After 18 years near Place de la République, Steelcase Paris has moved to a lively district in the ninth arrondissement, a stone’s throw from the Olympia Concert Hall and Palais Garnier. In a world still feeling the impact of the pandemic, workspaces need to accommodate new employee expectations and reflect changes in how we work. The new Paris WorkLife was designed as a testing ground for hybrid work and a space where a sense of community fosters new ideas and individual wellbeing.
For Steelcase Paris, the opportunity to move came at the perfect time. A year and a half into the pandemic, social ties had been weakened by successive lockdowns and the obligation to work from home. A rise in hybrid work created new needs and the desire for change was stronger than ever.
BUIDING A HYBRID CULTURE
“Hybrid work created a need for a new environment that offered more flexible transitions between on-site and remote work, giving way to a range of technology-enabled spaces in every setting,” explains Guillaume Alvarez, senior vice president, Europe, Middle East & Africa.
The pandemic has called a lot into question and re-focused attention on the importance of meaning and fulfillment at work. As a result, cultivating employee pride and reinforcing a connection to the organization became essential by offering a workplace that met employee expectations.
The choice of two large offices in a building at 3, square Edouard VII, in the ninth arrondissement of Paris, was deliberate: the 1,300 square-meter space, in a high-end office complex, is a prestigious location in a characteristically Parisian neighborhood. “The importance of the workplace should not be underestimated,” insists Mickaël Locoh, vice president of sales. “Kickstarting a new dynamic by offering a more attractive environment to our customers and staff is priceless.”