How Workplace Design Is Providing Employers With Greater ROI – ‘Return On Interaction’

With nearly 20% of all office space across the country sitting vacant, companies are getting creative when it comes to bringing employees back to the office. 

Rather than focusing on staff density and ensuring the office is always full, employers are instead prioritizing the creation of a sense of community, culture and well-being to boost productivity. But how can this be done effectively?

According to Kahler Slater, a national architecture and design firm, the answer is branded office environments that address today's office culture. 

Beyond leadership and daily operations, physical space impacts a company’s internal and external perception. Crafting a visually appealing, comfortable and accessible workplace allows for shared experiences and culture to thrive, said Riley Atlas, creative director of brand design at Kahler Slater. 

As it becomes clear that office needs have evolved and employees expect change, Kahler Slater is working with clients in Chicago and nationally to design workspaces that address those needs through interior design and branding.  

“Forward-thinking companies understand the importance of creating a sense of belonging,” Atlas said. “This shift amplifies the importance of how our environments encourage us to come together and build more meaningful connections.”

Orienting a space towards community engagement will result in better employee satisfaction and productivity, Atlas said. And with 52% of “remote-capable jobs” working in a hybrid capacity, the office has become more centered around engagement, special events and social interaction. 

By viewing the office as a narrative canvas, it now becomes a space to illustrate a company’s ethos and foster a sense of belonging, Atlas said. Employees prefer meaningful office interactions, prompting companies to create spaces that promote personal growth and collective learning.  

In the past, companies would purchase or lease an office, outfit the space and it would remain the same for the next decade or so, often not changing to account for employee preferences. 

That’s where environmental branding and interior design come into the equation.

Environmental branding can be so much more than a “logo behind a reception desk,” said Lorraine Kasznia, principal and workplace practice leader at Kahler Slater.

Environmental branding accentuates and enlivens spaces, adding an additional layer of character, she said. This can be done in a variety of ways, including wall coverings, patterned flooring, specialty lighting, digital displays or even living plant installations. The goal is to create something special, meaningful and fully integrated with the design of the space. 

When branding and design are placed with intention, the space engages users and creates a natural sense of belonging, according to the company. 

“While we know that people appreciate beautiful space, we also know engagement is formed through social and emotional connections,” Kasznia said.

When reimagining workspaces, Kahler Slater is designing beyond the optimization of physical space. The firm is addressing physiological, emotional and social needs, Kasznia said. This is accomplished by creating spaces conducive to forging social connections that elicit positive emotional responses. The firm is creating ecosystems that reflect the workplace’s emotional and social layers, she said.

“The office becomes a reflection of company identity and culture for current employees, new hires and potential clients,” Kasznia said. “It needs to work much harder, as with a hybrid schedule employees may be in the office fewer days.”

Branding impacts employee satisfaction and can positively affect a company’s return on investment, she added. 

One of the ways that companies can measure success is by looking at post-occupancy surveys. Is there improved satisfaction? Are employees feeling more engaged? Has their productivity gone up? Are more employees coming into the office?

One of Kahler Slater’s Chicago-based clients, bswift, opened a new 20K SF office this year, with an emphasis on growing the firm and improving the employee experience.

Located at 500 W. Monroe Street in the heart of downtown, Kahler Slater worked to reconfigure the space so that bswift employees and clients would feel a greater sense of community. This was achieved by adding graphics throughout the office and outfitting the interior with bwsift’s color palette.

“As we embarked on reimagining our bswift workspace in Chicago, it was critical that we created an environment that strongly reflected our brand, heritage and culture,” said Maria Keller, senior vice president of marketing and communications at bswift. “We could not be happier with the results. We've achieved a space that embraces and supports our workforce today, and a place people want to come to create, collaborate and work.” 

Kahler Slater workshops with clients first and guides them through the design process. The firm doesn't immediately start designing, however. It first helps clients uncover their pain points, what their culture is, where they’ve been in the past, what they’re doing now and where the future will lead them, Atlas said.

From there, the firm takes its client’s narrative and turns it into a newly designed space that aligns with the company’s needs and wishes.

“We like to think of investment in environmental branding and interior design as return on interaction, as opposed to return on investment,” Atlas said. “Sure, you can measure success by traditional metrics, or you can shift your perspective and look at how you’re able to innovate, incorporate diversity and stay ahead of the competition.”

This article was produced in collaboration between Kahler Slater and Studio B. Bisnow news staff was not involved in the production of this content.

Studio B is Bisnow’s in-house content and design studio. To learn more about how Studio B can help your team, reach out to [email protected].