Expert Interview: Office Design Trends for 2021

According to a Parella study, 40% of French companies believe their office layout does not align with their strategy and is poorly suited to new ways of working. As hybrid work becomes widespread, companies now need to rethink the workplace, to make it more collaborative, welcoming, and comfortable.

To better understand which office layouts to prioritize this year, we spoke with three experts on the topic:

• Anne-Sophie Mulliez, Interior Architect, Co-founder and President of Bloom Inside, a firm specializing in design-driven, ergonomic, and eco-responsible workspaces
• Henri Coulloumme, Associate Consultant specializing in lighting and acoustics at Bloom Inside
• Camille Rabineau, New Workplace Consultant and Founder of Comme on travaille, a consulting firm specializing in collaborative design of innovative work environments

In this cross-interview, they share the latest office design trends and their benefits for companies and employees.

The Workplace as a Driver of Quality of Work Life

For Anne-Sophie Mulliez, “office design plays an essential role in quality of work life (QVT). C’est pourquoi les entreprises doivent créer un environnement de travail qui soit le plus confortable, stimulant et collaboratif possible pour leurs salariés.”

However, “the office is no silver bullet,” adds Camille Rabineau. “Because quality of work life lies at the heart of work itself: it depends on the job description, type of tasks, workload, relationships with colleagues, and so on.

You can have the finest offices in the world, but if the pace of work is unsustainable and management ignores employee well-being, the office quickly becomes irrelevant.

Ideally, workplace design must therefore be part of a broader approach that encompasses all dimensions of QWL.”

Office Design Trends

Long-standing Trends Gaining Momentum

Pour Camille Rabineau, “la crise Covid est venue conforter plusieurs tendances d’aménagement qui existent déjà depuis plusieurs années.”

The flex office

First, “there is strong demand for flex office”, c’est-à-dire un bureau où les employés ne disposent pas de poste attitré. 

“Indeed, the rise of remote work allows companies to optimize their real estate footprint by rotating on-site employees. Some use this to reduce floor space or reinvest it in more collaborative areas”, explains Anne-Sophie Mulliez.

Open-plan Layouts

For all three experts, the move away from closed offices continues to gain ground. “Companies no longer want individual offices where employees remain isolated from their colleagues. Younger generations increasingly embrace collaborative work et les interactions.  

The challenge now is to make open-plan spaces more welcoming and collaborative, while minimizing their downsides: limited space, noise, poor lighting, and so on,”, says the interior architect.

Activity-based Design

As a result of this open-plan shift, “companies will seek to offer employees a greater variety of workspaces aux salariés, notamment : 

• spaces for individual work,
• spaces for collaboration,
• and de convivialité.

Depending on the task at hand, employees can choose the zone that suits them best”, explains Camille Rabineau.

New Trends for 2021

Depuis la crise Covid, the office has taken on a new purpose. It is no longer just a place to work, but a space to connect, collaborate, and stay close to colleagues. In response to these needs, several new trends have emerged this year.

A Healthier Workplace

Health and physical distancing measures in place for over a year have changed how we perceive the office. “Employees now want to work in a healthy environment”, one that protects their physical and mental health, says the founder of Comme on travaille.

In practice, this means reinforcing standard hygiene measures, as well as “investing more in air quality, for instance by installing filtration systems”, adds Henri Coulloumme.

More Ergonomic and Smart Workstations

“One key priority will be to better equip offices for collaborative work et la video conferencing, both in terms of infrastructure and software”, continues Camille Rabineau. “Be careful, however, not to overdo video conference meetings to avoid collaborative overload.”

“Beyond video conferencing, companies can invest in room booking systems, to optimize office space utilization”, concludes Henri Coulloumme.

“We will also move toward flexible and smart furniture and equipment. For example, individual lighting systems with adjustable brightness are recommended. Et des panneaux acoustiques pour absorber le bruit.

For flex-office companies, the challenge will be to raise furniture quality standards across the board, so that employees always find a high level of comfort regardless of where they choose to sit.”

More Modular Furniture

“In my view, traditional meeting rooms are no longer suited to how we work. Collaborative spaces will need to be equipped with more modular furniture et léger, to encourage interaction and participatory meeting formats”, révèle Camille Rabineau. 

“For example, large fixed tables and chairs can be replaced by bean bags, rolling stools, and sit-stand tables that allow people to move freely around the space.”

Une décoration personnalisée 

On the décor front, “the trend is toward greening spaces, using real and artificial plants alike. Jungle effects can be created with living walls or botanical wall coverings.

The industrial style, featuring glass partitions and a mix of wood and black metal legs, remains highly sought after. It can be refreshed with ethnic colors and patterns, and rattan or bamboo accessories.

Some companies also opt for a “mix and match” approach, combining existing furniture with vintage pieces of various styles for a deliberately eclectic and colorful effect,” explains Anne-Sophie Mulliez.

“L’objectif est de créer un personalized design by mixing styles, to avoid anything that feels too standardized”, adds Henri Coulloumme.

Embracing Eco-responsible Practices

“Companies also place great importance on the durability of furniture in their design projects”, the consultant continues.

“That is why we recommend purchasing eco-designed or second-hand furniture. We also favor recyclable or repairable fabrics and materials, including wood from sustainably managed forests.” An environmental concern that, according to Henri Coulloumme, is set to intensify in the years ahead.

Benefits for Companies and Employees

These office design trends can bring significant benefits for both companies and employees. Here are the key takeaways:

Benefits for Companies

“One of the main benefits for companies will be making employees want to come back to the office more often”, estime Camille Rabineau. Car l’aménagement des bureaux est aussi ce qui contribue à améliorer l’employee experience and retain talent. “The result: a stronger company culture, improved productivity, and a stronger employer brand”, adds Anne-Sophie Mulliez.

Some layouts can also help companies save money. For example, “le flex office permettrait de réduire le nombre de postes de travail de 25 % en moyenne. Soit une économie de 4 000 € par an par salarié”, estimates Henri Coulloumme.

“Attention cependant à réinjecter tout ou partie de ces économies dans l’amélioration du confort et des services proposés aux employés, pour viabiliser ce mode d’organisation sur le long terme. »

Benefits for Employees

For employees, these changes are an opportunity to “work in better conditions, but also to reconnect with their team”, explique Camille Rabineau. 

“I believe the office will become a refuge where employees come to work and stay connected with their colleagues. There is no denying it: maintaining good relationships with coworkers is a key factor in workplace well-being”.

How to Measure the ROI of These Office Designs

Une fois vos aménagements terminés, vous vous demandez probablement : comment mesurer le retour sur investissement ? Voici donc les indicateurs qualitatifs et quantitatifs que vous pouvez suivre. 

For Henri Coulloumme, “it is important to regularly survey employees to measure satisfaction with their work environment, for example using the IBET© index”.

“Through these surveys, you can in particular assess employees’ motivation to come into the office. If you find that employees dislike coming in and want to work remotely more than usual, you can conclude there is room for improvement”, adds Camille Rabineau.

“Several quantitative indicators can also be tracked, including:

• savings on workstations,
• energy and operational savings from purchasing higher-performance, durable furniture and equipment,
• turnover rate,
• absenteeism rate,
• individual employee performance in the office”, concludes Henri Coulloumme.

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You now know all the design trends to follow to create an optimal workplace. All that remains is to put them in place and measure their impact on your employees. Do you have questions or want to share your experience on this topic? Contact us.

Looking for more ideas to improve the work experience for your employees? Download our practical guide!