Conversation piece

26 February, 2009

Situated on bustling Victoria Street in south-west London, the new workplace for PR agency Edelman has been billed as the ‘office of the future’ by the Financial Times (5 November 2008). It certainly is an excellent example of a versatile, high-performance workplace that’s proving a big hit with both staff and clients and, during these troubled economic times, is having a direct and positive impact on the company’s bottom line.

Gensler – the leading global architecture, design and planning consultancy – was tasked with the brief to design a powerfully evocative and highly productive working environment that would reduce costs, increase productivity, unite a geographically fragmented workforce and, at the same time, establish a new cultural personality for the brand.

The design team faced the challenge of integrating three very different, dynamic and culturally independent brands into working alongside one another following a series of mergers and acquisitions made by Edelman, which is the world’s largest independent PR agency.

Prior to the relocation last June, Edelman was worried cross-brand synergies were not being exploited to full potential and that

the 250-strong team were being limited to working at assigned desks with no collaborative spaces, as well as little or no opportunity for socialising or knowledge sharing. Teams were spread out over a number of different floors and, in some cases, over a number of offices in different parts of town. Inter-staff communication was kept to the bare essentials and out-of-work socialising and team bonding was minimal. The answer? Relocate to a new, sprawling 3,500 sq m single floor plate in London Victoria.

Entering the new office space, the first thing that hits staff, clients and guests alike is a moment of sheer ‘Wow!’, and then, quite possibly, confusion. Am I in the right place? If so, where’s the reception? And why is the overhead light decorated with small paper drawings of Japanese erotica?

Once you’ve got over the initial shock and have been reassured you are in the correct building, you spy two receptionists – cunningly tucked away around the corner and disguised as ‘concierges,’ who efficiently whisk away your coat and direct you to meetings or to the cafe.

Next you’ll notice a chic gallery space, floor-to-ceiling library (stocked with the entire Penguin back catalogue), bistro bar and a coffee shop, complete with efficient barista. And if that’s not too much of a sensory overload, you might just notice the solid oak flooring.

Depending on the time of day you arrive at Edelman, you’re likely to witness a variety of different scenarios. In the morning,

as the free ‘all-staff breakfast’ is served between eight and 10, you’ll be confronted with a barrage of any number of employees busy slurping down big bowls of cereal or munching on freshly baked croissants while they digest the morning’s papers and plan the day’s events.

Arrive mid-morning or after the hectic lunchtime rush and you’ll be confronted with the same reception area that’s now a buzz of activity as small groups and teams hold impromptu meetings, conduct brainstorms or entertain clients over a skinny cappuccino. And if you’re lucky enough to turn up after 5pm on Thursday or Friday, you’ll be offered a cocktail at the fully stocked bar.

But before you get too carried away and dash off to apply for a job with Edelman, there’s much more to it than simply throwing free food and booze at staff in the hope they’ll work harder.

Design philosophy

The overarching design philosophy of the office is ‘multifunctional’ and adheres to Gensler’s insightful model of the ‘four work modes’ – focus, collaborate, learn and socialise. Gensler’s research offers a detailed insight into working life today and was conducted for its 2008 global workplace survey (see below).

The crux of the findings suggests that workplace design hasn’t kept pace with the changing nature of work. It depicts a fundamental shift in employee working habits with a picture of work that’s dynamic and complex. Employees are no longer working long hours in heads-down focus work, but instead are spending more time collaborating, learning and socialising. These three areas of work are all as equally important as ‘desk’ work and together help to drive productivity, staff motivation, efficiency and, ultimately, the bottom line.

Since only one of the four work modes is solitary – head-down, focus work – the others, collaborating on tasks, learning new skills, and socialising for work purposes, involve interaction and therefore require a workspace to enable this to happen.

And what a difference it can make. Gensler suggests an upswing by as much as 21 per cent in staff productivity can be achieved through improved office design – a figure that when translated nationwide, equates to a staggering improvement equivalent to £145bn annually for the UK’s service sector output.

‘Our findings provide a more insightful look at the complex equation of what creates value in the workplace,’ says Grant Kanik, the Gensler associate behind Edelman’s office design. ‘Focused, head-down work can be improved and greater economic value derived from the right combination of accommodating each of the four work modes.

‘As companies adjust to the economic slowdown, a better-designed workplace can help them do more with less.’

He adds: ‘Over the past few years we’ve seen a major reframing of how people work and therefore what the workplace is and does. The study shows that successful companies are valuing a variety of work styles and activities, and they are using agile and adaptable office settings to enable this work to happen. Companies need to do more than simply house their people in a workspace and look to turn their attention to supporting innovation, collaboration and flexibility throughout the workforce.’ So that’s the science, but how does it translate in practice?

Design future

Edelman’s staff now work in an open-plan environment where the furniture solutions are as flexible as a rubber band. In-depth consultations with suppliers produced a unique variable density desking system that caters for 260 and can accommodate a further 110 people overnight at no extra cost.

This flexibility permits rapid alignment of resources, people, technology and systems, allowing Edelman the necessary agility to adapt to tweaked business models, changing markets, seasonal influxes or new account wins.

Throughout the entire office the design team worked with a strict policy in mind to reduce ‘owned’ space and to ensure every space or amenity has at least two functions. Corridors double as breakout areas, directors’ offices double as meeting rooms, the reception doubles as a coffee shop, the coffee shop as a reference library, the library as a conference room – the list goes on and on. As a result, staff now have much more choice in how and where they work and are actively encouraged to get away from their desks as much as possible.

Robert Phillips, Edelman CEO and the driving force behind the move, says the office has been built around conversation. ‘Suddenly everything and everywhere is one giant watercooler – communication barriers have been smashed down, allowing employees to network, share ideas and swap valuable information from the moment they arrive until the minute they leave.’

Walking around the office, one gets a real sense that every detail has been thoroughly thought through and challenges preconceived ideas of conventional office design. The conference rooms and reception area, for example, are purposely located at opposite ends of the building, providing clear circulation paths around the office perimeter, designed to give visitors an insight into the vibrancy and scale of the business. Staff are seated around the outside of the floor plate, which maximises exposure to natural light. And meeting rooms are fitted with motion sensors complete with red and green lighting to indicate the availability of the room and creating an organic booking system visible to the entire office.

Since the move last June, Robert Phillips says the direct and tangible results are evident. ‘Our win rate on cross-practice pitches has gone up by 30 per cent in four months because people haven’t sat in silos. Staff churn is tracking 20 per cent below this time last year and sick days are all but a thing of the past. Another measurement is our quality of life survey…where we’ve seen probably a 50 to 60 per cent jump in approval ratings.’

By considering the relocation as an opportunity for holistic change, Edelman’s new office has successfully unified its brands, strengthened its position within the industry, defined a new identity for the company and, most importantly, created a high-performance, flexible and cost-effective environment in which staff love to work.

Further information

www.edelman.co.uk

For more information on the 2008 global workplace survey

www.gensler.com