What could your office do to improve your working day?

[Biancadelriosback]

I've recently been given an office building to run. I have some relevant experience however it's always been as part of a brand with brand standards. Now I actually have freedom to do things. So I'm looking for some inspiration.
The building will be occupied by different companies and will be premium. So I'm looking at things like free networking events, high-end tea and coffee facilities, free fresh fruit etc so yeah! Just after some ideas :)

A friendly receptionist who will take in plants
Enough crockery and a sharp knife or two.
Not running out of milk.
Comfortable break out rooms.
Recycling and secure paper disposal.
A clean microwave.
Yes to plants - they're good for air quality.
No to dogs - we have them sometimes in our office, and the couple of people who are terrified of dogs are always being challenged or teased about it. No-one should be forced to justify their fears and anxieties to a random colleague.
Enough space around your desk.
Access to heating controls.
Being able to open your window.
Comfortable break out rooms, somewhere to eat your lunch away from your desk with daily newspapers.
The odd cake/ice lolly run.
A friendly and respectful culture where everyone is treated well from the cleaner up to the MD and everyone in between!

I have a reasonably nice office but the things that need fixing are adequate meeting rooms and desks, the basics! Meeting rooms with a VC are really difficult to find at the moment and it’s become a bit of a Hunger Games getting them booked. Even just small rooms with a phone and big screens are hard to come by! I can use my laptop for a one to one meeting on Skype but the quality isn’t as good as VC or Spiderphone unit.

Decent WiFi and reception - our WiFi is awful and logs you out all the time, and phone reception is really bad for mobiles so I leave work and get a ton of notifications

Our building recently started this ‘portal’ thing with giveaways, discounts and events etc. It’s nice and all but when several team members aren’t able to sit with their team due to capacity and hot desking it doesn’t really help.

I do love our new social spaces though - the decoration is a bit like being in the Big Brother house but it works, and lots of plants to cheer people up casual booths and sofas for informal meetings too.

I think standing desks are a really good idea, and more and more used, but perhaps you could have them more as an area with a high desk surface at which you can go and stand to read some documents or work at a laptop/iPad, rather than fully set-up adjustable desks for everyone.

Dogs would be awful, I am allegic and they smell and the owners would continually be slacking off to feed and walk and pat and chat to them. Eugh.

Foot stools (the under desk ergonomic ones) for people with dodgy backs. They are like gold dust at our office.

Some kind of memo board - either physical or digital - where people can put notes about flatshares/lost car keys/totally non work related stuff.

We have

A tap that produces boiling water, still and sparkling cold water; it's invaluable

Tea, fresh coffee (which is kept fresh by the cleaner), coke, diet coke, white and brown bread for toast, butter and lots of spreads all free

Breakfast provided the morning after work social evenings (we have many)

A free gym onsite

Regular cakes and treats

One thing that would make it perfect (for me anyway, am aware im in the minority) DOGS lots and lots of DOGS

Plenty of plug sockets - some buildings have surprisingly few, or have them in awkward places.

WiFi that works everywhere, and which guests can easily connect to.

Someone available at all times to fix IT issues, and a cleaner/caretaker on hand all day too.

Good cycling support -showers and secure parking.

I would LOVE a building with a crèche (even just a small one). I'd be happy to pay the usual crèche rates, wouldn't be expecting it free or anything.

Some outside space if possible.

Those are just off the top of my head, with no idea how big your building is!

But find a way to stop people nicking the fruit, milk and filling up empty hand wash bottles with your expensive brands. That is what some people will do.

More plants.
Also fruit and snacks.

Enough booths so that if people need a quiet space they can get away from open plan

Different places to meet - so a more informal sofa area is nice

Fruit drops are great

In our office there are showers and a locker room to encourage cycling to work/running etc, but there's nowhere to store wet cycling gear or wet towels except the old fashioned school type of solid metal lockers - nothing can dry in there. The only alternative is to bring your wet gear into the officer proper and hang it off a coat hook next to your desk - gross, no one wants that. So when it rains on the way in to work, my clothes are just as wet when I come to put them on in the afternoon. I'd love a drying room or at least an airer/clothesline across the locker room we could use to dry stuff on.

