EPISODE 149 | Guest: Debbie DeWitt, marketing communications manager for Visix
With hybrid work becoming the standard, many offices now feel noticeably emptier. However, there’s growing acknowledgment of the benefits that in-person collaboration brings to fostering innovation and maintaining a cohesive company culture – something that’s often missed in remote settings.
In this episode, we explore how to optimize your workplace to create a more welcoming environment for onsite staff, enhance employee engagement and collaboration, and, perhaps, entice more people to return in person.
- Understand why people want to come into the office (if it’s set up right)
- Discover the benefits to the organization of having more in-office collaboration
- Get 15 tips on how to revamp your workplace to make it more appealing to employees
- Learn about new types of spaces, amenities and technologies
- Hear how even small offices can transform their facility without breaking the budget
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Get more hybrid communications advice in our free Guide to Engaging Remote Employees
Transcript
Derek DeWitt: What with hybrid work having become the norm, offices can feel a little empty some days. And since connection and culture are still very important for employee engagement, we thought we’d talk about some tips on how to repurpose office space to make onsite employees feel more comfortable and maybe even lure a few folks back to the workplace.
To that end, I’m speaking today with Debbie DeWitt. She is the marketing communications manager for Visix. Hi Deb.
Debbie DeWitt: Hi, Derek.
Derek DeWitt: I’d like to thank everybody for listening to this episode of Digital Signage Done Right. I remind you; you can subscribe and review, and you can follow along with a transcript on the Visix website.
So, in the past few years, traditional office landscapes have really undergone kind of a seismic shift. Remote work started really kicking in, became pretty normal, and many organizations adapted to this new way of doing things. But some of them, really, they haven’t done a very good job.
Debbie DeWitt: That’s true. And while remote work offers flexibility and convenience, we all know that, there’s also a growing recognition of the value that being in the office can bring to collaboration, innovation and company culture. You know, some people just miss in-person interactions.
Derek DeWitt: Yeah. I mean, fair enough. You spend 40 hours plus a week with these people, you know, it’d be nice to spend some time with them, you know? And I know some people are really eager to get back to the office, and yet other people are really finding a lot of benefits in remote work. So, I guess my question is, why should people go back to the office if it’s not required?
Debbie DeWitt: Well, like you just said, you’ve spent a lot of time with these people. You may just miss your coworkers. Also, when you have new coworkers, you know, people kind of wanna meet face to face a lot of times.
But I will say this, when people show up to the office, it has to be welcoming, and it has to offer them something that they don’t get out of their home office. So, you know, to really entice employees back, these companies have to reimagine and repurpose their facilities to meet really a whole new set of needs and expectations.
Derek DeWitt: Okay. So, let’s walk through some of the main benefits of repurposing your office spaces.
Debbie DeWitt: Well, the first benefit is really enhanced collaboration, like we said, and innovation. By creating environments that prioritize collaborating and also creativity, you know, companies can foster new idea generation and more innovation in their workforce.
Derek DeWitt: Sure. You know, when people are near one another, you get sort of a, I don’t know, cross-functional collaboration, serendipitous encounters, and there’s just kind of an ad hoc, improvisational feeling sometimes to the workspace, which can be quite pleasant.
Debbie DeWitt: Yeah. It’s kind of hard to quantify sometimes, that benefit of being face-to-face. But there is a benefit, and it depends on what you’re doing, who you’re doing it with.
But, you know, another big benefit is our mantra, employee engagement. You’re gonna improve it if people are face-to-face. ‘Cause a well-designed office that really caters to your employees’ needs and preferences can boost morale and engagement a lot.
Derek DeWitt: You know, obviously when people are supported and they feel comfortable and valued, they’re just gonna be more productive and committed to their tasks. I mean, that’s just kind of a no-brainer.
Debbie DeWitt: Yeah. They’re more committed to their job. They’re more committed to their team, to the company. You know, along those same lines is reinforcing that company culture.
Derek DeWitt: I always think of physical office spaces kind of as tangible manifestations of a company’s culture and values. Or they can be, in the best cases, they should be, you know, instead of just a cubicle farm. Something about the way that it’s organized, the way that it’s laid out, the things that are on offer there should and can support what the company’s really all about. And I’m not just saying like, oh, there are posters saying here’s our mission statement, but I mean, all of it, the layout, the amenities, the decor, everything.
Debbie DeWitt: Absolutely. I mean, you have to design your spaces around that organizational ethos, around your identity, around your culture. You know, it reinforces that identity, and it really brings a sense of belonging to that culture.
Derek DeWitt: Right. So if, like, part of your mission statement is, you know, we connect people, then something about the way that your space is laid out should foster connection.
