Trendy offices help attract top talent

“An office environment is the ultimate expression of culture,” and how an office looks plays a big part in attracting and retaining staff according to research by Fast Moving Consumer Goods/Consumer recruitment firm New Chapter.

They surveyed 405 professionals across the FMCG/Consumer market and found that 33% of companies had developed “trendy” offices in order to attract staff and a staggering 88% said that they felt proud to work in such an environment.

Adrian Dalby, Managing Director of New Chapter, comments: “Work and life have now blended in such a way that people seek more from work - and the notion of ‘work/life blend’ rather than a balance between the two is now a more prevalent approach in employee engagement strategy.

“We commissioned the research because of the high levels of exposure some brands are getting relating to their office environments.”

The research focussed on three areas: fun activities in the office, such as chill out rooms and games tables, dress code at work and finally the televised screening of sporting or world events.

Dalby adds: “The general consensus seems to be that the trend towards a more informal working environment is gaining momentum.

 “Many of our clients (33% of the people we surveyed) would state that they have ‘fun office environments’ and some of these organisations are widely publicised – they’re also usually on the top companies to work for lists. Organisations such as LinkedIn and Innocent have received great publicity for their office environments - they've created enviable cultures based on a working experience, great brand and ‘enviable culture’.”

“Whether an office decides to put in a running track or a chill out room is of little significance, what really matters is the underlying culture and the values of the organisation.

“An office environment is the ultimate expression of culture. How organisations choose to craft the working environment is influenced by its values and management style - and this is what our research highlights.”