The top 10 office red flags that could be costing you staff

As 84% of employees expect their workplace to deliver an experience, employers must deliver on a wide variety of employee wants and needs to keep them happy, healthy, motivated and loyal.

Here we’ve compiled The Top Ten ‘Office Red Flags’ employers should avoid if they want to get the most out of staff and retain them:

1. Lack of diversity or inclusion

Whilst no workplace sets out to be discriminatory, a workplace that doesn’t promote diversity or inclusion is a huge red flag for employees. From spaces for multi-faith groups to pray to extra resources for those going through menopause or with neurodivergent needs, a supportive culture and considered office interior design can make a real difference. For Gen Z, having an inclusive and diverse workplace was highlighted as a key concern and ultimately a deciding factor in their workplace happiness.

2. No room for flexible working

Flexibility in the workplace is crucial for today’s workers and it needs to be evident in both working practices, culture and office design. Our recent study of more than 1,000 UK office workers for the Workplace Oooh report, revealed that flexible working is the most important way to make the workplace more inviting.

Effective office interior design is rich in choice so that employees can personalise their working experience to suit their needs – be that choosing the work setting for the task or booking different facilities and spaces throughout the day, as and when needs and preferences change.

 3. Poor eco credentials

A poor attitude to sustainability, recycling or green credentials is a definite red flag for staff; particularly for younger workers.  Generation Z, the youngest in the workplace, is the most bothered about having access to an environmentally responsible workplace with 20% saying offices would be more inviting if they improved environmental practices such as better recycling and EV charging. In office interior design terms, environmental responsibility can be brought to life by repurposing existing furniture instead of buying new, when approaching an office refurbishment project.

4. No opportunity to collaborate

Workplaces that only focus on autonomous or solo working are outdated and can make employees feel lonely.  Workplaces that show collaboration and teamwork are much more attractive, especially for hybrid workers.

The Workplace Oooh report found that a third (35%) of employees and 42% of hybrid employees said they visit the office to feel human connection and teamwork is what makes people feel the most productive and positive about being in the office. Offices that don’t have dynamic spaces and tools to support teamwork simply aren’t delivering.

5. No social scene

No social scene suggests a business doesn’t prioritise the wider holistic needs of its people or have a positive culture or sense of team. The Workplace Oooh report highlighted that many workers want a strong social scene so they can bond and forge relationships with their colleagues. In fact, being able to spend time with work friends has the power to turn an ok day into a brilliant one for most employees.

For almost a third of office workers, seeing friends and working as part of a team makes them feel positive (32%) and productive (31%) about their work. Office interior design can respond by creating fun spaces for relaxation, great on-site cafes, kitchens and break-out spaces to bring people together, dedicated areas for wellbeing activities and large flexible spaces to accommodate and encourage company-wide get togethers.

6. Not feeling valued or inspired

52% of hybrid workers and 48% of full-time office-based workers feel uninspired by their workplace, while 42% say their office doesn’t make them feel valued.    These figures are a damming inditement of organisations’ cultures and workplaces.

Inspiring offices tell the employer brand story, offer employees choice about how and where they work, foster community, encourage collaboration and make people feel supported. Anything less is a red flag. You can see some examples of inspiring office interiors HERE.

7. Too much noise

Workplaces can be busy and bustling but one that is constantly noisy and has too many distractions is a red flag for employees. Just over two fifths (41%) of Generation X workers say this is a major office turn-off.

Effective office interior design avoids this by considering where work settings are co-located (it doesn’t make sense to have a quiet zone next to a team working space, for example), ensuring ample acoustic management throughout, adding quiet pods for phone and video calls (somewhere for those on Teams calls to go without disturbing everyone) and even including ‘no tech’ zones to help encourage concentration and promote wellbeing.

8. Poor technology

Poor technology In the workplace, or offices that simply don’t accommodate mobile tech-led ways of working, are a turn-off for employees. Employers need to ensure their office interior design includes:

• Ample charging and wireless charging points – not just at desks but in meeting rooms, cafes and soft seating areas to reflect the variety of different places people work.
• Intuitive technology in meeting rooms so that in-person and remote attendees have parity of experience.
• Room booking systems to help people book the facilities they need in advance.
• Dedicated tech spaces so that those on Teams calls or working on collaborative software can do so easily.

9. Lack of good quality food and drink

No one can argue that good coffee is an employee perk anymore – but poor access to good quality food and drink is a red flag for employees. Just over a fifth of workers want access to great food and drink at work, a third want access to free food and drink after work (a nod to the point about social scene) and 11% say a good cup of coffee makes them feel positive and productive at work. Employers can respond by incorporating well equipped kitchen and café facilities into their office interior design and leaving room in their operating budgets to cover the cost of free refreshments and invest in workplace culture. Don’t let poor coffee be a turn-off – especially as well fed and watered employees are more happy, healthy and productive.

10.The Goldilocks effect

Employees won’t visit the office if it’s too cold or too hot. The Workplace Oooh report revealed that 28% of people said they’d visit the office to be in a heated space. Had we conducted our research in the Summer we feel sure air conditioning would have been a reason to visit too.

Employers keen to get people back into the office need to make the temperature inviting.  For those concerned about their own energy costs, clever use of smart building technology can help to streamline which areas of a workplace are used, and therefore heated.  Other office interior design tips include making sure M&E systems work efficiently and that different areas can be individually temperature controlled.

Avoiding the red flags

 Today’s employees need more than just the right facilities to be productive. They need a Destination Office – a space that they seek out because it makes them feel valued, supported, connected, inspired, included and proud.

Faced with a global shortage of talent, employers must cast a critical eye over their workplace culture and office interior design and do all they can to remove potential red flags. Only then will they be sure to have a workplace that helps to retain talent and makes people to thrive.

To find out more about the feelings employees want from the office, download a copy of ‘The Workplace Oooh’ here.