Bringing The Destination Office 2.0 to life at the CIPD Annual Conference

The two-day event attracted record crowds and allowed Claremont to educate the audience about the Destination Office and its latest iteration, the Destination Office 2.0

Claremont’s in-house workplace psychologist, Becky Turner, took to the Employee Experience stage to share her expertise and showcase our largest project – Firesprite’s new three-storey 40,000 sq. ft office in the heart of Liverpool’s iconic Rope Walks.

How Workplace Design can Influence the Employee Experience?

During her talk, Becky recapped how the pandemic has changed our view of where and how we work and how crucial it is for organisations to keep pace with employees’ needs today. She explained how human-centric workplaces shaped by Diversity, Inclusion, Belonging and Equity (DIBE) unlock greater productivity and celebrate people as a company’s greatest asset.

In particular, Becky introduced the six feelings employees most want from the office (support, inclusion, pride, inspiration, connection and value), drawing on Claremont’s The Workplace Oooh! findings from earlier this year. She also introduced the newest addition to the Destination Office 2.0 – the Retreat.

Becky said: “ We first launched the Destination Office concept after the pandemic. The addition of the Retreat acknowledges that the workplace continues to evolve, and that wellbeing is an essential consideration for employers and employees alike. The Retreat is intended to give employees somewhere to rest, recharge and relax. These wellbeing spaces can be used for prayer, meditation and quiet reflection and support neurodivergent employees.”

Becky also showcased Claremont’s work with games super giant Firesprite and was joined by Firesprite’s People Engagement Manager Chloe Sinclair onstage. Chloe explained the company’s desire to make the office a second home with activity-based spaces to deliver a frictionless, fun, collaborative and memorable experience. In particular, she told the audience how they had consulted with employees – known as Sprites – and their internal Diversity and Inclusion group during the office interior design process.

Chloe said: “Since we opened our doors, we’ve had fantastic feedback from our team. Many of our permanent homeworkers now want to work from the office, which is simply amazing.”

Firesprite’s Liverpool office was one of the most complex projects Claremont has delivered in its [50] year history. Disparate floorplates and cellular spaces, accessibility issues, distinct architectural features to preserve and restrictions surrounding the buildings’ Grade 2 listed areas all required careful design consideration.

The finished workspace reflects Firesprite’s ‘be brave’ ethos and global gaming success. It offers fantastic open-plan games development floors, state-of-the-art cellular games testing rooms, private scrum boxes for games reviewing, high spec kitchens with Japanese style ‘grab and go’ fridges as well as huddle spaces with bleacher seating, a glazed atrium and a town hall space for company gatherings.

Becky added: “Firesprite has been a truly standout project for Claremont from start to finish, so we were honoured to have Chloe on stage with us to bring it to life. She showcased how our team added value from initial workplace consultancy and hybrid office design to on-site project delivery, how much Firesprite values its people and what a real Destination Office 2.0 looks like.”

You can find out more about The Destination Office here.