The tech world is known for having cool workspaces filled with amenities – but creating an environment that attracts talent, inspires innovation and engages employees is not simply about building a rock-climbing wall or setting up an espresso bar. The most successful tech offices take a thoughtful approach to what employees need to be focused, productive and happy at work.
Technology employees run the gamut from software engineers to product designers. Depending on their job function, employees may need spaces for solving complex problems on their laptops, brainstorming new ideas with teammates ( English ), or working with sales and marketing teams who will promote and sell their products and services. As such, their workplace needs to be just as diverse, offering a variety of space types ( English ) so employees can focus on different tasks throughout the day; features like video-enhanced boardrooms, huddle rooms, mixed-use cafés and quiet contemplation spaces help tech employees get their work done well. Moreover, the company culture should encourage employees to move around the office to each of those space types.
Beyond that, colourful furnishings and artwork can help inspire new ideas. And a healthy, ergonomic environment with plenty of natural lighting, fresh air and plant life can keep employees feeling energised.
In addition, today’s successful tech companies often need to scale up as their businesses demand – and therefore, need a workspace that can grow with them.
WeWork’s enterprise solutions can be configured to each client’s business, including the unique needs of tech firms. See how leading technology companies, partnering with WeWork, have been able to create the perfect workspace for their growing tech teams.
Slack’s mission-driven workspace
As a workplace communication tool, Slack ( English ) is all about enabling companies to be more transparent; the Slack platform facilitates the open flow of information so employees can be more connected and collaborative. So it’s only natural that when Slack needed a New York office, they turned to WeWork to fit out an inviting custom space that reflected their mission and culture of openness.
Slack’s New York space includes lots of flexible seating options, so employees can collaborate in formal settings or in smaller meet-ups. Each individual workspace was ergonomically designed and equipped with the technology the teams need to get their work done well.
‘When I look at the most meaningful and impactful workplaces, I think there’s a deep alignment between tools, culture and spaces,’ says Deano Roberts, Slack’s vice president of global workplace and real estate. ‘Slack is a collaboration hub where people can come together to do the best work of their lives. And WeWork is a physical manifestation of that.’
Pinterest’s pin-worthy office space
When San Francisco–based Pinterest began growing exponentially and needed to recruit people for sales and engineering positions, they began scouting out Seattle as a new location to find fresh talent. However, salespeople and engineers have different needs and work styles: Sales teams need dedicated places to take calls and host clients, while engineers require areas to brainstorm and whiteboard, plus places to focus.
Pinterest asked WeWork to take on the challenge of creating a dynamic office where both groups would have what they needed. The result was a new Seattle office with quiet spaces for focused work as well as common areas for hosting events and entertaining clients.
TripActions’s flexible offices around the world
As a fast-growing business-travel platform, TripActions needed to scale in different markets around the world and source local talent. Rather than trying to source offices and sign long-term leases in each location, TripActions decided to partner with WeWork. Using WeWork as their single point of contact, TripActions was able to open offices in San Francisco, London, Amsterdam, Sydney and New York in one year, growing from 40 to 400 employees.
‘WeWork gives us that flexibility to grow fast, without having to worry that we’re overpaying for space we don’t need,’ says Rich Liu, TripActions’s chief revenue officer.
ezCater’s appetising new headquarters
ezCater, an online business-catering marketplace, had doubled in size every year since 2012. After growing to 375 employees, ezCater sought a flexible workspace that could accommodate their growth while fostering their strong company culture and ability to attract and retain talent.
The company moved their headquarters to a WeWork space at 40 Water St in Boston, occupying all four floors. The space reflects ezCater’s business, with food art, a vibrant green colour scheme and other food-themed branding throughout the space. Employees are able to work in the open-office setting, or they can move to a small nook or huddle room as needed. When break time comes around, there’s a fully stocked kitchen area as well as a comfortable library.
WeWork offers companies of all sizes space solutions that help solve their biggest business challenges.
Dawn Papandrea is a freelance writer who covers work, personal finance and higher education. Her writing has appeared in numerous publications, including Family Circle and monster.com. Follow her on Twitter.
