THE HOSPITALITY DRIVEN WORKPLACE 

“To return or not to return to offices?”

Now, that’s a dilemma faced by the global workforce every day. People are in two minds about returning to offices since they have experienced the best of both worlds now. While remote working is excellent for heads-down productivity, working from the office enables collaboration, thereby helping people become more creative. Since both kinds of work are vital for a company to thrive, the hybrid working model has emerged as the best possible solution to aid the situation.

To better attract, engage, and retain talent in the workplace, it will be critical that organizations take a cue from hospitality, viewing employees as valued guests. Focusing on the employee experience is essential, and this hospitality-driven approach will necessitate a three-part solution that considers service, space, and technology.

Why Create Hospitality-Driven Workplaces..??

With hybrid working emerging as the future, it is important to understand that employees will now have a choice in selecting their work days and work desks, unlike the pre-COVID times. Employee experience will now be at the heart of creating hospitable office environments.

Creating workplaces that are comfortable, rejuvenating, and highly productive. Having a hospitality-driven approach to workplace design will involve the creation of more adaptive, collaborative, and dynamic spaces. With these design strategies, companies can better capitalize on the hybrid working model by capturing a greater share of employee presence, ideas, and creativity.

  • CREATING A BETTER SENSE OF BELONGING

Connection to the local culture – making the most of locality!

One of the biggest trends in hospitality today is regional-based design or locality, and it’s emerging in the workplace too. Bring in local vendors, artists, farmers markets, pop ups, exhibitions, and more. Showcase one per week or find a cadence that works for your company, and consider having information about the artist, vendor, or experience available via QR codes for visitors to learn more.  If we can give employees unique, authentic, locally infused experiences at work, it’s a win-win for saving time, establishing efficiencies, supporting the community, and increasing engagement.

Hire community experience team members with great hospitality skills!

From greeting everyone who walks through your door with a “hello,” and “how can I help you?” to offering a beverage or a moment of respite, the next wave of workplace hospitality will rely on meaningful engagements and an experience team that embodies a company’s brand. The entrance lobby can have a semi-formal vibe, where employees can take a minute to sit down and plan their day, schedule meetings, and engage with their peers. Having a coffee and snack kiosk in the lobby can help employees grab refreshments on the go and seamlessly transition into work mode.

  • SPACE: DESIGNS & PROGRAMMES THAT SUPPORT JOY, WELL-BEING, AND INSPIRATION HAVE AN IMPACT.

Create a workplace ecosystem!

We continue to develop systems to focus and collaborate remotely, office days will be reconsidered to support immersive brand experiences, community gatherings, flexible team collaboration spaces, and more varied focus environments. To make these spaces and experiences truly hospitality-driven at their core. This ecosystem should not merely be accommodating universal design needs, but rather delivering a better experience than users might get at home — for focus, stimulation, comfort, and enrichment.

Developing Diverse Workspace!

The primary reason employees get bored of their office spaces is because of their rigid layout. Creating holistic work environments will enable employees to select the kind of space they want to work in. Therefore, plan for diverse in-office neighborhoods so that employees have enough opportunities to move around and  Every building unit and floor can be designed with a distinct character. Create offices with a range of experiences so that employees feel varied emotions as they move through different spaces throughout the day. For instance, some places can be designed for calm and focused work while others can be designed for high energy collaborative work.

Strategizing for Hospitality-Inspired Workplaces!

Offices can also consider offering health-oriented programs to their employees to encourage them to engage in physical and mental wellbeing activities. Analyzing productivity based on output instead of work hours will help identify time slots for offering respite activities amidst hectic work schedules. Hospitality-centered offices can be a holistic agency by allowing employees to nurture their mind and bodies through at-desk meditation programs and physical movement exercises.

  • TECHNOLOGY: AN ENHANCEMENT, NOT A REPLACEMENT.

Simplify workplace technology!

User experience extends beyond the physical space. Having a digital mindset, tools, and policy are vital to creating equitable experiences in our hybrid world. Using technology as your mastercard for ease of access and usability of shared spaces. Adopt simplified workplace technology, such as smart building systems and integrated app platforms so that employees can easily navigate through the office. Employees can check the availability of their desired workplace on mobile applications and book them on the go. Companies can use technology to track space usage metrics and use the data to enhance employee experience.

Takeaways!

  • Hospitality inspired office design elevates the brand and employee experience, enhancing connection and wellbeing.
  • Learning’s from hospitality design can help businesses better respond to the diverse needs of their employees.
  • A more welcoming office environment can serve as a tool for supporting connection, a sense of community and inclusivity.
  • Hospitality design can help businesses create a desirable workplace culture, build employee loyalty and attract talent.
  • Flexible working is here to stay. Hospitality inspired office design blurs the comfort and familiarity of home with the office, and everything in between.

By designing more welcoming spaces that push the boundaries of what the future workplace should be, we can continue to support businesses to achieve their goals, inspire their people and build greater human connection.

Leave a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *