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The traditional 9-5 office is a relic of the pre-pandemic era. So, what is the purpose of the office today? We talked to Caroline Quick, Global Real Estate and Workplace at Cloudflare, and Brian Buhl, Co-Founder of Pair and Two, to get their insights. 

“Every company’s got their belief system on why physical space matters…I think that the other aspect of it really is to define the vision of the organization through the lens of connections with people and why that space matters,” Brian says.

Caroline’s team was able to define Cloudflare’s “why” by answering the question, “What are the things we’re really missing right now when we’re not together?” They identified a need for spaces that support ideation, collaboration, and mentorship. Their redesign focused on open-air spaces that encourage both planned and spontaneous interactions as well as quiet areas for individual work or one-on-one mentorship. 

For many companies, the office is still an essential element of work. The challenge is uncovering the best way to adapt the space to meet the new needs of the workforce. “That is not an easy feat to accomplish, it is extremely difficult and it’s unique to every organization and that’s what people are up against. it’s really unlocking the potential of what that can look like,” Brian says. “But remember, it is not easy, it’s not just about upgrading your conference room technology, unfortunately. It goes way beneath the surface and it takes a lot of data synthesis and a lot to really get there.”

Watch the full webinar above.