After spending the past year speculating about the post-Covid workplace and its impact on the world of business, it wasn’t long before we committed to a little workplace reimagination for ourselves and gave a green light to our own office refurb.

In early 2021, we decided to spruce up Chief Nation HQ to get ready for the momentous (yet gradual) office return…

… And we’re so pleased with the results that we had to share it with you!

Here’s a sneak peek at the finished thing, and a behind-the-scenes look into the processes that went on in creating this central hub for all the Chiefs to come together once more.

Bringing hybrid working to Chief Nation

A workplace refurbishment wasn’t a decision we took lightly. Despite the team’s successful adaption to distributed working, we needed a collaborative place for all the Chiefs to finally step back into now that we can start working together face-to-face again. It was important to us to get this right because, when it comes down to it, we feel that nothing beats real-life human interaction. So, it felt like a pivotal time to give our Farringdon, London base some TLC.

We wanted to create somewhere that everyone was happy with, so we asked the team for their input at every stage of the redesign. They wanted somewhere that was spacious, flexible, practical and dynamic and that also felt creative, inspiring, and comfortable. We knew that if we got this right, everyone would feel better about coming into the office, we’d help boost productivity, and we’d help maintain employee wellbeing.

Getting the whole company involved

"This is clearly the direction the contemporary ‘office’ is going, so I do believe the refurb is a fantastic investment."

We conducted a staff survey with initial plans to gauge whether the team felt this refurbishment was a worthwhile investment or not. With a huge 94% of our Chiefs saying they thought it was worthwhile, 64% saying they see themselves using the office for more than one day a week once reopened, and “a change of scenery” being something that was mentioned a lot in the staff survey, we decided to go for the gold.

The grand design

Our very own Office Manager, Manuela Demuro, undertook the creative role of putting together a selection of ideas and presenting them in mood boards for the team to digest.

"It was important for this to be a more collaborative space than a traditional office environment, and it was nice to be involved in the process."

— Manuela Demuro, Office Manager

The main factors of the redesign were:

    • A space that entices people to get people back in from their homes to the workplace.
    • Making every area serve a specific function. SOur old office had desks and not much else. But in the new office, we wanted different areas dotted around the place to stimulate different collaborations – a pivotal element of modern offices.
    • That element of calm. A space that’s good for wellness (Something that all offices need day-in-day-out). The real houseplants within the space help ooze tranquillity and harmony.
    • Looking out over London! Our penthouse office overlooks the big city, but these views were taken for granted before. It was time we had some ledge seating to take in the fantastic views whilst looking for that extra inspiration.

"I absolutely loved the idea of having a mix of areas for different purposes across the office. The choices of furniture are exciting and the look of the office represents the agency's personality really well."

— Manuela Demuro, Office Manager

These ideas were shared around before any changes were made so the whole company could have their say. The responses showed that everyone thought the changes were in line with how a modern marketing agency should feel. And they were particularly happy with the new office décor!

Cutting the ribbon

"A change of scenery was something the team were really keen for, having worked from home for the last 18 months. So, it’s great to now have some face-to-face interaction with the team in a modern, comfortable, and beautiful space."

— Richard Porter, Managing Director

As part of our new workplace, we’ve also brought in a new booking structure type system. It ensures we can be in on the same day as our teammates if needed, that the space never gets overcrowded as we safely move back into the office, and also that after a year of company expansion, everyone gets to use the space – even the Chief Nation pups!

"Can’t help but feel creative and collaborate with our colleagues in such a bright and stylish space. Really pleased to see the team again!"

— Ammina Ouangar, Events Campaign Manager

We’re proud to say the revamped Chief Nation HQ is now open for business. It’s sure to be just the start of an exciting new era for us!