After Covid Closures, a New Quest to Make Places of work Much less Terrible

Employers say places of work should be higher—and simpler—within the pandemic period to constantly draw workers. To assist, firms are rolling out new software program to permit workers to higher coordinate their visits with colleagues, whereas others are renovating areas, upgrading in-office catering choices or appointing staffers to watch the workplace expertise. A lot of firms are additionally experimenting with scheduling, with some setting “engagement days” when all workers will probably be required to attend.

The purpose is to make places of work extra like a vacation spot, stated

Leena Nair,

chief human sources officer at

Unilever

PLC, which expects its workers to ultimately work in places of work about 40% of the time. In current months, because it reopened places of work, Unilever has created particular days when a number of groups can collect within the workplace on the identical time, Ms. Nair stated.

“We’re studying new methods,” she stated, including that the corporate needs to stop colleagues from working in isolation, the place, “you get in your flooring, you’re the one particular person round—nobody else has are available that day.”

Bodily areas are additionally morphing, usually to higher help teams of workers. Know-how big

Salesforce.com Inc.

turned govt places of work in its San Francisco headquarters into small group convention rooms open to all workers. It is usually tripling the scale of some eating areas, shifting out desks and including extra couches, TVs and whiteboards for groups to collect. Most places of work can have about 60% of area dedicated to collaboration, up from 40% previous to the pandemic, stated

Brent Hyder,

president and chief folks officer of Salesforce.

“We’re creating areas in order that, when our groups come collectively, they’ve a spot that’s inspiring to them,” he stated. “What you’ll see is these buildings are primarily used for folks to return collectively.”

Different firms are hoping model new buildings will draw folks again. Consulting big

Accenture

PLC this spring opened a brand new workplace on the high of New York’s One Manhattan West tower close to the Hudson Yards growth. The workplace is open to workers on a voluntary foundation. Facilities embrace entry to an out of doors terrace, sweeping views of the Hudson River and New York skyline, together with an interfaith prayer room, tech-free “reflection zones,” yoga and wellness areas and dozens of convention rooms, stated Jack Azagury, Accenture’s market unit lead for the northeastern U.S. For individuals who decide in, a brand new system accessible through an inner app that’s in growth can assist Accenture workers discover their colleagues who could also be seated on different flooring, Mr. Azagury stated.

To entice folks, Accenture in current months has additionally supplied staffers free lunch coupons on Mondays and Fridays, when the workplace tends to be much less busy. The corporate has additionally organized volunteer occasions, glad hours and different group actions within the workplace.

“There must be a objective for coming in,” Mr. Azagury stated, including some could use the area for heads-down work, too. “You need to create a pull, not a push. And to create that pull, and to have folks need to are available, I feel the workplace area must be designed with that in thoughts.”

When the French pharmaceutical firm

Sanofi SA

opens a brand new headquarters in Paris subsequent yr, the corporate plans to improve its catering, including choices for breakfast and an early dinner, figuring out that many workers will doubtless commute fewer days to the workplace, however could need to squeeze in additional conferences and time on-site with friends after they do attend.

“If persons are solely coming in two days to the workplace, we wish them to have the ability to max it,” stated

Paul Hudson,

the corporate’s chief govt.

Different employers say setting clear expectations will be useful. On the wealth-management agency Hightower, the corporate has instructed workers they are going to be anticipated to be within the workplace six days a month when a newly renovated headquarters area opens in Chicago subsequent yr. All workers will probably be requested to create a set day within the workplace per week, and to additionally attend two necessary “engagement days” every month, when the corporate plans to have all-company conferences, stated Bob Oros, the chairman and CEO. The corporate may even permit workers to skip coming into the workplace one month a yr to allow them to work wherever they need, he stated.

The corporate gutted its headquarters within the pandemic, eliminating darkish woods and cubicles whereas elevating the ceiling, including extra pure gentle and making a extra cohesive look, Mr. Oros stated. “We wish our workspace to be someplace folks need to be—after they stroll in, they’re glad to be there,” he stated.

The corporate not too long ago promoted a former govt assistant into a brand new position as an worker expertise specialist, centered partly on making the workplace a fascinating place to work. Mr. Oros stated he may foresee bringing in baristas, motivational audio system, comedians or others to inject some enjoyable into the workplace. About 150 folks work at its headquarters.

Hightower may even set an annual calendar for the engagement days, so colleagues can plan round them and attend. The considering, Mr. Oros stated, is that these days will be reserved for colleagues to satisfy new friends or to talk with people with whom they don’t usually work together. In any other case, Mr. Oros stated, he apprehensive workers would not often be in the identical place directly.

“Once you actually give it some thought, wow, we may very well be in a world the place we by no means have all of our folks collectively. It really made me unhappy,” Mr. Oros stated. “It actually, actually issues to have folks collectively.”

—Emily Glazer contributed to this text.

Write to Chip Cutter at chip.cutter@wsj.com