Debbie DeWitt: Yeah, absolutely. And you know, anyone who’s seen Office Space, that’s like the worst, you know, the cube farm is, it’s very much you look at that and go, that’s not my corporate culture. But you see a place with lounges, with beanbags, with, you know, snacks and other things we’re gonna talk about in this episode; that’s a culture I can get behind.
Derek DeWitt: Yeah, yeah, yeah, for sure. And obviously all of this also leads to, not just attracting talent, but retaining talent. You know, the job market’s competitive, and if you have an attractive office environment, this is a real differentiator and can attract the right people to your company. Because if I’m a potential employee, and I’m faced with two possible jobs, both of whom I think are gonna offer me the position, and one has a decent in-house experience and the other doesn’t, I’m gonna go for the one with a good experience.
Debbie DeWitt: Me, too. Absolutely. And this is really true for Gen Z and even millennials, you know, they started this. And actually, I would take a little credit with Gen X and the tech boom.
Derek DeWitt: Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Debbie DeWitt: Really looking at new kinds of offices. Yeah, all employees are really prioritizing workplace flexibility, agile work, flexible work, all that kind of thing. But when it comes to the space, it’s about flexibility in the space, the amenities on offer, the culture. You know, when you’re evaluating a job opportunity, you’re gonna look at all of those things.
Derek DeWitt: Yeah. Like you said, cubicle farms, fluorescent lighting, you know, plastic plants; you’re not gonna attract top talent, you know, probably.
Debbie DeWitt: Yeah, probably not.
Derek DeWitt: But keep in mind, like you said, with the tech boom, I think some people may have it in their heads that all this really just means, oh, so that means I have to have, you know, a Nerf basketball hoop and, and toys for them to goof off, you know, during work hours, which I don’t really want them to do. That’s not what we’re talking about.
Debbie DeWitt: Well, it is if it’s part of your culture. You know, that’s, that’s what you have to determine.
Derek DeWitt: Right. So, to avoid all the problems that come along with a cubicle farm, we have 15 tips for re-imagining and repurposing office spaces to turn them into a place that people might want to actually be in, you know.
Number one is flexible workstations. What we’re talking about is rethinking the traditional concept of assigned desks. This is where you sit forever. Instead, you can have flexible workstations that can accommodate varying needs and preferences. This could be an office hoteling system where people reserve desks in advance, or workstations or rooms or whatever, ensuring there are always enough spaces for people who choose to come into work on any given day.
Debbie DeWitt: Yeah. And we’ve talked about that in some other episodes in terms of possibly downsizing your space, figuring out how much space you actually need. And, you know, you mentioned office hoteling, but also hot desking. You’re gonna have some people who just walk in and, you know, of course I’m gonna recommend our Choros AR booking platform, see our website.
Derek DeWitt: Which makes hot desking actually very easy.
Debbie DeWitt: It does, it does. And also, I would say having a digital sign, at least one showing who’s in the office and where they’re sitting, can be really helpful. You know, that way if you’re looking for certain people to sit next to, or you just wanna know who’s there today, you know, you can see it right there on the screen, maybe in the lobby, or, you know, somewhere central.
Derek DeWitt: Yeah, sure. I mean, this gets into the whole concept of office neighborhoods, which we’ve written about and talked about before.
Debbie DeWitt: Yeah. And those neighborhoods, I know, I think, you were a teacher, we’ve talked about people tend to pick a desk, even with hot desking or hoteling, they’ll tend to wanna sit in that same space every day. But having some of these tools available might make people mix it up a little more. So, you can maybe sit next to someone you don’t normally sit next to. It’s that cross-pollinization we talked about.
You know, I think a lot of what affects that is what is the actual workstation. You know, you need ergonomic furniture, you need adjustable desks, dual monitors. People need to be able to pick what they need for both, you know, accessibility, comfort and also obviously productivity.
Derek DeWitt: Right, yeah. Whatever preferences they have. Like, I’m a two monitor person, some people are three monitor people. I know in the Visix office, some people are two monitors, but one of them is in portrait. And, you know, like, wow, you prefer that; that would throw me off. But if that’s what you like, that’s what you like.
Debbie DeWitt: Yeah. And that’s becoming a lot more common now, too.
Derek DeWitt: I think one of the reasons in office environments people like the same spot all the time, is they like to store their stuff there. And so, a lot of this is a little bit of a, sort of a mindset shift where you don’t decorate the desk with your pictures and have a bunch of your personal stuff in the drawers. You take everything with you. So each day is kind of potentially a fresh start on things. And that takes a little bit of mental adjustment.
