4 workplace design tips to set your office up for success

Creating a workspace that meets today’s needs and is adaptable to tomorrow’s demands is essential for a successful office design. From choosing flexible technology to leveraging data for layout decisions, workplace leaders have shared their top tips for setting up spaces that support growth, collaboration, and engagement. Find out how you can apply these insights to build a future-ready space.

1. Balance today’s tech needs with tomorrow’s growth

When defining technology requirements for a new office location, Dana Stocking, Envoy’s Head of Workplace Technology, emphasizes the importance of creating a foundation that supports both immediate needs and future scalability.

“When we open a new location, it’s all about setting the right foundation for now and the future... We lean on cloud-based solutions because they give us the flexibility to grow without locking us into rigid systems,” Dana shares. “That way, as our team or demands evolve, our technology can evolve with us, without huge disruptions or costs. Strong vendor partnerships are key too, because as we scale, we need to be confident that we can ramp up support and resources quickly.”

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2. Proactively manage integration challenges

Successful workplace design also requires tools and systems to work seamlessly together. Brent Heddens, Envoy’s Head of Solutions Engineering, shares one of the major challenges in workplace tool integration: “Identifying and involving the right tool owner [can be difficult]. Securing their buy-in can be a significant bottleneck, especially if they lack the business context,” he says. “Without a clear understanding of the project’s importance, what should be a quick task may stretch over several months.”

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3. Use data to shape an optimal office layout

Ronda Stahl, Vice President of Global Real Estate and Facilities at GLG, leverages attendance data and team feedback to make informed layout decisions.

“Recently, we right-sized an office for the number of employees we had, creating a better energy in the office. [Too much unused space] is like having a party in an oversized venue—the energy dissipates,” Ronda notes. “By tightening things up a bit and bringing people closer together, we created an infectious excitement in the office.”

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4. Put employee experience at the center of design

Finally, Jacqueline Sharma, Envoy’s VP of People, reminds us that great office design starts with understanding what employees need to thrive.

“We create our spaces with intention—designing them in ways that encourage engagement and collaboration,” Jacqueline explains. “By maintaining a dynamic feedback loop on how employees use our spaces, we can confidently plan for the future.”

By combining employee surveys with quantitative data, Jacqueline’s team refines spaces to enhance the overall experience and foster a sense of belonging. Additionally, space utilization insights can reveal cost-saving opportunities and inform more strategic use of office resources.

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Bringing it all together

Successful workplace design requires balancing current needs with future flexibility, ensuring seamless integration of tools, using data for informed layout changes, and centering the employee experience. Try following these tips from industry leaders—you’ll be on your way to building a workspace that adapts to change, supports your team, and drives success well into the future.

Need more advice on how to achieve impactful workplace design? Check out our mini-series Mastering workplace design and grab a copy of our ebook The workplace design guide to new deployments.

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