With the decentralization of work, it has been realized that a large portion of employees can work from anywhere, and therefore, many of them do not need to go to the office. But if they don’t need to go, why should they still do it? The answer must be: because they want to. And here is where the discussion on the destination office starts.
An investment for both employees and businesses.
The Covid-19 pandemic and the rise of remote and hybrid work have confirmed a process that was already underway: the transformation of the office. Nowadays, work can be done from multiple locations, which has raised questions about the significance of the office, even though it has long been the quintessential workplace. Today, what is becoming increasingly essential is to offer added value to employees through the office and within the office itself, which is transforming into a place where workers can find experiences and facilities that transforms the workspace into a true destination; from this originates the vision of the destination office, a place that emphasizes community and collaboration as foundational elements and also proves to be a valuable tool in attracting and retaining new talents.
According to Becky Turner, in-house psychologist at Claremont, the destination office “provides employees with a significant dose of company culture and keeps them engaged, motivated, and loyal”: many companies use the creation of unique spaces tailored to their needs and employees as an efficient tool to build their reputation — internationally as well — as a comfortable place to work, which, in turn, positevely influences productivity and competitiveness within the companies.
The term destination office was coined by Claremont in 2020 as a prediction made by observing the changes triggered by the pandemic and remote work: there was an attempt to envision the future, imagining what would convince employees to return to the office once the restrictions imposed by the pandemic were lifted. The destination office was one of the solutions found to bring employees back to the office while also supporting hybrid work. Indeed, when implemented effectively, the destination office becomes a true hub where socialization, culture, belonging, skill development, and idea generation are fostered. For this reason, it was clear from the outset that it would contain a variety of settings that would embody and meet the new needs of the hybrid worker. Claremont has based much of its research on data, finding that 84% of modern workers expect the office to provide an experience to its users;in addition, 23% of office workers argue that having a wider choice of workspaces makes the office more inviting and attractive.
According to Claremont, the destination office consists of a variety of environments ranging from areas dedicated to personal well-being like the Coffee Shop or the Retreat Area, to zones focused on collaboration, as the Co-working or Library. It appears relevant to underline how, for example, the Retreat Area mentioned by Claremont is designed as a highly versatile space within the office, designed to meet workers’ needs for their own well-being: for example, it is suggested to include a welcoming and serene environment dedicated to religious or spiritual practices but also a gym and services for new moms; such an area caters to the diverse needs of employees by providing a space where they can recharge and focus on themselves, contributing to the creation of a balanced working environment..
Particularly interesting from Stella’s perspective is the reasoning dedicated to co-working which offers shared and flexible work areas, entirely designed to support agile work: this area is conceived, by Claremont as well as by Stella, to include a variety of working solutions that leaves nothing out: from team collaboration to individual productivity, the co-working areas are equipped to meet every need of hybrid workers, focusing on providing a flexible and adaptable work environment tailored toincrement productivity and cooperation. We can bring an example relevant to this discussion, such as the new Stella-branded location in Venice, Palazzo Isola Nova, a multifunctional structure , rich with flexible spaces, for a wide range of needs for workers and businesses: from smaller meeting rooms to spaces dedicated to learning and events, Palazzo Isola Nova embraces this logic of destination, to support agile but above all functional work, aimed at fostering a community and mindful of the needs of workers beyond just the work-related component.
Reasons to switch to a destination office
Andrew Carmichael, Senior Director at Cushman & Wakefield, describes the transition to the destination office with the term “hotelification,” which doesn’t mean designing offices as if they were hotels, but designing them “so that employees choose to go there spontaneously“. According to him, hybrid workers choose to go to a workplace reimagined as a destination office for the richnessin connections and relationships that can be triggered in a place that has been studied to satisfy every need, not only from the point of view of work, because the destination office does’t overlook mental and physical weelbeing of users and, in fact, it is designed precisely to allow the coexistence of work and leisure/socialization in a productive balance.
According to Patrick Ames, author and director of Claremont, the reasons to tranform a “standard” office in a destination office are many: we have already mentioned how attracting and retaining talent is an achievable objective through the remodeling of the office and this is also confirmed for Ames as a primary reason in transitioning from a standard type of office to a destination; we’ve also already discussed employee well-being as it’s directly linked to productivity: if you work in a place that not only offers a wide range of areas dedicated to socialization and leisure but also allows individual productivity — in quiet and private areas — but also collaboraztion and teamwork, you’re more likely to feel more comfortable and therefore inclined to work better; as the architect of Palazzo Isola Nova, Daniela Carta, told us,, in a recent interview, places influence the perceptions of the people who inhabit them and therefore their mood.
But the reasons in support of the destination office don’t end here: promoting creativity, innovation, and corporate culture is indeed the central objective of the new type of office. Creativity and innovation in continuous ascent allow companies to stay competitive and are part of the same company culture often talked about , which is the ideal tool to help employees develop a sense of belonging and pride for their company. Finally, Ames does not overlook one last motivation of considerable importance: the transition to the destination office ensures the ability to make the most of the potential of hybrid and agile work and to remain flexible in the face of a continuously changing and evolving work environment.
