Remember when going to work meant spending 9 to 5 inside four cream-colored walls?
Then along came the freelancers and the remote workers. Come 2016, we’ve got digital nomads who maintain jobs while traveling the world. Working between Malaysia and Thailand is now as easy as switching tabs on a browser.
And that changed the work-from-home stereotype from spending the day in your pyjamas to spending the day in a hip coworking space. But along with the change, came an air of disconcert over traditional HR departments.
“When people can work from anywhere they want, how do you tempt them to come to the office?”
The answer? Create a place where your employees love to spend their time.
Include spaces for people to socialise. Add a kitchen. Or a bar. And how about a place for staff to take that 15 minute power nap?
Here’s the top 9 offices that have aced the “I want to spend my whole life here” notion:
1. Instagram, Menlo Park
Instagram’s office is, naturally, the most Instagrammable place on the planet. There’s even a “creation booth” where you can adjust the lighting to create a sunset or sunrise backdrop for your photos. The office is predominantly white, with splashes of color from the huge digital gallery that displays content from Instagram itself. They even have a library with coloring books.
2. Coconut, Marseille
France-based tech startup Coconut think creativity comes from our childhood. That’s why they’ve filled their eighties-style office with arcade machines and retro comics. Alongside the games, you’ll find lounge chairs and comfortable couches for employees to relax. Game of foosball, anyone?
3. Etsy, New York
Launched in 2005, Etsy is an online marketplace for creatives to sell the things they make.That’s why 50% of the items inside their artsy Brooklyn pad have been handmade by local artists and Etsy sellers. And it doesn’t stop there. You can even sign yourself up to one of the office’s monthly craft workshops, covering skills all the way from sewing to printmaking
4. AirBnB, San Francisco
Ever logged in to AirBnB just to glean some interior design inspiration from other people’s apartments? We’d like to say we haven’t either. But AirBnB took it to a whole new level with their San Francisco HQ. The building features eight meeting rooms that are modelled exactly on some of the site’s quirkiest listings from all around the world. Brainstorming in the Mexican log cabin? Don’t mind if we do.
5. Uniplaces, Lisbon
Unlike its name would imply, the Uniplaces HQ is far from reminiscent of your college digs. Housed in an old railway station, the student-housing startup’s office pays homage to Christopher Columbus with its nautical decor. Ship ropes and nautical spheres scatter the building, alongside a giant rope net which doubles up as a communal hammock.
6. Bahnhof, Stockholm
This underground data centre looks more like a James Bond set than the HQ of a Swedish Internet provider. Located in an old nuclear bunker from the Cold War and sealed off by doors no less than 40 cm thick, Bahnhof’s HQ is reportedly able to withstand a direct hit from a hydrogen bomb. The office even boasts its own daylight environment complete with greenhouses, waterfalls, and a 2600-litre fish tank.
7. Couchsurfing, San Francisco
At Couchsurfing, meetings happen on couches. The office is full of them, naturally. You can also take a seat on one of the swings that hang down from the building’s beautiful wooden loft space, or one of the many beanbags scattered around. Alongside the indoor trees and multiple parasols, you might as well be on a Costa Rican veranda about to take a yoga class.
8. Kurgo, Salisbury
Most offices are built for human comfort. But pet-accessory brand Kurgo’s HQ is designed with a man’s best friend in mind. The Massachusetts startup built its office in a warehouse, with meeting rooms in bright yellow shipping bunkers that resemble kennels. Each desk space takes the form of a pen, complete with fake grass for our furry friends.
9. MOO, London
Digital printing company MOO’s colorful offices encompass the creativity at the heart of their brand. The London-based startup helps people design and print their business stationery. And the 60 metre rainbow paper installation suspended above their workplace serves as a daily reminder of the beauty you can achieve with simple materials.
Psstt. The Typeform offices are also pretty cool. It’s like a jungle in here, with 736 potted plants. Care to take a peek inside?