Debbie DeWitt: It definitely does. I think it also takes some research on the company’s part. Like, a lot of people like that same desk because of, like we just said, the tech is set up the way they like it. So, find out what the different tech options are that people are using, and make sure you have desks with that in it. People do like knickknacks, you know? Make sure you have pens, make sure you have squeezy balls, maybe put that Nerf basketball thing here or there. You know, a lot of what people decorate with, you know, most people have their photos on their phone now, it’s not necessarily the photo on the desk anymore. A lot of it is just work tools and/or, you know, relaxation tools. So have some of those.
Derek DeWitt: So, sort of in the direction of this concept of office neighborhoods, what we’re really talking about is tip two, which is collaborative zones. These are specific areas in the office environment that are designed to encourage brainstorming and spontaneous interactions. Now, this could be an open lounge with comfortable seats and, you know, writable surfaces, would be it chalkboards or whiteboards or what have you, or technology equipped conference rooms where people can gather for meetings or impromptu discussions or what have you. But spaces that are like, hey, you know what, eight of us need to have a quick half an hour meeting; we go to that space.
Debbie DeWitt: Yeah. And I’d say have a few and have them for different-sized groups, from two up. A place I used to work, it was so great, just out in the middle of the open floor, they had these little sort of like, school desks, you know, with the little desk that flipped up or down. And it just, it’s just such a different seat from where you normally, where you would normally be sitting, that it was just really fun. And so, a lot of times, you know, you see someone in the hallway or you’re passing at their desk, and you start to have a quick conversation, we’d just move over to those you know?
I would say if you’re gonna have a room for this, or a zone like you said, digital whiteboards, have some interactive displays, you know, get your tech right. But I will say this, if you’re gonna include both in-office and remote employees, you need to get that video conferencing set up well, so that everybody can see if you’re sharing a screen, everybody can hear very well.
But I would say this, like, I would keep these separate from your meeting rooms. You know, it shouldn’t be the same type of space or furniture, ’cause a meeting room, it just has a vibe, and it’s not really necessarily of collaboration and creativity.
Derek DeWitt: Yeah. I always think of meeting rooms as someone’s gonna present something, and then maybe we’ll talk about it.
Debbie DeWitt: We’re gonna talk about why we need to have more meetings.
Derek DeWitt: Yeah, right! Tip number three is sort of, again, piggybacking off this, wellness spaces. What we’re talking about is specific zones dedicated to wellness, to sort of holistic health, if you will.
Debbie DeWitt: Yeah. Employee wellness is a huge topic right now for internal communications and people management, HR, whatever you’re calling it these days. It’s definitely huge in the digital signage area. We have some subscriptions for wellness tips, but this is something everybody’s really into now.
Derek DeWitt: Right. And it’s not necessarily like just putting in a PS5 or an Xbox or something. It could be a quiet room or a meditation room. I mean, if you’re set up for it, even maybe like a relaxation pod of some sort, you know, little places where people can take short breaks to just kinda recharge and refocus. I mean, I know you are not really a napper, you sleep or you’re awake. But like for me, a 20-minute nap can be the difference between having a productive second half of the workday and not.
Debbie DeWitt: Yeah. And I know one thing that works for you, and something that I think would be cool, is have just a single little enclosed space with like classical music, or trip hop or some relaxing sounds, you know, sounds of nature. Don’t do whale songs. Nobody likes whale songs.
Derek DeWitt: Well, if nobody else can hear it, who cares?
Debbie DeWitt: That’s true. You know, have a selection, obviously, but you need to have comfy furniture. Plants add to wellness. It’s just bringing the outside inside is great. Have natural lighting.
One of our clients actually has very cool little quiet rooms. They’re on the corner of their building and they have, like, at least one wall is floor to ceiling window with nature outside, so you’re looking at that, and it’s like a suspended, one of those sort of ratan chairs hanging from the ceiling. And has the foot rest and everything hanging. So, very cool. But, you know, my thing is, if you can get a hammock in there, let’s go.
Derek DeWitt: Yeah. And I think natural lighting is also quite important.
Debbie DeWitt: Yeah.
Derek DeWitt: Part of the whole wellness idea is tip four, fitness facilities, right? You want people to prioritize their health and maybe even incorporate exercise into their daily routine. I mean, I know I spend my whole workday basically sitting at a desk and it gets tiring. And my aging body starts to creak and hurt a little bit.
So, you could have like a gym on site or even just a smaller, like, exercise studio with just a couple of little things, maybe some yoga mats, some maybe some strength training equipment or cardio machines. You don’t have to go crazy and have, you know, a hundred thousand dollars’ worth of gym equipment in there. But a couple of things that everybody or most people might use, not a bad thing to have.
Debbie DeWitt: A lot of it isn’t even the investment in the equipment, but you’re thinking, I have downsized, I don’t have space for that, you know. But I bet there’s one room that people don’t use a lot, or one office that you could put a treadmill in there. One of those, you know, big bouncy balls. A couple of, you know, hand weights would be great.
