The office of tomorrow

US multinationals such as Google and Facebook are widely credited with having set the standards for office accommodation here – and set it high.

In a tightened labour market in which the war for talent is ongoing, an impressive workspace is understood to offer a competitive advantage. It’s a fact Joe McGinley, chief executive of Iconic Offices, sees first hand.

Iconic offers flexible workspace solutions with good design at their core. Catering to multinationals looking to establish a base in Ireland as a gateway to Europe, the Middle East and Africa is his stock in trade. He accommodates everything from small landing teams of two and four people to large units catering for hundreds of staff as these businesses grow and scale.

Demand for flexible workspace solutions is on the rise, he says, as is the standards employees expect from an office – even the smallest team wants corporate-style amenities. “What started out as simply ensuring the availability of good coffee has evolved into fully stocked kitchens and, in our newer buildings, free continental breakfasts,” says McGinley.

Demand for wellness initiatives is growing too, leading to the growth of specialist corporate wellness providers such as Zevo Health as well as new accreditation standards, such as Well V2, which assesses building standards in relation to the impact they have on human health and wellness.

It’s a comprehensive standard that looks at everything from whether or not internal lighting is dynamically optimised to suit external lighting conditions to the sealing off of air ducts and pipe work to eliminate dust at building stage.

Demand for plants has taken off too. “Plants simply make the atmosphere a nicer place to work,” says McGinley.

Flexibility is a major trend in employment but isn’t only about working hours. It also means desks that are height-adjustable, as well as sit/stand desks, he says.

Break-out spaces

With the continuing trend towards open-plan offices, workers increasingly need quiet break-out spaces too, quiet niches such as ‘phone booths’, where they can converse in private or do work that requires close concentration. Demand for outdoor break-out space is growing too, to accommodate outdoor or walking meetings, especially when the weather is fine.

While design is not as important as a shared sense of purpose, when it comes to recruitment and retention it does matter, McGinley says. “It’s an expectation, rather than a nice-to have. People come in wanting bells and whistles as standard.”

Employees are increasingly valuing flexibility even over remuneration because they're tired spending hours in a car each day

This extends to office experiences such as ‘lunch and learn’ events, where experts provide lunchtime seminars on everything from improving your social media presence to boosting your networking skills. Iconic runs yoga and Pilates classes, beer and pizza nights, comedy events and parties.

Such events are not about keeping people on site for longer, which goes against the emphasis on work-life balance, but about opening up connections between co-workers and breaking down organisational silos, he says.

Employers are taking a strategic approach to location, which includes the growing use of co-working hubs in regional areas as way to attract, recruit and retain good people, as well as to access untapped talent pools. High-tech spaces such as the Ludgate Hub in Skibbereen, west Cork, are a case in point, while new platforms such as Abodoo have emerged to help employers find smart workers from home.

“More than anything, people don’t want to be stuck in traffic,” says Paul Byrne of Dublin Airport Central, a major high-tech office development.

“Employees are increasingly valuing flexibility even over remuneration because they’re tired spending hours in a car each day.”

Sustainability issues

Both employers and employees are conscious about sustainability issues too, and not just about traffic fumes but in relation to the fit-outs of the buildings they choose. Byrne is just back from a trip to meet with major multinationals in the US. “Those companies coming here want to know about the materials used in our buildings, right down to whether the plates and cups are plastic – it’s that kind of detail,” he says.

He too sees a growing desire for properties that can help foster a sense of community. “They want to be in a space with like-minded people, where there is a chance to meet others, which is why having a shared services element is important in any building now,” says Byrne.

Dublin Airport Central offers sports facilities such as an onsite swimming pool and several gyms, which feeds into the growing demand for wellness initiatives. Increasingly, these are going beyond physical and mental wellness to include financial wellness too. “It’s not just organising couch-to-5k fitness programmes, but we’re seeing zero to €5,000 programmes to help people to save for things like a holiday.”