Over the last couple of years, we’ve been working with Wish.com, a growing international e-commerce company, to help build their new offices in San Francisco, San Jose, and Toronto.
Because they are a forward-thinking company, they realized that the work spaces they are creating need to serve many more purposes than simply being a place to house their employees, desks, and computers. However, not having had experience in designing and building new office spaces, they needed help discerning how to make their new offices meet their needs.
As their owner representatives, we helped them navigate this challenge by focusing on the three essential considerations of building an office. Today, we’re sharing them with you.
Three Essential Considerations
- What Your Employees Want
The most successful modern companies realize that the design of their office is an important business tool. It reflects company culture and can reinforce your values.
Furthermore, an attractive office can be an extraordinarily useful factor in recruiting. This was very important to Wish.com, as they were actively seeking to expand their workforce and were located in a region that is well known for its fierce competition for talent.
As you consider the design of your office, think beyond the actual workspace. Could you use a large café-style area where co-workers can mingle and discuss their projects and destress?
Or maybe a more traditional style with individual offices and conference rooms fits your culture better. Either way, realize that what your current and future employees want in their workplace is more important than ever.
- What Your Employees Need
Beyond what your employees want, you should also consider how to use your office design to foster productivity. Depending on the industry and the type of employees, these designs can vary from fields of cubicles to completely open spaces.
Some common designs include flexible workspaces where desks and chairs can be easily moved to meet the demands of the day, designated quiet areas for those who need a place to go to for intense concentration, small meeting rooms for two to four people, and glass walls that give the feel of openness but also allow for noise reduction.
They key is to know your people and to not be afraid to use the design of your office to help them work at their full potential.
- What Is Required
There are some things that are simply essential to your company’s workspace. You must create a space that meets all technological demands, security requirements, occupancy space demands, and the many municipal, state, and even national building codes.
The last thing you want is to realize that your brand-new office doesn’t meet an essential requirement for your business. To avoid this, attention to detail and working with experienced professionals is key.
What it Takes
The design and construction of your company’s workspace is a huge capital investment. It’s important to get it right and to do it on time and on budget. That’s why you must take these three considerations very seriously and address them in detail prior to starting a project.
By bringing the FGX group to the project, Wish.com was able to do just that. Now they’ve built sleek and impressive new offices in two countries that not only meet their immediate needs but serve as a valuable recruiting tool.
If you’re considering making a renovation or building a new office space, we have the experience to ensure you create a space that will foster the highest level of productivity, morale, and meet all requirements. Contact us today and let’s make your company’s next home the asset it should be.
