See inside a few of the coolest offices in North America, where frozen yogurt is served out of Airstreams and conference rooms have holograms. Should your office be on the list? Let us know.
Jordan Pandy
- Office use on average is around 50% of prepandemic levels in major cities like New York.
- Employers are responding with amped up perks and spaces that allow for hybrid work.
The office is under siege.
Office usage on average is around 50% of prepandemic levels in 10 major US cities tracked by Kastle Systems, which measures security card swipes into buildings, according to the Wall Street Journal. At the same time, employee engagement in work and the workplace has been declining since 2020, according to an annual Gallup poll that measures involvement and enthusiasm in the workplace.
It's a reckoning for large companies that continue to spend millions of dollars leasing office space, much of which goes unused. Some companies, in a bid to win remote workers back to in-person, are pulling out the stops with unusual perks and offering spaces that emulate the work-from-home atmosphere while fostering the collaboration that offices are meant for.
From T-Mobile's Airstream that's used as a frozen yogurt serving station in Bellevue, Washington, to Pinterest's speakeasy-like work room in Toronto, Canada, companies are showing that they're willing to use innovation and gimmicks to lure people back in. Take a peek at a few of the offices that are pulling ahead of the pack.
If your office opened after 2020 and you think it should be on this list, email reporter Jordan Pandy at jpandy@insider.com.
Pinterest's Toronto office features a variety of different meeting spaces.
This one, for example, was designed by Gensler to capture the experience of glamping.
The office is spread across three floors and has unique breakout areas throughout — like this speakeasy-style meeting room.
Gensler took cues from "favorite Canadiana pastimes" when designing the Toronto office.
T-Mobile's headquarters in Bellevue, Washington, has two floors of amenities — one with an Airstream serving frozen yogurt.
The campus also features outdoor spaces with seating, games, and work pods.
Outdoor spaces have become a must-have element for offices, as open-air concerns have become more prevalent due to the pandemic — plus people like to take a breath of fresh air during the day.
Insight's headquarters in Chandler, Arizona, has meeting rooms with digital smartboards and writable walls.
The technology helps the software company's 1,400 Arizona employees collaborate in a hybrid-work office. There's also plenty of spaces for informal gatherings.
The Savoy Club in Manhattan's General Motors Building is a 35,000-square-foot amenity area for workers.
The club opened in March, allowing employees of Estee Lauder and law firm Weil, Gotshal & Manges, among other building tenants, to take advantage of its fitness and health center, cafeteria, and conferencing suite.
The fitness center even comes with legit locker rooms equipped with pricey Dyson hairdryers.
An office building in Brooklyn also offers a fitness center for all building tenants.
Tenants of 25 Kent, including Amazon Music and streetwear brand Kith, also have access to a communal roof deck overlooking Manhattan, scooter rentals, and storage for up to 150 bikes — with an on-site repair shop for them.
Swedish developer Skanska is building its first Los Angeles office building in Beverly Hills.
Skanska has yet to announce the building's tenant, but it will open this summer.
9000 Wilshire includes outdoor workspaces, operable windows, and views from the rooftop deck.
Some companies are reimagining what offices can do. Cisco is developing a holographic component to its Webex meeting service.
With a Microsoft HoloLens headset on, employees will be able to conduct meetings in a holographic, 3D environment. It's a technology that could make its way into many offices, not just Cisco's.
Open-plan offices mean more demand for places to conduct sensitive phone calls or meetings. Office-furniture startup Room makes modular meeting spaces for one or a handful of people.
Room, which has sold wares to Google, Uber, and NASA, told Insider in December that its best-selling product is a $5,995 soundproof videoconferencing phone booth for solo calls.
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