Deloitte is testing a new type of workspace in Halifax that will inform how it decides to design offices across Canada.
According to Sheri Penner, managing partner for Deloitte Atlantic Canada, the new office will include 65% collaborative space, compared to just 5% seen in their old office, as well as technology-based hybrid workspaces.
Additionally, the office will include multi-purpose meeting rooms, booths designed for video calls, and a hybrid forum for large meetings that can accommodate both in-person and virtual attendees.
Deloitte workers will also have access to work bars, an outdoor terrace, an in-house cafe, and a quiet library-style for focused work.
Penner added that the company wants to operate with the message that employees can work from home, the office, or at a client site.
“We’re kind of pushing a bit more the other way to say the office is not your end all and be all for work. When you come to the office, you should be getting something additive out of it,” said Penner. “In fact, we don’t really want you to travel and create admissions and, you know, disrupt your personal life if you’re not going to have a better experience at the office than your home.”