Western Daily Press (Saturday)
Minister, this is how to get staff scooting back to the office...
THE opening of what is quite probably Bristol’s trendiest office space is enough to leave Jacob Rees-Mogg MP in a tailspin.
The West MP and Government efficiency minister is a noted enthusiast for staff working in the office rather than at home.
But it is difficult to imagine that the inclusion of an electric scooter track inside cybersecurity firm Immersive Labs new premises is quite to the North East Somerset MP’s taste.
The MP is frequently lampooned for his Victorian tastes and he would possibly prefer to see staff riding a penny-farthing around the sixthfloor offices instead of the scooters that have become ubiqituous in central Bristol.
One thing he or Prime Minister Boris Johnson – who last week said that people working from home could be tempted away from work by the presence of cheese in their fridge – can’t argue against though is Immersive Labs’ rapid growth and productivity.
Its playful new headquarters, which takes up the entire 16,000 square feet of the sixth floor of The Programme, Bristol’s curved office building in All Saints Street, is necessary due to its growth.
The firm is co-headquartered in Bristol and Boston and has more than 300 employees worldwide.
Its innovative Cyber Workforce Optimization platform is helping leading enterprises around the world, including defence and financial institutions.
The new office – designed by Bath firm Interaction – not only includes a scooter pathway, so staff can ride from space to space, but also has a games room and areas named after famous Formula 1 circuits.
The stunning new workspace features soft curves throughout, while spaces and walkways are designed to be fluid to encourage movement.
Other key design features include a soundproof podcast room, a wellness suite where staff enjoy regular lunchtime yoga sessions, and a green wall of foliage which greets visitors entering the office.
Emily Farrington, project lead at Immersive Labs, said: “When it came to appointing a design and build partner to work on our project, the Interaction team really stood out.
“Their knowledge of the post-Covid workplace was essential for helping understand the way we need to work, and their passion, design flair and storytelling ensured all stakeholders were brought quickly onside.
“The whole project has been a game-changer for Immersive Labs. We now have a jaw-dropping, worldclass office in which to house some of the UK’s top tech talent.”
Mr Rees-Mogg has been criticised by opposition parties and trade unions for leaving hand-written cards on the empty Whitehall desks of civil servants working from home.
And the managing director of Interaction argues that companies which want to recruit and retain top talent need to offer more ‘carrot’ so that staff want to come to the office.
Dieter Wood said: “We’re really excited to deliver this playful new office space for Immersive Labs.
“The firm wanted its new headquarters to be compelling, characterful and cool – in short, they wanted to attract the brightest minds by offering the best employee experience.
“Happy and engaged employees get more high-quality work done and are likely to stay at their company longer.
“It can also increase staff wellbeing and encourage greater collaboration if you get the work/fun balance right.”
Bath-based Interaction has been creating workplaces for ambitious organisations across the South West since 1992 – it describes its mission as banishing boring offices.