WSA Featured in Work Design Magazine
Client Love Letters to The Office: Top Office Wishes for 2024
WSA President, Tim Hawk, FAIA, and Studio Leader, Natalia Lebedin, AIA, were recently featured in Work Design Magazine. Their article, Client Love Letters to The Office: Top Office Wishes for 2024 was feature in Work Design’s Expert Insights.
Work Design Magazine is a thoughtfully curated digital publication with a global reach. The magazine focuses on the innovative design of the places we work, the performance of individuals, and value for the organization. The publication provides a forum to foster discussion and information sharing in the digital world, on social media, and at workplace-focused events.
Tim and Natalia’s editorial explores client engagement, and how collecting real-world love letters to the workplace can provide insights into what clients and employees truly want to see in workplace design.
Read an excerpt of the article below.
Click here to visit the full article in Work Design Magazine.
Client Love Letters to The Office: Top Office Wishes for 2024
As organization and workforce leaders formalize more return-to-office policies to attract and retain talent, they are rethinking their workspaces to align environments with new strategies and priorities that emerged coming out of the pandemic. In other words, they are telling architects and designers that things have changed – again.
The wish list of today looks different than that of last year, and maybe even that of last month. And, ironically, the one constant is that no two are exactly alike. Clients – and more specifically, employees that are impacted by workplace (re)designs – are asking for design solutions that support organizational goals, offer flexibility within thoughtful structure, create engaging environments, and reflect shared values.
Don’t take it at face value, but straight from the source. A love letter to the office might sound a little silly, but it is an engaging tool to employ during the predesign process. From the C-suite, to managers, to associates, and facilities staff, everyone not only interacts with the office in different ways but feels differently in and about the workplace. The love letters are a unique way to get people thinking about the way their space makes them feel, and how they want to feel. And these insights can help guide designers as they create spaces that meet modern needs.
Aligning Physical Space to Meet Organizational Strategy
“I love how you’ve evolved over the years, through technology and education. I am looking forward to seeing you grow even more.”
– Love Letter response from a client associate.
The top request from clients is to link physical workspace solutions to their overarching business objectives. To do that, it’s important to understand the character of the workplace. Is it a collaborative culture built on participation? A hierarchical culture with clear lines of accountability? An adhocracy of organic decision making? Or is the emphasis on individual performance?
Knowing the answer to this question can differentiate design solutions. By knowing where an organization stands – and just as importantly where they want to go – workplace designers can develop solutions for how an organization works and wants to work. . . CONTINUE READING THE FULL ARTICLE ON WORKDESIGN.COM