Alice in Wonderland and a Lego safari: bringing the fun to offices

Providers such as Office Space in Town have realised the importance of injecting a sense of fun into the workplace.

Sustainable, healthy and fun: this describes today’s best offices. Companies have been reflecting on the importance of creating the “right” office and on the features occupiers regard as most important. This is crucial for landlords, as it leads to tenant stickiness, as well as for employers, as it promotes productivity and talent retention. There is a growing awareness that promoting mental wellbeing in the workplace creates supportive and healthy environments.

Well over half (58%) of tenants prioritise wellness as the most important aspect of office life, according to a survey conducted by Office Space in Town (OSiT), a provider of flexible workspaces in London’s central zone 1 and Cardiff. For the company’s tenants, wellness ranks above features such as location and sustainability. 

“It is clear that wellness is the top priority for employees in today’s office environment,” says Sarah Singlehurst, co-founder of OSiT. “Workers are no longer satisfied with uninspiring, purely functional offices. They seek workplaces that actively support their wellbeing while bringing imagination and creativity into the everyday work experience.”

As health and wellbeing are seen as fundamental to stimulate productivity, OSiT has designed its offices with amenities to “inspire and energise the people who use them”. These include biophilic design elements and a “reflection room” to unwind, relax and recharge during and after work, but also rooftop bars, onsite gyms, fitness studios and speakeasy-style games lounges. Recently, OSiT added hotel-style bedrooms at its offices in London’s Monument area for employees who commute from outside the city and want a night on the town, or have an early-morning meeting.

Employee health and wellbeing

The mayor’s office has encouraged businesses to improve employee health and wellbeing through the London Healthy Workplace Charter. Now known as the Good Work Standard, this free accreditation programme for employers aims to improve the working lives of Londoners by bringing together best practice as well as links to resources and support for employers.

Many offices have features such as biophilic design, natural light, fitness amenities, yoga studios, relaxation rooms, living walls and plant-filled terraces, but a sense of fun is crucial to mental wellbeing.

Each of OSiT’s London offices is designed around a different playful theme: the one in Liverpool Street is inspired by the Monopoly board game and the Waterloo one by Lewis Carroll’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. Quirky features of the Blackfriars office’s “happiness” motif include a hot-air balloon, a space-themed room, life-size Lego figurines and a safari-themed meeting room where giraffe heads poke out of a green wall.

“We have been at OSiT Blackfriars since 2019, and the beautiful space – especially the outdoor area and gym – has hugely supported our team’s wellbeing and productivity,” says Rachael Ferguson, UK office manager for Mendix, an application development platform.

“The design of our offices and the uplifting environment made a real difference to our employees’ mental health when they returned after the pandemic.”