Opendesk Panel: Flexible Working & Workplace Design
Following the launch of the Bundle Desk by Thor ter Kulve on Wednesday this week, we opened up our workplace to anyone who wanted to stop by, meet the designer and have a drink. We also had Thor’s design on display for one lucky winner to take home - more on that below!
To mark the occasion we gathered a few of the industry’s best across design and workplace psychology to dive a little deeper on what flexible working is and what employees really need to be happy, healthy and productive at work.
Work and the workplace has changed a lot in the past 30 years. The traditional swivel chair and cubicles are gone, being replaced by furniture that enables open and collaborative working. This is what was covered in a previous discussion between Ineke and Opendesk Co-Founder, Joni Steiner - the very conversation that spawned the brief for Thor’s Bundle Desk. How can you empower your people and make furniture work for them?
Henry Pelly, Sustainability Consultant at Max Fordham and Environmental Psychologist, believes mastery, autonomy and relatedness to others are the fundamental attributes of intrinsically motivating work. On top of these you add physical workplace needs to build an optimal work environment. Despite calls for innovative and flexible workplaces, he also argues that the solution isn’t necessarily in trendy solutions like ‘hot desking’.
‘Reducing space – and, therefore, reducing cost – is a narrow way of looking at the financial implications of agile working. By removing desks, you remove personal territory, reducing staff motivation.’
Henry Pelly, Max Fordham
Do you want to listen to the whole discussion? We used this opportunity to dabble in our very first Facebook Livestream so anyone could join in on the fun. That means you catch up on all the action now:
And the Winner is…
We also had a Bundle Desk to give away to one lucky winner on the night who shared the love on social media. Big thanks to all of you who participated and helped spread the word - we loved going through all the photos! After much deliberation @namuunzi was selected as the winner and we’re arranging delivery of her brand new Bundle Desk as we speak.
Big thanks to all who came along to help celebrate! Hopefully see you all again for the next launch - stay tuned!
