Workplace design comes in play in the Employer Branding and Employee Value Proposition (EVP) strategies

A new office design is a strategic asset : it contributes to boosting the overall Employer Branding, is part of the Employee Value Proposition and impacts the Employee Experience. It can make a huge difference in the ability to attract and retain talents and be a major competitive asset.

The GAFAMs have for long taken the lead on this topic, convinced that trendy and fun office spaces can boost their Employer Brand as well as their commercial image.

The new buzz word sometimes referred to describes this as « Office Branding », which contributes to designing the higher Employer Brand.

It might seem anecdotic and superficial to some who do not connect with that world. But the truth is, the impression the actual workplace layout leaves showcases the corporate image the company conveys. No company can take the risk to ignore that aspect of their image.

Designing an attractive workplace is a competitive business asset. Some companies that went through the change from old fashioned and flavourless office lay outs to an attractive and cool workplace say it did not only impact the Employer Branding, but it also influenced the perception people had of their actual Brands.

From a candidate or employee perspective, a cool and efficient workplace shows to what extent the company leadership team recognizes the value of their human resources and is ready to invest for their staff, placing their human asset at the core of the organisation.

In the so called “war for talents”, most companies face the challenge of attracting and retaining talents. The more so with the Millenials and the Gen Z job hopping mindset that implies changing employers several times throughout their worklife. For those companies, their Employer Brand Strategy becomes essential to their recruitment strategy. The fact is that most candidates have the feeling that the workplace environment they visit throughout the interview process is a relevant indicator of how much a company cares for its staff. Today, the quality and the attractivity of the physical workspace comes up in the first 5 criteria Millenial talents and Gen Z pick to select their future employer; it plays an essential part in their candidate experience and their employee experience later on. Many, including babyboomers, could no longer picture themselves working daily in a severe work environment, made of long corridors, closed office doors, huge and dull meeting rooms, black and white furniture and walls, without any pleasant informal areas.

No company can ignore that this is not just a temporary trend that will fade with time, but a major workplace trend that affects all companies. None can afford not to question if their current workspace environment is attractive still to their employees inhouse and to the candidates they want to hire.

Going through a workplace design project requires time to turn it into a strategic asset , therefore it is key to anticipate and take the turn before the aging work environment starts affecting the Employer Branding and the Employee Value Proposition.

@Florence Lebreton-Berthier, workplace specialist consultant