How to turn your offices into an HR asset?

What is more important to you: quality of life at work or salary? This question was asked last year by the Toluna survey institute to a sample of 1,050 employees. And it turns out that 73% of those questioned believe that these two elements are equally important! 13% of French people even go so far as to say that well-being at work comes before salary in terms of priority. Deskeo explains how to capitalise on your offices to attract, nurture, cultivate and retain talent. Learn from them...

To attract talent, rethink your offices!

How can you make your workspace a fertile ground for your talents to grow? Don't panic, we'll clear the way! Location, furniture, layout, it doesn't take much to make your office a place where you feel good and where you can put down roots...

Find the right location

According to an OpinionWay study for Atland, the most important criterion for choosing an office location is ease of access from home (87%). Today, no one wants to travel 2 hours a day to get to work. However, proximity also means locating offices according to the company's activity. A law firm will know how to acclimatise to a business district, while a start-up will make its mark in a wasteland district. Whether it's having lunch with a prospect, a coffee with a supplier, or just dropping by the house between noon and midday, new recruits want to enjoy a neighbourhood life that combines the useful with the pleasant.

This is the choice made by Julia Bijaoui, co-founder of Frichti, who recently moved into her new offices by Deskeo in the 11th arrondissement of Paris. A neighbourhood in the vein of the company, where the majority of employees live, and which houses restaurants, cafés and afterwork. In short, perfect harmony!

Organise the space

The open space is dead, we are told. And it is true that the health crisis has shown its limits. According to the report entitled "New work spaces and the employee experience" by the Spinoza Factory, an observatory of happiness at work, 93% of millennials no longer want a traditional office and dream of their office resembling a Californian start-up (41%), an artist's studio (23%), a house (16%)... In any case, the majority of young workers (52%) are convinced that the work space will help them to be more innovative. So you'll have to rack your brains to spice up your workspace and make it more attractive. This is known as the "workplace strategy", a tactic that consists of transforming a traditional office into a "live, play, work" environment.

Taking into account the plurality of personalities (introverted or extroverted), culture and corporate values, the workspace becomes plural, alternating between spaces dedicated to concentration (calm, silent) and living spaces dedicated to conviviality. More than just decoration, the layout of the workspace is a lever for quality of life at work and therefore a real recruitment asset... If you don't know where to start, call in a pro!

Practical: Deskeo can assist you in the search, design and maintenance of your next office. Our experts have already designed offices for OpenClassrooms, Doctrine, Shell, Matera, Hubspot and AB Tasty.

Choose the right tools

Back pain is considered to be the disease of the century. It is estimated that 80% of people will suffer from back pain during their lifetime. A pain associated with our particularly sedentary way of working. Sitting at a desk, with their backs bent over the computer, employees wither away. And it is up to the company to give them a helping hand! This is a legitimate expectation of all employees: a workspace that allows an adapted posture. Ergonomic furniture, which promotes good sitting, is particularly appreciated. The success of the "sitting ball" or "swiss ball", coloured balloons filled with air that litter the floor of open spaces, is proof of this... Following the example of Bloon, which offers a design model. There is a wide range of furniture for working without getting stuck! In particular, sit-stand desks that force you to move...

Focus on corporate culture

A company's identity is built on its offices. Terrace, garden, plant atmosphere, nap room and cafeteria, everything must embody the company's DNA. The list of good places to work is constantly growing: Google, BlaBlaCar, Alan, Leboncoin... There is even a list of the best places to work, called Great Place To Work. And guess what? Corporate culture is everywhere! Colour, logo and design flourish on the walls, and the company lives through them. The company culture is common to all. It helps to maintain unity among employees and, above all, to create a sense of belonging. It is this culture that will create affection in the employee, that will push him to identify with and adhere to the company's codes and values. All this makes them want to make their mark...

Observe the exposure of the site

Like plants, we need daylight to develop. Sleep, mood, memory, immunity... The list of biological effects of daylight on our health is long. Light enters the body through the eye, which, linked to the brain, sends the information "day" or "night" to our internal biological clock. As a result, daylight has a huge impact on our fatigue. It is therefore in your interest to make your offices as bright as possible. Reflective walls, glass walls, large windows, skylights and light therapy lamps - let there be light!

