Incorporating brand values and culture into the workplace

Did you know that reinforcing your company's brand values in the workplace can help boost employee satisfaction, making your team more engaged in their work? A study¹ by Aon Hewitt revealed that employees who recognise and understand their company’s brand values are more likely to be fully engaged and this fact is further supported by Gallup², which shared that high employee engagement contributed to 21% higher profitability.

Bringing your office space branding values into your office design is crucial. However, it can be difficult to know how to get started. Read on to learn about how you can weave your brand values into your workspace.

Beyond simply pasting your logos onto walls, you should think carefully about how deliberate colours or pattern choices can reflect your brand's personality and image. Art is not merely a decorative element, but also a platform to convey brand values through creative displays. Moreover, Exeter University’s School of Psychology reported that employees working in spaces fully decorated with art were 17% more productive than those in bare and functional spaces.

Employing this strategy is technology firm Microsoft, through its Taipei office. The designer, Archie Cruda, shares that “Microsoft was looking for a more inclusive office environment that empowers its employees, falling in line with its brand value of humanising technology.” Each floor is decorated with a mural of iconic sights in Taipei culture, including a colourful night market and mountain lines. These artistic features help to soften the potentially austere work environment, making employees feel more included and connected with the Microsoft brand.

“If you design something that connects with employees and their memories, they become better able to recognise the brand identity,” Lead designer Archie Cruda, from Space Matrix explains. “Build the right culture into the environment.”

Microsoft, Taipei by Space Matrix

According to research by Frost & Sullivan, collaboration is a key driver of success, with up to 36% of business performance attributed to collaborative team efforts. It is thus pertinent that your office is designed to bring employees together.

GE, Singapore by SpaceMatrix

Technology giant General Electric (GE) swears by the principle of "imagination at work" and desired an inventive office environment to encapsulate this tagline. “As a technology company, GE’s brand image is all about connectivity and creativity,” Archie says. “We wanted to design a space that encourages people to talk to each other and collaborate.”

Across the three floors, a staircase runs through the center as a meeting zone to set the foundations for interaction. Hubs, pantries, and enclosed rooms were all positioned near the staircase to foster social activity and face-to-face communication. Such a design saves space and allows employees to (literally) have the room to think outside of the box together. After all, creativity is rarely nurtured in isolation. As a result, this approach freed up 36% of the area and increased collaborative engagement in the workplace.

If you're a brand that champions philanthropy or social causes like environmental sustainability, it would be wise to showcase commitment in your workspace design. Walking the talk can help to establish authenticity and trust among your employees and stakeholders.

Vestas, Singapore by SpaceMatrix

As one of the most prominent global manufacturers of windmills, Vestas' brand vision entails "cleaner forms of energy to protect the environment". To reflect the company's identity and product lines, Vestas’ office boasts a minimalistic design, supported by a nature-inspired colour palette of green and brown. All these elements reinstate Vestas’ brand value and position as a global leader in sustainable energy solutions.

Brands that champion efficiency-improving products or services should likewise have an office that does the same. Not only does this practice speed up workspace operations but it is also a good demonstration of how your company prides efficiency, for both employees and visitors.

Cisco, Singapore by SpaceMatrix

Cisco is an IT and networking conglomerate committed to maximising operational efficiency. Its Singapore office features over 800 different working spaces to cater for various needs. Naturally, the brand wanted a workspace that leverages technology to improve its own workplace efficiency.

“For this design, we wanted to showcase the office as a living example of efficiency evolved through technology,” Archie says. In light of this goal, Cisco’s office features directional carpet patterns to smoothen traffic flow, as well as smart screens hooked to walls that manage room bookings. “Employees can just tap their ID card and find out which desks and tables are available,” Archie shares. The result is an efficient working environment, which perfectly matches Cisco's products and principles.

Daily broadcasts of your company's short-term goals and achievements helps foster a sense of unity and motivation. The team has the chance to take pride in what has been accomplished and to feel like they are part of a larger, collaborative effort towards future successes.

According to Julia Hartz, President of event ticketing platform Eventbrite, the company's office headquarters in San Francisco has thirty 60-inch monitors that display important business metrics like ticket sales, tweet mentions, and customer wins. Not only are all team members on the same page, but they are also more engaged after being able to visualise the tangible effects of their work.

What is truly important is designing your workplace to encourage behaviour that is consistent with what your brand stands for. Ask yourself: what does my brand value most? How can I get my team to organically adopt these values from their working environment? Don't make the mistake of copying other offices simply because you like their aesthetic.