Some practical suggestions for transitioning to the destination office
The destination office should be functional and, at the same time, inspire its users to work there and to work better than they would remotely: this can be achieved, for example, by incorporating natural light, artistic elements, and green areas into the environments: Stella also finds these elements useful for creating an atmosphere that conveys a sense of comfort and transforms the environment in terms of the perception of those who work there; however, there are other measures and strategies to implement to transition your office into a place that can truly be called a true destination:
1. Define where space and company culture intersect
Asking what is important for your company and your employees, and why, is the foundation for defining the transition strategy to a destination office; the reason being that the office must embody and reflect the values of the company and its culture. Booqued brings as a paradigm in this sense the offices of Google: the US giant has significantly focused on its headquarters, establishing that each destination office branded by Google had to convoy the idea of “googliness”, as they called it on their website, namely the set of values that form their company culture.. The space chosen by a company always speaks about that company, to its employees and beyond, and not leveraging this characteristic to one’s advantage is a loss of value and opportunity.
2. Get inspiration from hospitality
Carmichael means exactly this when he speaks of “hotelification”, e Stella knows that: for some time now, we’ve been studying how to bring together the elements of lounge, reception, concierge and areas dedicated to leisure with elements that belong to the work sphere, and we do this by looking at the world of hospitality as a reference for the former; it’s a matter of user experience: the world of hospitality, specifically with the hotels, has become a top player in building unique experiences to attract and retain customers.. The Hyatt Group, for example, has analyzed the customer experience in its hotels and divided it into seven steps or phases, from the customer’s arrival to departure, considering every moment and place of their stay: social spaces, areas dedicated to food, rooms, activitirs plus services and ultimately events. This research has also served for the realization of The Hyatt Hub, the main headquarters of the group in Chicago: in this context, the only difference in the seven stages of the user experience compared to hotels is represented by the rooms, which have clearly been replaced by offices and work environments. The final result is an “office beyond the office”, which incorporates all the elements and services offered by a hotel to its guests but adapts them to a working context, which therefore appears oriented towards the well-being and satisfaction of employees, which play a fundamental role in increasing productivity and the sense of belonging to the company.
3. Create a comunity and added value
The increase in remote work brought about by the pandemic has eroded the sense of community and belonging in many offices: according to some statistics, by the end of the pandemic, 57% of employees reported having lost their sense of connection with their colleagues. The destination office bases much of its success on building a strong working community, and this reasoning goes beyond the need to pay more attention to the design of socialization spaces: engaging employees in community activities especially in the form of events, can have a strong impact on strengthening the community. But the destination office goes beyond creating community and focusing on employee well-being and deeply reflects on added value offered by a workplace to the work day of its users: : giving back practices, which means returning value to the community, for example, supporting sustainable initiatives makes the office a place full of value. For example, a company may choose to be completely transparent about office emissions and work with users to reduce them.
4. Harnessing technology to the fullest
Technology remains a central element in the destination office, supporting the flexibility and adaptability of the space to individuals. An example is the creation of apps that assist in organization (for example, to know which offices are occupied) or real-time data collection systems to regulate emissions. The guiding principle, however, remains the same: use technology to meet the needs — even variable — of employees and make their work more immediate and enjoyable.
5. Take business centers into consideration
This is a strategy that is especially suitable — but not exclusively — for small and medium-sized enterprises, which, by renting spaces in a business center, such as our new and already mentioned Palazzo Isola Nova, can find all the aforementioned elements in a place tailored to the work well-being (and beyond) and to be as customizable as possible. Business centers allow to save money on the long term to rely on certain services and have them ready for use, without having to rearrange the office to be more flexible or sustainable; once the needs of the company and its employees are understood, the business center can be the best solution to make the most of your budget, support hybrid and flexible work, and also immerse yourself in a community beyond that of your own company and opens up to a considerably broader context: in this way, among the advantages, there is also the concrete possibility of establishing connections and relationships with professionals and sectors different from one’s own..
Tailored to the worker
Craig Sharland, Regional Estates Manager of Shoosmiths, one of the many companies now opting for a destination office, talks about the london headquarters of his company, emphasizing how the space has been designed “with employees in mind”, to fully adapt to them, “because ultimately, they are the ones who bring value to the business”.
At the age of forty, on average, each of us will have lived thirty-six of them indoor with our home and workplace topping the list of places where we spend most of our time. Therefore, focusing on those who work in offices and rethinking the latter. considering the various needs of those who spend their day there, make the destination office the place that offers something more o those who live and use it, something that justifies the journey to the workplace and that is able to take into account and put on the same level both work-related and personal needs.
Employees’ wellbeing has always been the primary goal that the destination office has, initially to respond to the aftermath of the pandemic, but it continues to do so now, in the ever-evolving process of the creation of a workplace that truly caters to the needs of the workers, their job and work experiences.