This is what the ideal office looks like

We have never talked so much about the office as since its desertion with the crisis and the generalization of teleworking. It must be said that the questions did not take long to torment some: “What am I doing there?” Why am I at it? Can I part with it? “ Since many businesses have been able to continue well despite the distance, some detractors of the office building saw it as the ultimate proof that we could do without him, his walls often too gray, his sizzling neon lights and his machine. broken down coffee.

But the assertion is a little quickly carried out, because teleworking has its own faults. It is even experienced as hell by some of us. It's as if, after eagerly tasting the experience of getting up as late as possible and answering emails while still in bed, back pain has opened my eyes to some of the benefits of the office: a comfortable seat, a dual screen or an optimal internet connection.

Deco and design exit, hello good working conditions

“When asked ‘in the office: what matters to you?', We were surprised to learn that decoration and design were of little importance”, explains Stéphanie Auxenfans, general manager of Multiburo. With Local Offices, the two workspace rental companies set out to determine what the ideal office was by surveying 350 executives looking for such a location. And by far, the latter are in favor of two ultra basic ones: a good wifi connection (77% of respondents) and a comfortable seat (72%).

So the ideal office would just look like a place to work, and good. According to survey respondents, the office should be seen as an “essential working tool” more than a place “conducive to creativity”, “flexible and adaptable” or “like at home”, qualities of which we affix it regularly. Maybe you kick an open door, but in reality, the chemistry to make a space a good place to work is hard to come by.

For “Meet the fundamentals of ‘working well', it must be a place that lets in natural light, offering thermal comfort, calm, and ergonomic comfort”, explains Alain d'Iribarne, economist and sociologist of work cited by the study. More than half of those polled cite natural light as an essential for the ideal office: it induces being able to see the outside and tires the eyes less. Then follow the arrangements to limit the noise level and air conditioning of the premises. In comparison, the possibility of changing workstations and the presence of plants are of little importance to them.

A place of socialization that does not hamper the individual space

But beware. Now that it is possible to work from home, in socks and in conquered territory, companies must rack their brains to offer their employees what they have learned to love while being at home: an informal place to live. . Because “If the home, place of life par excellence, becomes a place of work, the office, until now a classic place of work, is now a place of life”, notes Alain d'Iribarne.

And as a place to live, the office must offer what is so lacking in the home: the possibility of spontaneously interacting with colleagues. This is indeed the main motivation for going to the office for survey respondents, ahead of the good conduct of professional projects. To facilitate spontaneous discussions and ensure that one dares to disturb his colleague for fifteen minutes, informal spaces must, according to Stéphanie Auxenfans, go beyond the cafeteria walls to favor, for example, the existence of outdoor spaces (balcony, terrace, interior courtyard, garden, etc.) which are more popular with respondents than closed spaces.

But this must not encroach on the individual spaces that allow one to isolate oneself to concentrate and make calls, especially when the company is in an open space. These seclusion places remain the priority of respondents, in front of good meeting rooms, while convivial spaces only come in fourth place.