Member Article

Hootsuite re-imagines London office at LABS 90 High Holborn for future of work

People-led approach sees new office prioritise collaboration and employee wellbeing

Hootsuite, the global leader in social media management, today announced the opening of its re-imagined London Nest (office space). Alongside one of London’s leading flexible workspace providers, LABS, Hootsuite’s redesigned Holborn-based office space puts workforce preferences, employee wellbeing and the future of work front of mind.

Hootsuite puts people first, so it listened to its people – or ‘Owls’ – about what they wanted in their workspace today. An internal survey found that 62% of its 105 London Owls would prefer to go into the office 1-3 days a week and 30% would prefer to head in just a couple times a month. It also became clear that mental health had been greatly impacted by pandemic-related isolation, and that people were looking for spaces that supported collaboration and opportunities for connection. The majority of Owls were looking for connectedness while still having the ability to work from home and design their own work style.

“Throughout the COVID-19 crisis, Hootsuite has taken the approach of an employee-led distributed workforce strategy. Now that people are returning to the office, we wanted to ensure these spaces are designed for the return to work and that our employees feel comfortable and are able to be the best version of themselves in the workplace,” said Karen Chapman, EMEA Office Manager, Hootsuite. “The LABS team have been superb as we collaborate with them to customise the space to accommodate future ways of working that best support our Owls.”

Hootsuite’s London office has been situated at LABS 90 High Holborn since 2019. The space’s natural light, large open plan design, spacious shared kitchen area and LABS amenities were among the many attractions of the space. The plan for the London office’s redesign was finalised towards the end of June 2021 and the refurbishment was fully completed in January 2022. After closing its doors throughout government-mandated lockdowns during the pandemic, Hootsuite welcomed back its London Owls on 14th February 2022, operating at a limited capacity with COVID-19 safety guidelines in mind.

“Our focus was to collaborate with the Hootsuite team on the redesign of their space to move away from an uninspiring sea of desks. The result is a fun, intuitive and innovative environment that meets Hootsuite’s needs, while also suiting the demands of the modern worker,” said Matt Watts, Chief Commercial Officer at LABS. “Listening to our client’s needs is an essential part of our business, so that we can use our expertise to turn their aspirations into a reality.”

Prior to the refurbishment, Hootsuite had 126 assigned desks in the space. There are now 80 unassigned desks, all of which are bookable in advance via the Robin app, which is also used to manage Hootsuite meeting room bookings. Over 50 traditional workstations were removed from the workspace to make room for more community and wellbeing-focused areas.

Other new points of interest include additional collaborative and relaxed soft-seating areas, 16 sit-stand desks, two under-desk treadmills and two under-desk bikes, a dedicated wellness room, biophilia across the whole space, art and whiteboards in most meeting rooms, a dedicated quiet Focus Zone complete with an acoustic screen, and day-use lockers. All of the existing furniture was repurposed and reused—all of the excess IT equipment was donated to charity via Green Standards to a school in Ghana, Africa.

“The additional collaborative areas have already received huge amounts of positive feedback, and our Owls have also responded well to the added biophilia,” added Chapman. “It’s a well-known fact that being in close proximity to nature can have huge benefits on one’s mental health, so the addition of plants into the workspace was a very strategic design decision.” Hootsuite’s London office is situated within 8,390 sq ft on the sixth floor of LABS 90 High Holborn, a landmark building located in London’s Knowledge Quarter and near to the West End. The design aesthetic of LABS spaces is premium, classic and understated, using neutral colours and tones and natural materials, to deliver calm and comfortable environments that can easily be customised to suit a brand’s needs and identity.

In addition to this, LABS works with a variety of high-end partners to provide unrivalled amenities and experiences across its network of buildings, including gyms and multi-purpose wellness suites, members breakfasts, members social events, pilates, yoga and more. Its hospitality offering includes the recently opened Aperitivo bar Americano (LABS Victoria House & Hawley Wharf) and a number of unique food and drink destinations that are also open to the public.

“Hootsuite was one of our first clients at LABS 90 High Holborn, whose move-in coincided with the opening of the building. We’re delighted that they’ve chosen to extend their lease term, and we thoroughly enjoyed working with them to reimagine their office for the next phase of their business, which will respond to the rapidly-changing world of work,” added Watts.

The re-imagining of the London office follows Hootsuite’s Vancouver HQ redesign. Looking ahead, Hootsuite is examining each of its workspaces to see how it can make changes to ensure they are more inclusive and prioritise employee wellness. Collaborative areas, wellness rooms, the Robin app and added biophilia are just some of the features that are planned for other Hootsuite workspaces.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by J M Larsen .