Are you being served? Why every Destination Office needs a department store.

There are three main departments that all employees  interact with regularly –  IT, facilities and HR.  The scenarios that might require conversations with these departments are varied. They might involve ordering and picking up new IT kit, resolving issues around meeting room accessibility or out of hours access, or discussing the wellbeing or career development needs of your team. In a world of hybrid working, these  interactions all share one super power – they have the potential to bring employees into the office.

We talk regularly about the rebirth of the workplace and how it’s fast becoming a destination office – a place that is sought out for specific activities and experiences, rather than the home of everyday head-down working.   The department store is one of the pivotal pieces of the destination office (there are seven others – discover them here) as it acts as a valuable resource hub, where IT, HR and Facilities Management services are based.

The pandemic brought IT, HR and facilities teams together on the same wave length. It united them in a common cause and required them to think more collegiately in order to solve organisations’ challenges. As a result they have become much more co-ordinated and able and willing to work together proactively – so it makes sense that they would coalesce in the workplace.

To make department store spaces successful, there are several key considerations – some are in relation to the etiquette of how they are used and an organisation’s culture, while others relate to office interior design.  Department store spaces should be easy to access, welcoming and focused on encouraging collaboration. Importantly they should put the focus on providing a service – essentially recognising the employee as a customer and ensuring they get the support and resolution they’re looking for – in an efficient, friendly and on-brand way.

Department store spaces can be used as:

• Pilot areas where new hardware and software are browsed and trialled before they are rolled-out company-wide
• A drop-in ‘quick fix’ space for people to resolve IT problems and get advice – akin to the Apple Genius bar.
• A space to launch an organisation’s new products and services – allowing you to capture new ideas, showcase innovation and gather user feedback.
• The kit shop – where employees pick up new laptops, phones and other devices and are inducted into how they work.
• The ideal location to host system/equipment/building inductions so that new starters are well equipped and informed on day one. This is crucial in a world of hybrid and remote working where employees may only visit the office a few times each month.

Most businesses adapted brilliantly to the pandemic and were able to switch to agile ways of working with a great degree of success.  Now, as people are welcomed back into the workplace, it is important to ensure these spaces are fit for purpose and suit the new behaviours, want and needs we’ve acquired. The answer lies in offering variety and curating the most positive employee experiences possible.  Treat your people like your customers. That’s why every office needs a department store – it’s time to ask your employees ‘are you being served?’.

To discover how a department store could benefit your business and the other seven key spaces that make up the destination office – download our whitepaper entitled The Phoenix Effect here.