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What would a perfect office be like for you?

74 replies

wheresmymojo · 01/12/2021 16:46

I'm taking part in a focus group at my employer next week about how to completely re-work our office space to give us what we would like and need in the post-COVID world.

We all work 2-3 days a week in the office.

Our employer is awesome so we'll be able to put forward pretty much anything we'd like (within reason, probably not a Prosecco fountain).

I want to make sure I represent some specific groups

  • Physical disabilities (whether visible or invisible)
  • Neurodiverse people (I have ADD but know less about what people with other neurodiversities might want)
  • Parents / new(ish) mothers

What would make an awesome office environment for you?

What would be on your wish list?

OP posts:
Aroundtheworldin80moves · 01/12/2021 19:45

Three sets of facilities for showers/toilets... mens, womens, mixed (with ceiling to floor cubicles) With baby change in all as youve mentioned babies being around.

RedSnail · 01/12/2021 19:46

A silent working room where you can work on anything but not use the phone, music only through headphones, leave the room to say a coffee space next door if you want a chat. People would be able to drop into the “focus” room for a couple of hours whenever they wanted. I’m autistic and background noise in the office is a huge problem.

SickAndTiredAgain · 01/12/2021 19:48

Our office is quite good, the features I like are:

An expressing room for breastfeeding mother room. This is lockable, and has a comfy chair, a sink, a fridge with lockable compartments, and few non-refrigerated lockers. They don’t have that many women who need to use it, so you get a locker key from reception and keep it for a few months or however long until you’re done with expressing.

Various types of rooms, large meeting rooms, smaller ones with either two or four chairs, some “phone booths” that don’t have phones in but are that sort of size with a bar stool and a small ledge so you can take you laptop in and have calls in there. The phone booths and some meetings rooms aren’t bookable, you just nip in, others you can book if you know in advance you’ll need them. All these areas have ample charging points and the meeting rooms have a screen and a thingy for dialling in to calls.

We also have some different seating arrangements, so large desks with multiple chairs and some second screens for people to plug laptops into, big round tables for people who are working collaboratively that day (no second screens on these to block conversation), smaller desks in little booths where you’d work alone.

We have a lot of lockers, everyone is assigned one, so as we hot desk you can leave stuff in the office.

Somewhere there is a prayer room I think. Don’t know what the set up with that is.

What we are distinctly lacking is second screens, more desks could do with these, and they could be more reliable. Some are broken.

So I guess the features I like are all around flexibility, how do you want/need to work that day - in a group, or do you need to be somewhere quiet to concentrate, do you need to book a meeting room, or are you just after a quick private chat.

wheresmymojo · 01/12/2021 19:50

@ExquisitelyDecorated

No hot desking. Own desk with drawers and shelves (I still use books and files to some extent). Own chair. Pegs for coats and space for bags.

Shared office spaces so you're never on your own for long, I can't work in silence and need people around me, a bit of background conversation, people coming and going.

Decent size kitchen / eating area, clean, with dishwasher and enough crockery and cutlery. Tea and coffee making facilities. Outside seating. Bike storage. Showers.

I wouldn't be interested in extras such as creche (even when I did have young children I wouldn't have used a workplace setting), gym classes, hot tub, dry cleaning etc.

I guess it's because we already have all of this except for drawers and shelves (but we're a totally online business and completely paperless, we don't even have printers so nothing to put on shelves!)

OP posts:
wheresmymojo · 01/12/2021 19:51

@Aroundtheworldin80moves

Three sets of facilities for showers/toilets... mens, womens, mixed (with ceiling to floor cubicles) With baby change in all as youve mentioned babies being around.

Toilets are set up this way already - women's,
men's and mixed.

All have cubicles that are floor to ceiling and have the sink inside the cubicle (great for mooncups etc)

OP posts:
wheresmymojo · 01/12/2021 19:52

Oh and we're so 'online' that we don't even have phones Grin

OP posts:
wheresmymojo · 01/12/2021 19:54

I like the idea of the round collaborative working tables for when we're working on projects...

OP posts:
ImFree2doasiwant · 01/12/2021 19:59

Where do you work OP?? Or at least, what do you do? As a local authority employee this sounds like something from the future!

wheresmymojo · 01/12/2021 20:05

I work for a large online fashion retailer Smile

I moved there from Insurance & Pensions. The difference is massive!

Even the food menu is amazing! It's as good as restaurant quality I'd say...

OP posts:
canadagoose1 · 01/12/2021 20:09

somewhere to dry wet running / cycling gear
adjustable lighting eg a desk lamp
properly adjustable chairs and footrests for shorties
large screens for people who need them, not just laptop sized screens

oh I wish I had these!

wheresmymojo · 01/12/2021 20:10

This month we have the 'Month of Cheer' with a new virtual advent calendar window to open every day.

Today was 'make your own Christmas baubles' which was all set up in the cafe area (and totally optional so not forced fun).

There will be a new window every day with different Xmas flavoured things to do and giveaways.

They've given us all Xmas Eve off as a 'family and friends day' and 25th Jan for a 'well-being day'.

We get sample sales where we can purchase samples for £5.