Derek DeWitt: Right. Stationary bike.
Debbie DeWitt: Yeah. Just one thing that people could book, you know, or go in there and use when they want to. And if you can’t even do that, like, we have some free messages that are just desk stretches. You know, again, use your digital signs to reinforce this of, hey, get up, move around. Have you taken a break? You know, that whole every 20 minutes, stare 20 feet away from your screen.
But you know, another way is you don’t have to organize it all yourself. You could just have like a yoga class a couple times a week, have somebody from the outside come in. Have someone come in and do chair massages, you know? And all of that is back to our subject, which is enticing people back to the office.
Derek DeWitt: Right. I don’t get that at my house!
Debbie DeWitt: Yeah. That certainly might bring people back in if they know that that’s happening.
Derek DeWitt: Yeah, that’s for sure. So, just like you want to have dedicated areas for relaxation and kind of getting your head right and maybe getting a little fitness on, it’s also a good idea to have dedicated focus areas, which is tip five.
Obviously, collaboration’s important, but not everything we do is collaborative. And sometimes I need, I know I do, I need uninterrupted focus and deep work. If I’m writing something and I’m on a roll, I do not want to be disturbed. So, maybe taking a couple of small spaces or even a whole office to include quiet zones or dedicated focus areas that let people really immerse themselves in a distraction-free environment, so that they can concentrate on complex tasks or projects.
And people know that this is this kind of a space. So, when employee A is in it, you don’t bug them unless it’s important. You don’t just pop in and go, hey, so you goin’ to the game? I’m in the quiet zone. I’m in the focus zone. Don’t bug me.
Debbie DeWitt: Yeah. It’s great, especially for people who are doing things like training. You know, they are a trainer. Our software trainers, you know, it used to be you had to put a piece of paper on your door saying, don’t knock, don’t come in.
Derek DeWitt: Shut the heck up.
Debbie DeWitt: Yeah, yeah. And don’t stand outside my door and laugh about what you did this weekend with your buddy. So yeah, these are great. But, you know, and that’s the thing, they usually have like soundproofing. You know, there’s like no phones allowed, which is nice. So, you don’t have to worry about, you know, your coworker’s phone going off in the middle of your video or whatever recording you’re doing. You know, it helps people concentrate.
And I will say, I think this is a huge draw for people who, if they’re working remotely at home, they might have kids and pets and a spouse, and lots of distractions. You know, if you live in a city, you’ve got a lot of traffic noise. And once in a while, say you’re recording a podcast, maybe, you know, Derek DeWitt needs to go into the office to hit that focus area, that quiet zone, so that he can get this done.
Derek DeWitt: Without a police siren or an ambulance going by.
Debbie DeWitt: Right.
Derek DeWitt: Speaking of training, for example, number six, learning and development zones. Why not also invest in the growth of your employees and the development of their skills so they can have a competitive edge? So, you know, repurpose office space to give employees access to opportunities for continuous learning. This could be training rooms with, I don’t know, multimedia capabilities, workshops, seminars, virtual training sessions, what have you. I don’t know. Are people still using CD ROMs? I don’t know if they are. Probably online learning systems.
Debbie DeWitt: Yeah. I think creating a digital library or some resource center where all of your employees can access training materials and education things. You don’t wanna leave your remote employees out, but you can supplement some of that. You know, most courses sometimes have a coursebook and some people are gonna prefer opening that book, cracking that spine, versus reading that PDF on the same monitor that they’re working on all day long. So, I think you can reinforce that within your office space. And, you know, it could be a big benefit to employees, especially if they’re working on like a certification, either getting it or maintaining it.
Derek DeWitt: Right, right. Which of course is just great for the company as well.
Debbie DeWitt: Yeah.
Derek DeWitt: So, you know. Number seven, innovation labs. You know, we went to Noma, the famous restaurant in Copenhagen, and part of their whole setup is that they have these, basically, experimentation labs, fermentation labs, other things where they’re trying to experiment with different food. And it really creates this very, it’s a focus for all of the employees, but also a chance to play and learn, and also find practical applications for those learnings.
So, to get that kind of stuff out of people, you might consider setting up an innovation lab, a space with resources where people can prototype new ideas and experiment. This kind of creates this entrepreneurial, experimentative mindset within the organization. So, these areas would have like tools and equipment and materials that would allow people to prototype and test new concepts or even new products.
Debbie DeWitt: Yeah. And again, this is a nice way to get that cross-department collaboration, you know? You know, yeah, maybe it is your team, you know. Maybe you are working on, I don’t know, software development, doing a new game, a new app, and so it’s just you. But you might also wanna bring in other people for, like you said, if you’ve done a prototype. Maybe you’re, it’s a little market testing within your own company.
