Guest blog – Paul Slinn, Flexioffice
Office perks may seem like a gimmick to some. Table tennis, lounge rooms, and extravagant eating areas are not just the preserve of quirky start-ups because employees like to spend half their working day, well, not working. These areas foster conversations and connections. A creative environment makes that part of the behaviour and, in the long term, the culture. Companies and their employees can network with contacts and other businesses like their own by finding a co-working space – even if that is over a game of table tennis or some prosecco they just got from the fridge.
But these perks aren’t just to attract the right third parties, but the right talent to drive your business forward. Research by the BBC found Gen Z saw themselves as becoming more creative to find ways to get into work. If creativity is the productivity of the future, workplaces need to evolve and foster the new generation of talent.
Running track and roof terrace, White Collar Factory, Old Street
An office with its own accessible rooftop is one thing. But when the roof terrace comes complete with fake grass and a running track overlooking Old Street and the City, it’s not a perk many can avoid being jealous of. The Office Group’s facility at the new White Collar Factory tower at in the heart of London’s tech industry is the epitome of a light, open workspace of the future.
The 150m track runs around the roof, giving you a 360° view of London during your lunchtime jog, 230ft above the busy roads below. When you’re finished, a break on a deck chair soaking up the sunshine is waiting.
Prosecco on tap, WeWork, various locations around London
WeWork’s network is vast, and all of their London locations offer beer on tap to those renting desks. If beer isn’t your thing, eight of their spots have cider on tap, and, if you’re feeling like something stronger Paddington and Aldwych House both have Prosecco on tap. It may seem like a fad, but it’s an easy to way for those in a co-working space to converse away from their work, build relationships and potentially find someone to collaborate with.
Maritime and Monopoly themed offices, Office Space In Town, various locations around London
For some it isn’t about the perk but the setting of your workplace that can help take you away from the white lights and white walls and help you be more creative. It’s also a small status symbol to say you work in an office that looks like a ship inside. If that doesn’t float your boat, a Monopoly themed space in New Broad Street or an Alice in Wonderland office in Waterloo might be. Themes might seem just as much of a gimmick as a table tennis table, but by creating a happier place to work in companies can expect a greater level of employee engagement.
Wellbeing rooms and an exclusive restaurant, FORA, Clerkenwell
Award winning chef Stevie Parle runs Palatino in FORA’s Clerkenwell space. His restaurant is open all day for sit down meals, grab and go food and even room service if you’re too busy to leave a meeting for lunch. FORA also have wellbeing rooms for anyone who might need a break from their day to recuperate. Wellbeing is on the agenda for more and more businesses, and greater care for employees can lead to better engagement, loyalty and productivity. These perks aren’t just designed to keep you in the office – they’re intended to create a better working life.
Boxing ring and cinema, Henry Wood House, Oxford Circus
Henry Wood House is another space that does just that: it creates a better life for its tenants, making them more comfortable and engaged with their workplace. There’s a library, yoga space, boxing facilities, a gym, a cinema and a roof terrace. All are there to make employees happier in their surroundings, more comfortable, more creative and more productive.
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