Sprinkle the office with little touches

Many people have experienced the isolation of teleworking. More than ever, the office is no longer conceived as a simple place where you come to work, but more as a place to live and meet. It is ultimately where the links that are essential to the social cohesion of your company are created. This is what will make your employees want to come to the office! So put the emphasis on convivial spaces. Nap room, snack bar, relaxation area, phone booths, cafeteria... sprinkle the office with little touches. Your employees will feel cocooned. There's no need to fly to other skies when you feel so good in your own nest!

Let them take root

Who hasn't walked into an office full of family photos and other memorabilia? In the single corporate culture, the individual cultures of each employee are lost. But it's important to give your teams points of reference and places that resemble them. Baubles, family photos, a souvenir mug, an ergonomic mouse pad, let them bring in objects that are familiar to them. This will help to brighten up and personalise the office. These are all touches of humanity in the company.

And if you are a flex-office fan, why not offer to leave them in their lockers at the end of the day! "Feel like home" is more than a trend, otherwise why would you imagine offices that look like a house?

To take it a step further, your employees are also part of the office. Don't hesitate to back up the wall with their photos for a playful organisation chart. What better way to humanise and visualise the company than with a nice organisation chart when you have visitors?

Now that your offices are looking good and the talent is growing by leaps and bounds, how do you attract those who haven't yet set up shop? What if offices were the ideal place to attract new talent?

Showcase office: the right breeding ground for recruitment

Being identified as a great place to live is a great asset for HR. It is here, in your offices, that the company's story is told. Its brand, its values, its atmosphere and the profiles that work there shape its image. It is through the workspace that the company can differentiate itself and attract talent. Bringing the office out into the open? Let's get started!

Capture beautiful images

How can you show the layout, design and atmosphere of an office if not through photography? This is the small revolution that Welcome to the Jungle has led. Entering the intimacy of companies to show its crunchy (and rewarding) underside. The social room, the creative office, the open space, the canteen... Thanks to the image, your future recruits will be able to quickly identify the company and put faces on a team. The photo shoot is the little seed planted in the heads of candidates... Watered on your Careers page, your Linkedin recruiter space and all your job boards, the seed will soon sprout!

Practical: to enhance your offices, we recommend that you use a professional who will provide you with an impeccable image quality in record time for a few dozen euros. To find the right professional, platforms like Shoootin, Meero or Ocus are your allies!

Dig your own hole

A bit like looking for an apartment, one of the first things a candidate will do after seeing an advert that interests them is to look for where the offices are located. In short, they will "google" the name of the company. Make it easy for them! Do the test, which pages come up first on Google when you type "Name of your company + offices"? Take control of your Google MyBusiness page which will systematically appear in the right-hand column. Update your postal address, put pictures of your offices to catch the eye... Then do the same with as many platforms as possible in order to control at least all the results on the 1st Google page. Facebook, Linkedin, Twitter, Glassdoor... take over the field without limits!

Take pictures on office walls

To continue with the image... Your employees have one too. And it's always good to put a face and sometimes even a voice to a name. Video, photos of your employees, do not hesitate to promote them on your website or your networks. This will increase your company's goodwill and your teams' sense of belonging. All these elements will make your employees want to proudly share their professional adventures on social networks. Ideal for attracting new customers, but also potential candidates!

Implement your culture on the networks

How about a team photo here, a video in the office there, a company event here and a team visit there... The attractiveness of your company is also measured on social networks. Take the famous companies Frichti or Michel et Augustin, didn't they stand out on the Net? And the offices played a key role! Have you never heard of their HQs designed in their image: "La manufacture" and "La Bananeraie"? Work hand in hand with the marketing and communication teams to immortalise the events held in your offices with beautiful photos or short videos to be relayed on social networks... You will soon reap the rewards!

Make a pot: fun activities in the office

An interactive webinar in your company? Or an evening with a well-chosen theme? A cooking workshop, a treasure hunt... Your offices can be transformed into a theatre, an auditorium, a photo studio or a playground for an evening or an afternoon. Organising fun activities in the office will help your employees to make the place their own and to feel really comfortable. Like the little thumb, sow small seeds here and there, and you will soon reap the rewards!

In short, you will have understood that it is in your interest to look after your offices as you would a garden. Put your heart into it and tell yourself that all these efforts will have a short-term impact on your employees and in the long term on your employer brand...

It's up to you!