This sounds similar to the collaboration zone, but it’s very different because of, like you said, it’s doing physical experiments. And it may not be a chemistry set, but it could just be art boards, a giant whiteboard, something like that.
Derek DeWitt: Right. I think the difference between this and, say, a collaboration zone is, I imagine collaboration zones are, we already have a project or a series of tasks that we’re working on, and we’d like to collaborate to find the best way forward for that. Whereas this is, the end goal is to create something new.
Debbie DeWitt: Yeah. Innovation is just what we say all the time, but it used to be brainstorming. I mean, it could literally be that. This is your brainstorming room also.
Derek DeWitt: Right. Number eight, flexible meetings spaces, which we touched upon briefly earlier. You know, meeting rooms are usually traditionally sort of a one-size-fits-all, and that’s just not how modern people work. And all meetings are not actually the same. Some are more brainstormed; some are a presentation, and everybody shut up and take the information on board and go back to your various departments.
So, because there are different kinds of people and different kinds of meetings, you should have flexible meeting spaces; different sizes, different configurations. This gives people more options, more choice. I mean, you could actually have modular furniture with maybe, like, movable partitions that can be reconfigured to accommodate either small group discussions or large presentations.
Debbie DeWitt: Yeah. I mean, our house is all modular. We made sure things could be moved around to fit our needs. And we did it by living in the space first. And then we built out, you know, the decor, the furniture, all of it. We did it around how is it used most often. I think companies need to do that.
Inconveniently you will find, you have, you know, three people meetings and 30 people meetings; you won’t have that nice gradation. But you can make that space, like you said, with flexible partitions and things like that, you can make that work. You know, do that with your meeting spaces. Find out how people are using them. We talk about all the time, hey, this two-person meeting is booked in a 12-person conference room every Tuesday at three. Get them those little desks.
Derek DeWitt: I mean, it feels weird, too, when you’re in a giant space and there are, like, three of you. And you’re like, oh, my voice is echoing.
You know, when it comes to event spaces, number nine, dynamic event spaces as well. You know, a lot of companies have company-wide meetings, networking sessions, town halls. This is important for keeping everybody up to date, and also building community among all the people. So again, repurposing office spaces to include dynamic event spaces that can, again, for various purposes, accommodate large gatherings. This just helps enhance the company’s ability to host events that are impactful and pleasant to be a part of.
Debbie DeWitt: You define your events. I mean, ideally, as we said, just like the meeting rooms, your event spaces would be reconfigurable. So, you don’t have this giant space sitting empty, you know, all but one day a month.
You know, this is what Visix did. We moved into our new offices, and we’ve got one large room, and it’s usually sort of just a common area. People can work there; people can chill out there. It’s a giant room with a couch. It’s got some arm chairs, it’s got some screens, of course. There’s a ping pong table, a couple of cocktail height, you know, workstations. There’s a whiteboard if you want it. But it all can be moved around. And like, when we have our town hall, we literally just have a closet, a big storage space that we throw the ping pong table in, and we set out a bunch of chairs. And it works great. And it’s this space that is very welcoming and set up for the big meeting, but when it’s not having a big meeting, it’s just as comfortable and just as welcoming.
Derek DeWitt: Since, speaking of ping pong, number 10 is recreational areas, which is different than like a chill out area. A place that allows people to, yeah relax, but also maybe blow off some steam, like a ping pong table or foosball or, like I said, PS5s, gaming consoles, or just some board games or cards or whatever. Just something that allows people to unwind and maybe even socialize with each other. You know, things that require two or more people.
Debbie DeWitt: Yeah. I think the difference in this is that this is dedicated to recreation. I mean, yes, you could repurpose your event space, could be this most of the time, but it’s nice to have a space where this is for no work. And this is like a comfortable lounge. You have couches, beanbags, maybe you’ve got magazines or books, you know. Like you said, you’ve got a PlayStation, or you’ve got, you know, movies people can watch, whatever.
The big thing here is that it’s not just saying, we’re okay with you taking a break. It kind of tells them, if this is your culture, we want you to take breaks. You know, we’re fine with it. And we actually are trying to make this comfortable. Again, I will always say, ask your employees what they want. Don’t just make assumptions and then kit this whole thing out and then find out, well, nobody uses it, or we bought a really uncomfortable, you know, loveseat, you know.
Derek DeWitt: Right. Or I spent all this money sourcing and tracking down a vintage Mrs. Pacman game, and it turns out that nobody wants to play it.
Debbie DeWitt: Nobody does. It’s always about Asteroids.
