to the office; slow residential Wi-Fi connections, small monitor sizes, and lack of quick access to leadership are major reasons that employees would want to return to workplaces. This leads us to another crucial third places in the office – the Focus Space. Focus Spaces are areas in the workplace that promote serene, unbothered workflows. These spaces may have acoustical paneling for reduced sound disturbance or upholstered walls to create a partition for visual privacy.
Companies can improve the privacy-to-openness ratio by creating focus rooms, tech-free zones, libraries, and outdoor workspaces. Commercial furniture, like seating pods, can be used to divide space and create an “island” where workers can seek refuge to escape visual and auditory distractions. Being in these spaces will also act as a social cue to others that solitude is needed.
Here are some more design tips for creating Focus Spaces in a workplace:
Rest Spaces
Drowsiness is the enemy of productivity. After a few cups of coffee comes the inevitable midday crash and decline in focus. Over 80% of workers experience an afternoon slump at least 3.2 days per week. With staggeringly high reports of workplace sleepiness, companies need to provide solutions to exhaustion. According to studies at the Salk Institute, power naps of 15 to 40 minutes increase brain activity, memory, and happiness (along with a slew of additional benefits). Designing Rest Spaces that offer furniture for relaxing or napping can enhance overall productivity throughout the work week.
Maximize energy in the office by creating Rest Spaces that cultivate a disruption-free environment where either naps or unwinding can take place. Simply laying down can be beneficial to organ function and mental health, but snoozing is superior. Furnish office spaces with comfortable cots, reclining chairs, or nap pods to encourage taking a breather.
Here are some tips for designing Rest Spaces:
As we break away from the traditional corporate office space and create third places that promote productivity and focus, we will continue to advance the future of the workplace. Optimize the employee experience by designing spaces for individual work, collaborative work, recreation, and rest while offering plenty of perks and amenities.