I would fucking hate a dog in the office.

Second quiet working spaces, very important if the office is open plan.

Actual kettles. Those hot water taps are shit.

Ice makers too!

Local sandwich company to visit daily with a variety of lunches for people to purchase

No open plan, no dogs, no strip lighting.

Proper space to eat away from your desk
Privacy and quiet to be able to make a phone call or have a conversation with someone that doesn’t involve booking a meeting room

Decent disabled access including parking spaces even if it’s a drop off zone or similar.

@Violetroselily

Workplace assessments we do ourselves and are online, I've done it. No feedback.
I've only been here a few weeks and am on a fixed term so don't like to cause problems.
But the bigger issue is that no, no-one has a fixed desk in our team except the exec director and the PAs.
I travel between four different sites and, as such, I don't even have access to a locker and have to carry so much stuff to work every day, I can't add a mouse on top (let alone a footrest). I can barely carry what I have (laptop, lead, umbrella, pad/pen, water bottle, tea cup, lunch, teabags, then handbag with purse, two phones, fold up bag, kindle, train tickets, keys etc) and today I am meeting a friend who I am giving a book to so am lugging that around as well. Can't (well, could but so annoying) use a wheely case really on the train and tube in rush hour (OK for the sites with parking - that's none!).

Grrrr.

@sillywitch
I work in nice plush London offices and we recently got a microwave, but no toaster due to "health and safety". 🙄

Due to the fact that toasters repeatedly set off smoke alarms, forcing everyone else in the building to abandon work for half an hour while they wait for the fire brigade, you mean? I wish someone would ban them from where I work.

Somewhere private to lie down if needed - e.g. if you have a bad headache and are waiting for painkillers to kick in before resuming work; or if you're taken ill and waiting for transport home.

Why are people saying no to plants? I thought they were sought after

because they make a mess, need to be looked after, nobody waters them and they die.

Hot desks for everyone is a pain and it's a stealth way of making everyone get into the office mega-early because otherwise you have nowhere to work or not near your team.

Mind you, all this is obviated by letting people work from home as much as they want to. Some people prefer the office anyway but there will be a lot of people who would prefer to avoid the time and expense of the commute (whether by train, bus or car).

Standing desks are great for your health as are plants.

Yoga/Pilates/mindfulness sessions would be good. Also organised lunchtime walks.

A quiet room would be nice with loungers to relax on.

I'd like to be able to have personal parcels delivered to my workplace.

Actual kettles. Those hot water taps are shit.

I am so glad that I'm not the only person saying this. Please put in at least one kettle, so that people can make decent tea with boiling water. The zip taps do not give boiling water, only hot water.

I would second the plug-sockets on desks not floor. We have three sockets per desk but as insufficient floor sockets were put in, many monitors end up plugged in via the desk. I sometimes need three further sockets - laptop charging, phone charging, and a personal fan.

Somewhere to hang a long coat - our chairs are designed to take jackets but I have a full-length winter coat which is too long for the chair.

We get complimentary magazines

Personally I would like a chair that isn't broken, a computer that doesn't take 15 minutes to turn on (still takes floppies it is so old), an office that is repainted more than once every 50 years and unisex toilets. My office environment is crap!

One thing we lack (in an open-plan office) is enough small, private spaces for one-to-ones or taking a confidential phone call. People end up booking a 12-person meeting room for a one-to-one because it's all that's free, and then of course, people looking to book a room for a 12-person meeting can't find one.

Toasted sandwich maker! Ample cutlery and a dish washer. And a separate office for staff members you're less keen on! That's my wish list at least!

Turn the bloody heating down for a start.