Four in five job seekers are affected by workplace design

COMPANIES INVEST IN NEW OFFICES. WORKPLACE DESIGN IS IMPORTANT FOR 80% OF JOB SEEKERS.

In times of low unemployment, the working environment is one of the key factors according to which people choose work. It is therefore not surprising that companies are increasingly willing to invest in new offices. They don't even have to move to a new office, successful reconstruction of the existing premises is often enough.

According to a 2017 ABSL survey, four in five job seekers consider the work environment to be a key factor in choosing a job, and almost three-quarters want to see their job before signing a contract. Other surveys came to similar conclusion.

This trend is confirmed by Martin Kameník, owner of PREMIER interiors, which specializes in turnkey office space, including architectural design. "In companies, I meet HR managers who complain about the poor work environment that makes it difficult for them to recruit. This is especially true for larger companies and corporations which are not as flexible as startups."

However, Kameník adds that reconstruction of the offices is easier today than ever before and it can be done even when the company is running. "The company does not have to move during the reconstruction, it does not have to close and the employees feel almost no discomfort. We know how to reconstruct at full operation, we just build a partition in the room, make a part, and then we move on," he explains.

Fear of the economic crisis often effects the office reconstruction due to which companies do not want to invest in new offices but they prefer to extend their rents. They get a contribution from the owner in order to do the reconstruction. For example, in Prague, in the second quarter of 2019, companies rented over 100,000 m2 of offices, but half of them were extended rentals.

An example of a successful office reconstruction is the telecommunications company Libli. PREMIER interiors reconstructed five of their branches - office space and stores. Libli, formerly half-owned by DRFG and half-owned by Nordic Telecom, has improved its image thanks to new offices and moved under the wings of giant Nordic Telecom. They are now preparing to compete with other operators in the 5GB networks auction.

However, similar stories arise only if the reconstruction of offices is performed by an experienced supplier. "Libli came to us with the idea that she works in telecommunication. She uses the slogan think locally, work globally and that she wants to design new offices. Nothing more. We prepared the winning design with the architect Andrea Pastrnek and the client then wrote us that he appreciated our approach and was glad that he had chosen us," recalls Kameník.

"When designing offices, we must take into consideration the identity of the company and its current and future needs, think about the comfort of employees or think about work efficiency. It is often difficult to put everything together so I say that we connect three worlds. The world of the client, the world of the architect and the world of realization. Everyone expresses their opinion regarding design so that we can find a solution that suits everyone and is feasible," Kameník explains the way his company. He works with architects focusing on the interiors of commercial real estate.

Office reconstruction isn't sometimes enough such as when the company needs more prestigious address or it expands and the capacity of the current location is not enough. In that case, the company finds new offices or buys older premises and reconstructs it. In the second case, they can adjust the offices according to their preferences.

In this way, solved this with PREMIER interiors met the needs of the international IT company Solarwinds. They wanted to redesign the offices after another company. "The design was prepared by architect Andrea Pastrnek, the implementation consisted of coordinating the reconstruction and supply of office equipment, including joinery production," explains Kameník. Further realizations of his company can be found at www.premieri.cz.

Today, modern offices are no longer privileged to be designed only for large companies such as Google or Facebook. Every company that cares about the health and satisfaction of employees can invest in the work environment. This will pay off for lower turnover and higher work efficiency.