Derek DeWitt: Oh, right. So, number 11’s not specifically about repurposing office space, but it is about taking advantage of green space. Obviously if you have any outdoor spaces, a garden, a patio, a rooftop terrace, employees have access to natural sunlight, fresh air. But creating outdoor seating areas with tables and chairs and umbrellas that let people also work or socialize, depending on what the weather is, is also a great idea. And if you don’t have access to outdoor spaces, try and simulate it a little bit.
Debbie DeWitt: Yeah. And you know, we’ve been talking about events and meetings. Go outside for those as much as you can. You know, if the weather’s nice, get people outside or, you know, schedule a team building activity when you see the weather’s gonna be incredible. It can really energize whatever you’re working on, whether it’s that brainstorming session or a meeting or a town hall, whatever it is.
I’d say if you have that rooftop lounge or you have some great patio with seating and everything, again, you’re gonna maybe attract some of those remote workers to come into the office. That is our whole point here, luring people back. And you know, you’re gonna want to advertise that in advance as much as possible.
And if you live somewhere like, I don’t know, somewhere like Florida or even Atlanta, Georgia, you can kind of say even our weekly meeting, you know, if it’s a small group, they live locally, nobody objects to coming in.
Don’t mandate it – I don’t like mandates to come in. But you might attract them if they know that I don’t have a park near me, you know, I live in the city or whatever, and they’re like, I don’t really get a lot of green space. It’s really nice to be able to go out there and, and just sit outside and get some work done.
Derek DeWitt: Yeah. That’s absolutely the case. Now, so far, these 11 items have been talking about the physical layout of the facility and the way you can repurpose rooms or zones or what have you. But offering just amenities can also boost employee satisfaction and wellbeing and contribute to that positive work culture and stronger employee engagement, like we’ve said.
Debbie DeWitt: Yeah. And again, amenities can help lure people back to the office. If you’re offering something they don’t have at home. Or quite frankly, if you’re paying for something they don’t want to have to pay for at home, you know, you can get them back in.
Derek DeWitt: Yeah. That’s for sure. So, like, you were talking about outdoor spaces and, and finding ways to get people out there, kind of ties into tip 12, which is onsite dining options. Now, combining that with outdoor spaces; I know once in a while, Visix will have a food truck come in and say, hey, we have some benches outside, which is a small investment, we have an outdoor space, we bought some benches. Now there are places for people to sit and we have a food truck come in and bam, bam, you know. Plus, people get to choose the food truck, and that’s fun. And so, you know, that’s great.
But even if you don’t have that, other kinds of onsite dining options beyond the vending machine not only give convenience, but also again, create this sense of community. It encourages people to share meals and interact with each other socially. You could partner with local food vendors or restaurants to provide catering services.
Or if you’re big enough, you could set up like a cafeteria or a kitchenette where employees can access, you know, freshly prepared meals and snacks. And obviously at really big companies like the Googleplex with Google, I mean, they actually have celebrity chefs who come in, you know. On Wednesday it’s gonna be this guy, and on Thursday it’s gonna be this woman, and that’s, like, a big draw for those people. But you can do this even as small scale as you care to.
Debbie DeWitt: Yeah. And it doesn’t have to be a celebrity chef. Or maybe it’s just, you know, somebody local in your community who’s getting some press, or maybe you’ve got an excellent cook on your staff.
Derek DeWitt: Yeah, I was gonna say, maybe you have a great, someone who just makes the best muffins.
Debbie DeWitt: Yeah. And I mean, you know, it’s always been an office staple that people bring in baked goods and things like that. So, having a place where people can share in that’s great. A free meal is always a great perk for employees and especially for people who are working at home. And maybe they don’t wanna go to the office because of the cost of commuting, you know, that quarter tank of gas, half tank of gas or whatever. Well, if you can offset that by paying for their meals, maybe they’ll come in.
I will say one huge tip here on any dining is to be sure to offer healthy options. Offer options for vegans, vegetarians, gluten-free. You don’t want to have the barbecue with just burgers and steaks and alienate people, because even if the next one you remember to do potato salad or whatever, well they’re not coming back. ‘Cause they came, and they couldn’t eat, and they came all the way to the office. You know, all of this stuff, when you do it, you need to have input. You need to do it right the first time, ’cause what you don’t want to do is have a disappointing experience coming back, where they’re turned off.
Derek DeWitt: Right. Hi, there. We’ve alienated all the vegetarians and vegans in our employee. Sorry!
Debbie DeWitt: Well, to be fair, as long as you advertise, hey, we’ve got, you know, new options this time, then I think you’re gonna get a few people in.
Derek DeWitt: Speaking of food, you know, Americans especially, they’re snackers. And so 13, well-stocked pantries, right? Snacks, beverages, refreshments. Not just coffee. Making sure people have access to fuel throughout the day. Sometimes you’re just feeling a little, a little down and you’re like, hey, you know what I need? I need a candy bar or a donut. Or something healthy. You can have healthy snacks, fresh fruit, granola bars, nuts. Or you can go, you know, full pig out – bunch of candy bars, some donuts, some pastries. Why not?
