Agencies Are Finding Themselves Reevaluating the Purpose of an Office

When it’s safe for staffers of Boston-based Hill Holliday to go back to the office, they’ll be greeted with a different space than what they saw pre-pandemic. The agency is relocating and outfitting a new space—a unique and perhaps daunting challenge considering people have spent the past year proving they don’t actually need an office to work. “We have really tough competition—we need to compete with people’s homes,” Hill Holliday’s chief creative officer Icaro Doria said. According to Doria, he’s tasked the agency’s architectural firm with one task: “Make it better than home.” He’s not alone in this predicament, as agencies consider what a return to the office looks like. Some are reimagining how their spaces can best be utilized while others are doing away with offices altogether. “A lot of them are thinking about the role of the office itself,” Jay Wilson, vp analyst at Gartner, said. “What types of tasks and collaboration require physical presence?” Learning experience Months before the pandemic hit, employees at Pereira O’Dell's San Francisco headquarters moved into a new space. Its leaders intend to keep the space, though staffers aren't required to return. “We’re not going to force people to go there; we need to give people a reason to want to go there,” Rob Lambrechts, chief creative officer at Pereira O’Dell, said. “The office actually needs to become an experience.” Lambrechts said the agency tossed around the idea of hiring an experience manager, someone dedicated to planning experiences that bring people into the office. Employees who come in during pitches could be treated to movies, guest speakers and other perks. “The office will only feel empty if we let it feel empty,” he said. Cutting edges Some agencies are simply downsizing, knowing it’s unlikely that their entire workforce will return en masse. Research recently conducted by Gartner found that a third of agencies are reevaluating their real estate investments. Gordon Zellner, founder and CEO of Evergreen Trading, an agency with offices in New York and Los Angeles, said he intends to cut at least 5,000 square feet by either renegotiating or moving to a new location. In the meantime, he’s researching hoteling, which involves treating the office like a hotel through reserved seating and alternating schedules. “We’re saving money by having a smaller footprint," he explained. "In return, we’re giving people more flexibility.” FCB New York moved into a new office before the pandemic hit. Emma Armstrong, president of FCB New York, said it’s currently in the process of working with an architectural firm to design a post-pandemic office, one that takes into account the new realities of working. She said hoteling was a potential option. “There’s no doubt that we’re moving toward a more flexible future, where work and life obligations are even more seamlessly interwoven,” Armstrong said. “We also can’t forget that we’re social creatures.” Work in Beta: Mother New York is in the process of moving its headquarters. While its staffers continue to work remotely, those who feel comfortable have the option of working from a temporary space called Mother in the Middle. Based in Brooklyn, N.Y., the space will be a place where the agency can experiment with everything from the food offered to modifiable furniture. Katie Longmyer, managing director and partner at Mother New York, said it gives employees the chance to create and collaborate together, while also providing the agency with a glimpse into what the future of work might look like. “It’s a space that has allowed us to open a dialogue within Mother and better understand how comfortable people are with meeting up physically,” Longmyer said. Work in Beta Mother New York is in the process of moving its headquarters. While its staffers continue to work remotely, those who feel comfortable have the option of working from a temporary space called Mother in the Middle. Based in Brooklyn, N.Y., the space will be a place where the agency can experiment with everything from the food offered to modifiable furniture. Katie Longmyer, managing director and partner at Mother New York, said it gives employees the chance to create and collaborate together, while also providing the agency with a glimpse into what the future of work might look like. “It’s a space that has allowed us to open a dialogue within Mother and better understand how comfortable people are with meeting up physically,” Longmyer said. Pilot program Public relations agency Golin is going one step further, getting rid of its Los Angeles and San Francisco offices altogether. Employees who work in these cities will take part in a pilot program that involves working from places that Golin secures relationships with. The money that was reserved for these office spaces will be put back into its West Coast operations to foster creative and coworking partnerships, talent development and resourcing. Coworking spaces akin to WeWork are the obvious choice, but Gary Rudnick, president and chief operating officer of Golin, said it’s possible that employees could end up working at museums, restaurants and warehouses, too. Rudnick said untethering employees from a dedicated desk or workspace might make it easier for employees to stay inspired and energized. “We could find in six months’ time that this isn’t good for our business and people. And then we’ll go get leases,” Rudnick explained. Much of the future of work will come down to giving employees the choice to work from where they want. Agencies that offer staffers the flexibility to do both will be one step ahead.