The corporate world just got more cosy, comfy & compassionate
CUBICLES ARE PASSé, BEAN BAGS ARE COOL — NEW WORKSPACES ARE ANYTHING, BUT BORING
Workspaces as we knew once upon a time, don’t exist anymore. You don’t have to call your boss — Sir or Ma’am. First name or last name works. Meetings are taking place around the pool table. Goodbye boardrooms. Mum-dad can partake in nappy changing — nothing more beautiful than parents getting time to nurture their little one. The doors of the office are now open to your pets as well. Yes, you don’t have to leave the kitten behind. Free zone aside, now there are co-working spaces. Don’t stress if you don’t have money to invest in an office — simply rent a cubicle or a conference room — and enjoy it as your own with WiFi and coffee. Don’t have time to hit the gym? Check with your HR, they may enroll you for a fitness program. Corporate dressing too is gradually undergoing a change. We’re becoming forgiving towards women, who are walking in the office in flat shoes. Thank God! Interestingly, Hopscotch, the first support platform in the MENA region, is set to launch an offering purely for female professionals looking for flexible working options. Says their co-founder Helen McGuire, “We quickly realised that sourcing flexible work for women was only half the battle. Ensuring women follow a path to senior management and building confidence is key to progress.”
In short, if you’ve got an idea, the UAE has your back — from rules rolled out by the government to developments in the field of infrastructure, food apps delivering balanced lunches at your work desk to yoga classes in conference rooms — the corporate world is getting more cosy, comfy, and compassionate.
Many offices in the UAE are beginning to introduce changes in their design to tick all employee wellness and satisfaction boxes. At Khaleej Times, we’ve made space for bean bags — trust us, we’re ideating better. Cornflakes have made way to our pantry. The who’s who of Dubai are regular speakers (#MeettheCEO) in our office now — they share their success stories and we get inspired to go that extra mile. Yes, we hear you — no workspace is perfect, but we seem to be getting there, right? Have a nice working week.