Inspiration Office

Vital to the ideation process, productivity, well-being, and more, the office environment plays a crucial role in how employees function – and perform – on a day-to-day basis.

To help create a productive buzz and the positive energy needed for innovative ideas, here, Steelcase shares tips for creating high-energy spaces.

Create a Social Hub

By relooking underutilised spaces, such as cafeterias, in new ways, companies can create social hubs that can inspire people and provide high-performing settings where they can reconnect with their colleagues, as well as collaborate effectively.

The redesigned space builds an infrastructure for cultivating a sense of community. While a range of flexible settings with different privacy levels turns the space into a vibrant hub where different modes of work can happen simultaneously – collaboration, informal social interactions, learning and even focus work. 

Bringing Furniture and Food Together

Sharing meals is a key part of nurturing relationships, and the experience fuels both the body and the brain. Organisations should think beyond simply providing lunch or snacks and create food experiences that are blended with work and bring people together.

These are only some of the ideas Steelcase is pursuing to increase creative collaboration and productivity at the office. “Instead of feeling apprehensive or uncomfortable, social hubs feel welcoming and put people at ease by giving them choices,” says Gale Moutrey, vice president of Workplace Innovation + Brand Management, Steelcase. “We are looking at creating an entire facility to create more of a local, neighbourhood feel. We are looking at space very differently. We’re looking at it more as a series of experiences that just happen throughout the day, all day.”

“Instead of feeling apprehensive or uncomfortable, social hubs should feel welcoming and put people at ease by giving them choices,” says Moutrey. “They should have the same level of autonomy and flexibility they have when working from home, but now they can access the tools, food and people they need to be truly productive. The space should be both safe and compelling. And what could be more compelling than a great space and a great cup of coffee?”

Steelcase is locally available from Inspiration Office. 

Creators of bespoke office solutions, Inspiration Office, is the leading supplier of office furniture in South Africa.

Founded in 2005, today, the company has offices in Johannesburg and Cape Town and stocks an impressive range of award-winning international brands and products, from seating to accessories to streamline your office and work day