Artwork, massage pods and "neighbourhoods" in the office with no assigned seats for individual employees - these are some of the ways that Wise, formerly TransferWise, is using to entice more of its workers back to the office after a prolonged period of working from home.
As flexible work hours become entrenched in some companies, and employees are given the latitude to decide which days and for how long to be in the office, the fintech company designed its new office space to take into account the demands of a post-Covid-19 world.
Wise moved into its Paya Lebar premises in January, and has made sure that the space is more conducive for collaboration and face-to-face meetings - a key motivation for staff to return to the office.
Among the changes are a well-stocked fridge and collaborative pods where staff working on the same project can retreat to discuss their work.
The pods are linked up to large display screens that allow staff to interact with others who are not in Singapore or at the office.
Safe distancing markers and hygiene stations with hand sanitiser are in place, concessions to the demands of a pandemic that has changed how people work and think about work.
Mr Ilyazid Ilias, the workplace lead of Asia-Pacific Wise Singapore, told The Straits Times yesterday that the new workspace allows employees to "curate their own journey" within it.
He hopes that the aesthetic will help his staff feel a "sense of relief" as they enter the office, and encourage them to return to brainstorm with their colleagues, regaining the sense of human connection that might have been lost amid the remote working arrangements of the past year.
He said: "People are not going to come into the office to do solitary work. We used that as a foundation in the design of our office. Our employees have been asking for more meeting rooms, and so we have more communal spaces with pantries that are well located."
Wise also does not assign individual seats to its employees, choosing instead to allocate areas - fitted with furniture - for those working on projects in the same countries to congregate.
This encourages intermingling, and staff can meet where they find it most comfortable, Mr Ilyazid said.
During the process of designing the office, he engaged his friend to produce works of art for the office that would reflect the company's work and identity.
A space meant for employees to relax in has two massage chairs - cordoned off by curtains for privacy - and sleeping rooms that have beds and blankets. All this is provided in the hope of attracting staff who have become used to working from home in the past year to return to the office.
Ms Narita Cheah, co-founder and director of Paperspace Asia, which helped to design the Wise office, said companies now require more collaborative spaces.
In the past, 70 per cent of office space was skewed towards individual use, but employers now find it increasingly necessary to make at least half of it communal.
"There is of course some resistance because of the traditional mindset. But needing more spaces for collaboration is something employers can no longer ignore or talk their way out of," Ms Cheah said.
Clement Yong