Debbie DeWitt: All of it. I’m for all of it, I’m a snacker. So, again, I’m gonna brag about Visix here. You know, they have all kinds of snacks sitting around the office. You know, the candy, there’s, oh, their peanut M&Ms are there, so I’m just like, I’m done.
Derek DeWitt: Just eat all those.
Debbie DeWitt: Yeah. There are apples. Who’s gonna touch an apple when there are peanut M&Ms?
Derek DeWitt: Maybe stick some peanut M&Ms in the apple.
Debbie DeWitt: Ooh! Or on the apple, yeah. But they have all kinds of snacks, healthy and the not so healthy, like we said. They also have a lot of different types of drinks in the fridge, which is nice. And you mentioned vending machines. Well, we used to have vending machines, but now it’s all free. You know, it used to be a buck. I know I would spend, you know, 10 bucks a day on Vitamin Waters, but it’s all free.
And I would say this, if you do have vending machines, you’re like, I don’t have space, it’s a small office, I don’t have space for a whole kitchen area or a cafeteria; what if you just made your vending machines free?
Derek DeWitt: Yeah, exactly. So plus, you know, it’s annoying to have to, oh, I have to remember when I go into the office to have ten $1 bills.
Debbie DeWitt: Well, yeah. Nobody carries cash. I mean, if you have a vending machine, I hope it’s taking, you know, Apple Pay and electronic payment.
Derek DeWitt: Yeah, yeah. For sure. Another way to make a space very inviting is tip 14, art installations. Most urban centers have galleries and other art people who curate installations for businesses. So, you can bring these people in. They’ll put up a bunch of art after consulting with you, maybe consulting with the employees as well. And it changes on a regular basis, and it’s actually not that expensive, and it’s kind of a cool thing to do.
Debbie DeWitt: Yeah. We have a friend here who owns an art gallery who does that for companies. I think she switches out their art like once a month.
Derek DeWitt: Once a month. Yeah, that’s exactly right. So, you know, it creates visual interest. It creates variety. These things are conversation starters, not just for employees, but for any visitors who happen to come along. And again, this could be, this could be paintings, this could be sculptures, it could be photography. All stuff that somehow reflects something that’s important to the company, its values, its culture, the industry, what have you.
Debbie DeWitt: At Visix, we have incredible designers, and most designers happen to also be artists, you know? But you might even have some people who, that’s not their job, but that’s their hobby. You could ask employees to do exhibitions of their own art if they feel comfortable, you know. You know, maybe they’ll get a sale out of it. It could be great.
Derek DeWitt: That would be nice. Staying with creativity, our 15th and final tip is offer creative workshops and classes. Again, why not? Not everybody’s gonna be into it, but some people might be like, hey, you know, I’ve always been interested in this. Maybe they get inspired by some of the art that you’re showing in the office. And they think, yeah, I’d like to learn painting or drawing or photography or something. Why not?
If it turns out that your people are interested in this, or enough people are, bring in some experienced instructors from outside, give access to art supplies and art equipment to let people sort of unleash their creativity and experiment with different mediums. I mean, again, how cool would that be? Yeah, I work in this office, we make widgets, but I also learned the basics of photography. How exciting is that? I didn’t learn that at home.
Debbie DeWitt: Yeah. And I mean, you can do these as team building activities as well, or just purely for fun. And here’s the thing, you don’t even have to hire someone in. There are so many websites, if you Google “team building activities”, and some of them require some art supplies and things, and some don’t, you know. Or some you can just use a computer and a projector and do wordplay, things like that. So, I think this is very easy to do. I think you look at your industry, you look at the job roles, you look at your personalities in the office and pull from that.
And yeah, it can be creative, it can be, you know, digital design or like you said painting or a writing class or photography. But I also think what you think of as creativity is different to different people. Coding is creative to a software developer. I mean, right now for creativity, I would offer, hey, come in, we’re gonna go through this. You can even do an online course, but onscreen in the office and have everybody do it together with breakout sessions to talk about things. But I would be offering like, how to use ChatGPT, how to use Gemini? You know, how can this help you?
Derek DeWitt: How do you write prompts?
Debbie DeWitt: Well, yeah, how do you write prompts? How does this help you in your job? But even, like, a Microsoft Excel course for people who want it. Yeah, normally we tell people, here it is, it’s online. Do it. Let your manager know when it’s done. But again, you make it more social, you make it more active, you make it more fun if you bring people together to do that.
Derek DeWitt: Yeah, that’s true. So, there you go, 15 tips to help you reorganize your space and get people wanting to come back into the office. It’s really about building community. And as Jill Perardi said in a previous episode, instead of the thought being, I have to come back into the office, it’s, I get to come back into the office.
