🔒Collaborative spaces, amenities still in vogue for office designs, but workers increasingly want private workspaces

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When workers first began returning to the office post-pandemic, collaboration was the buzzword in office redesign.

Employers built open, airy spaces like cafés, coffee bars and high-top desk stations to foster socializing and collaborative work, all in an effort to entice employees back to the office.

Four years later, many companies have adopted a hybrid work model, requiring workers to come to the office for at least part of the week, and employers are seeing a slight shift in workspace trends.

Collaboration is still an important component for effective work and building office relationships, but industry experts are seeing a need for more private, quiet spaces.

Joel Grieco, executive director of office brokerage for commercial real estate services firm Cushman & Wakefield, said trends in office design are seeing “a pendulum swing.” People still want to socialize and collaborate, but also “need a private environment in which to work.”

It’s a balancing act for employers, who increasingly want workers back in the office, experts said.

A survey by Resume Builder found that 90% of employers plan to enforce return-to-office mandates in 2024, and that 51% have already done so. Yet, those figures don’t apply to every worker, every day, with 68% of executives believing workers should be on-site at least three days a week.

Chris Ostop, managing director of brokerage firm JLL in Hartford, said corporate leaders are still advocating for people to come into the office, as they believe business is better when teams are together.

He said he understands the attraction of building collaborative spaces, but “we’re just starting to see local companies going from open floor plans to more private offices. They want people to come in, but they have to give them a reasonable place to work.”

“We’re seeing workers need a place to put their heads down and work, but also want that space to take a break and hang out,” Ostop said.

Younger workers, in particular, have been trending toward in-office work.

“Young people, at the start of their careers, who have any level of ambition, are the ones who want to interface, to have that ‘water cooler time’ with senior mentors, and make a name for themselves,” Grieco said.

Companies are still adopting comfortable spaces and amenities to entice workers back to the office.

Nick Olsen, president of Berlin-based Olsen Construction Services, said companies are trying to give the workplace a “homey” feel.

His company’s portfolio includes work for Eversource Energy, Yale University, Blue Back Square, Cornell Scott Hill Health Center and Wood Creek Partners in New Haven.

Two of Olsen’s latest projects include new offices in West Hartford’s Blue Back Square for Lockton Insurance and law firm Day Pitney. Lockton relocated from Batterson Park Road in Farmington to a 15,000-square-foot space in the Rutherford Building in Blue Back Square, to accommodate roughly 110 employees.

The new Lockton space has a large kitchenette for social and collaboration time, along with a lounge, large-screen television and even a gaming wall, Olsen said.

“Those little things that make you feel more at home, I think that’s what the next generation is looking for,” he said.

Terri Finucane is chairman of The S/L/A/M Collaborative, a national design firm based in Glastonbury.

She said office redesigns are an investment in the workplace and employees, and company leaders would be wise to engage their workers in the discussion of what a successful office setup looks like.

Most workers returning to the office in 2024 have come off of months or years of being more introverted, working in private settings, and are therefore less tolerant of noise, interruptions and other distractions, she said.

Employers should take that into consideration when considering office design.

Many offices are designed for senior executives to occupy much of the private office spaces, with newer hires using the more open, collaborative areas.

As much as employers can put attractive amenities in the workspace, another trend is putting the workspace where the amenities already exist, experts said.

Locations like downtown Hartford and West Hartford Center are considered more vibrant areas with coffee shops, restaurants and bars, which are more appealing to workers.

Lockton Insurance moved from Farmington into its renovated space in Blue Back Square, which is “the hottest area right now,” Olsen said.

“They wanted to put employees in an area where there are opportunities all day long” for meeting a client or coworker, shopping, getting lunch or just walking around a central area, something larger corporate parks are missing, he said.

Across the street in Blue Back Square, Olsen is starting a “gut office renovation” for Day Pitney, which has 15-year-old space at 75 Isham Road that is outdated and more corporate looking, with heavy furniture and dark finishes.

The new look, which is what most designers are seeing now, will be more modern with high-end finishes that are lighter and brighter, while being open and inviting.

Also, renovation budgets “are bigger than ever before because of the finishes, not just walls, or paint, but flooring, desks, we’re seeing some really high-end design for office space, to make people feel more at home,” Olsen said, adding that several of his recent office redesign projects can reach into the millions of dollars.

Building more private office space is more costly, as each space needs its own lighting, HVAC and walls. And more offices mean more square footage.

Olsen said office renovations slowed down for a bit in the years following the pandemic, but have picked up again, specifically in areas like Blue Back Square and downtown Hartford.

Grieco said even larger corporate parks can create inviting, effective workplaces. He said Corporate Ridge in Rocky Hill is an example of a corporate park with top-notch amenities like a cafeteria and fitness center.

But places like West Hartford and downtown Hartford are attracting new tenants since they have amenities “built in,” he said.

“And there are very few examples around Hartford County where you have that downtown feel,” Grieco said.

Examples of companies that have moved or announced moves to downtown Hartford include engineering firm Fuss & O’Neill, which is relocating from Manchester to the Gold Building, and PES Structural Engineers, which recently relocated its Connecticut regional office from West Hartford to the Front Street Entertainment District.

Both companies cited downtown’s amenities as key draws for their employees.

“When people are on-site, on campus, they want a variety of spaces and dedicated workplaces,” Finucane said, with vibrancy being a key factor, like access to cafés and social spaces, either in the office or surrounding areas.