Digital workforce creates need for office design make-overs

Managers often inherit their offices. They don’t always get to decorate them. But what if you did? Or what if you are about to move to a new site and have the opportunity to design from bottom up how you want your workspace to look and feel?

The ideal workplace is one that people want to go to everyday. It is one that expresses the ethos of your business and encourage productivity amongst your employees.

Not surprisingly, the tech companies – from Google to Facebook – are known for offices that foster creativity. Accenture’s digital studio in One Island East features a pool table, couches and a massive lunch-break area where music plays in our in-house barista-staffed cafe. The dress code is casual, reflective of an environment meant to inspire design thinking.

If you’re at a bank, of course, the workspaces reflect the more buttoned-up corporate culture of the industry. Suits and ties have always been the calling card but you’ll also notice banks distinguish themselves too by their style. Investment banks such as Goldman Sachs and UBS have long set the benchmark for sophistication – and fantastic art collections. While retail banks typically have more of an “of the people” feel. Consider HSBC’s landmark headquarters, with its cutting edge architectural design that uses giant mirrors at the top of the atrium to maximise natural sunlight and conserve energy and that has movable panels for flooring that allows for quick installation of computer terminals, but above all was designed with feng shui principles in mind and has become a landmark in the city.