Im quite evangelical about the whole thing TBH.

After 20 years in financial services I was feeling jaded and a bit bitter and cynical - now I feel a completely renewed enthusiasm for work!

OP posts:
Yellow85 · 01/12/2021 20:10

I’m a simple soul:

Phone call/zoom booths

Not have to walk a mile for a cuppa (or the loo)

More than a foot of divider between me and the folks next to me/across from me.

Comfy area to have more relaxed conversations

Somewhere to empty/clean my cup.

shortdays · 01/12/2021 20:15

In our offices in the States they have baskets of free tampons and pads in the ladies - I think it's such a simple thing but so useful if you were desperate - it then seemed mad that we had to pay for the vending emergency ones in our office.

Avarua · 01/12/2021 20:18

Secure bike storage (big enough for cargo ebikes)
Excellent plug and play video conferencing facilities - as pp said, with camera that shows everyone in the room and decent microphone
This might be asking too much, but as covid spreads through air conditioning, opening windows for fresh air!!

Applesandpears23 · 01/12/2021 20:21

Standing desks and yoga balls to sit on if you want them for a change.

camperqueen54 · 01/12/2021 20:23

My office is the perfect office. I shut my door. No one bothers me. I get stuff done.

wormybookworm · 01/12/2021 20:33

Some of the things that make our office fab:-

  • on site crèche
  • restaurant with great choice of food including salad bar, freshly made sandwiches, at least 3 hot options
  • giving employees a voucher for a free hot drink on important days eg results days so they can sit and digest results with a cup of coffee
  • free electric car charging points
  • breastfeeding rooms
  • dry cleaning service
  • cash points
_ a post room where you can buy actual postage

Things I'd like:

  • lockers to keep your stuff in: hot desking doesn't mix with desk drawers as you're constantly having to bother the person next to your drawers
  • quiet working spaces
  • dog daycare on site!
  • a gym or fitness classes
  • beauty treatments eg haircuts or nails or massage
Jenjenn · 01/12/2021 20:40

Loads of nice ideas and your place sounds great op. No open plan, a set of drawers and my own chair and footrest please for me. I have back issues and find it very difficult to find a chair that doesn't not cripple me. I have taken mine with me when changing jobs Grin Good lighting and good aircon/heating. Showers, safe bike storage, free parking nearby..

pheonixrebirth · 01/12/2021 20:45

Where are these magical offices/jobs?
In my office I'm not arsed about someone stealing my workspace tbh, I just wish the rats bought their own biscuits in as apposed to chewing through the complimentary box we get from the office supply company.
Oh and hot water would be great too! 👍

Puffincino · 01/12/2021 21:05

Somewhere secure to leave my stuff for the day. Drawer, locker, lockable office

There are as many coat hooks as there are people, and spaced so coats aren't all piled up on each other. Bonus points if there's somewhere to leave an umbrella & boots.

Enough womens toilets, that are spacious enough that I'm not sat with one leg on the sanitary bin & the other on the loo roll holder. With a hook on the door to hold a bag and coat. Bonus points if the door opens outwards so I don't have to shimmy through a 6 inch gap to get in. Toilets have mixer taps and soap.

Wouldn't it be lovely if there were temperature zones in hot desking areas. I could choose to sit in the 22c zone, and you could be at 17c and we wouldn't have to fight another aircon war.

God, I hate offices.

ICouldHaveCheckedFirst · 01/12/2021 21:18

We had booths off our communal lunch area. They were an afterthought, added because people wanted/needed space where up to 4 people could have a meeting/chat without disturbing other people. Some days I practically lived in one. They had excellent soundproofing on 3 sides and the ceiling, and were open on the 4th, had a small table and 2 comfy benches. Awesome!

fakereview · 01/12/2021 21:19

@shortdays

In our offices in the States they have baskets of free tampons and pads in the ladies - I think it's such a simple thing but so useful if you were desperate - it then seemed mad that we had to pay for the vending emergency ones in our office.
In our office in London we have this too - we have a lot of the things the OP mentions, though not the hot tub or onsite gym.

I don't really like office chairs, they always seem to tip me forward, so a selection of chairs of different styles would be good.

An awareness that not everyone likes dogs or wants them in the office would go a long way. Doggy daycare might work as long as separate to main office (eg different entrance).

Aroundtheworldin80moves · 01/12/2021 21:27

One place DH worked at her a School holiday programme. Good, cheap activities for school aged children- we payed €25 Euros for a week of dance, 9-4 for example. I honestly thought it was the cost per day, was shocked it was for the week!

twocandlelady · 01/12/2021 21:36

So jealous of these amazing offices!!

I hate the trend for open plan. I have ADHD and struggle to switch off from background noise and just having to be in the office right now is really difficult BUT if I asked to work elsewhere I would 100% be labelled an antisocial, grumpy cow and would be talked about and passed over for opportunities.

Luredbyapomegranate · 01/12/2021 21:39

Nap pods - I am serious! Naps are very useful

Quite places to work

Kitchen table for social interaction

Breakfast laid on - helps for social, and lower paid staff can use any leftovers for lunch

Proper sofas

Shower / somewhere to stick gym kit

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