Debbie DeWitt: Exactly. I mean, you really have to think about how you repurpose that space in your offices. You wanna encourage social interactions, connections, collaboration. And you have to look at everything that’s in that space, the carpet, the furniture, the lighting. Think about not just what you’re doing and where you’re doing it, but how you’re doing it and how you’re encouraging your people to utilize that space.
Derek DeWitt: Yeah. I mean, at a minimum, you gotta have at least a couple of break rooms where people can have casual conversations. Another idea is, hey, you know what, in this office we’re putting two desks instead of one, because it automatically becomes a kind of a mini-collaboration space.
Debbie DeWitt: Yeah, that’s actually a great idea. On a final promotional note for Visix, I would say if you have digital signage, you need to also look at that. I talked about space and furnishings and all that, but certainly even if it’s not digital, if you’ve got art, if you’ve got posters, but definitely if it’s digital, is it contributing to a welcoming, motivating environment?
Derek DeWitt: Yeah, I think that’s true. I think technology obviously is gonna play a pivotal role in the office experience; it does now and going forward. Repurposing office spaces should involve integrating technological solutions that enhance communication and productivity and efficiency. But make sure you have the right technology for the right room or right subspace.
Debbie DeWitt: Yeah, definitely. And it could take some experimentation. I know as, I keep talking about Visix, but when we moved into our new headquarters, took a little bit to work out the technology for our town halls because we had about half and half, half in the office, half at home, and getting those sound levels right, getting the screen sharing right.
Most importantly, getting the tools in place for people to participate. If you need to raise your hand and you’re in Prague like me, you know, you need to have the technology tools in place that someone can chat or raise their hand or interject and they don’t just get forgotten about because they’re not in the room.
Derek DeWitt: This also may involve a little bit of a mindset shift because the person who’s sort of running, say the town hall, also needs to remember, oh yeah, that’s right, there will be people raising their hands, quote unquote, but they’re not physically present.
Debbie DeWitt: Absolutely true. But I will say since, since the whole point of this podcast is getting people back in the office, it’s better. Be in the office when we have that meeting. That’s how you do that.
Derek DeWitt: Right. If at all possible. Obviously, implementing digital signage and wayfinding systems help employees sort of navigate the office layout and find resources and colleagues. Like you said, hey, at least once in a while, here’s a screen that shows who’s in the office and when they’re here and where they are, and this is what’s going on today. And here’s a map of all the different kinds of spaces we have and, you know, things like this.
Debbie DeWitt: Yeah. We’ve done an episode with Jill Perardi about workplace wayfinding. Wayfinding’s really changing now where it’s about the people in the office as opposed to, you know, someone coming to a large campus and trying to find their way between buildings. So, I’d definitely check that out if you can.
I will say, obviously you need digital signs, and one thing to remember is it’s a good idea to make sure you have consistent communications. We’ve talked about this a lot with hybrid offices, is that, you know, people need to see the same information at the same time across your channels.
But I think one of the ways you lure people back into the office is also having some stuff that’s just for them. I mean, your people at home are probably looking at your digital signage content on a website or on an app, or on Teams. So, when you’ve got those big screens, it looks better, it’s more dynamic, more eye catching. And do some things just for the people in the office. You know, you can have contests just for them.
Again, you don’t want, if you’re having that food truck, let everybody know. I mean, think of it as an advertising campaign. Will this get someone to come in the office? But for those who show up every day, do something a little special for them. There’s nothing wrong with that.
Derek DeWitt: A little goes a long way.
Debbie DeWitt: Yeah. And as always, word of mouth. The people who are in the office talk to people out of the office, and they’re like, hey, it’s really cool. You know, oh, my commute is so much better, we have traffic information in the office. You know, you’re not seeing that at home, but it’s helping me. That’s why I’m here, that extra half an hour to talk to you today.
Derek DeWitt: So, as we navigate the hybrid workplace, companies have a unique opportunity to reimagine and repurpose office space by prioritizing flexibility, collaboration, wellness and community, organizations can create environments that not only lure employees back, but also foster innovation and engagement. And let’s be honest, success.
Well, I’d like to thank my guest today, Debbie DeWitt, she is the marketing communications manager for Visix, for talking with me about this. A ton of good ideas.
Debbie DeWitt: I think so. And yeah, I’ll just say it. I do like working at home and I happen to not live in the same country as my headquarters, but man, I’m jealous. When I’m there I love being in the office.
Derek DeWitt: Yeah, that’s great. Thank you, Debbie, for talking to me. And of course, thank you everybody out there for listening. I remind you again, there is a transcript on the Visix website. Go check it out.