(This post originally appeared on the Mars Drinks Blog.)
It seems that creating a great experience for people at work is a high priority for many of us these days – workplace experts, designers, and people leaders. A positive experience at work is what can make the difference in attracting, retaining, and engaging talent.
But what’s in an experience?
In our research on Workplace Vitality, we conducted design charrettes with a number of leading designers in order to understand key trends and best practices for creating experiences. We followed this up with both qualitative and quantitative studies. Check out our new white paper for the full description of our findings.
Here are a few highlights:
Key Trends Drive Design. From the allure of the urban vibe and wellness to the merging of work and home, current trends drive design and define the preferred experience of people at work. In fact, our very definitions of great experiences are shaped by the trends we see around us. Coffee and workplace drinks are key parts of a positive experience because they bring people together, they provide for refreshment, and they help people to focus. Based on designer recommendations, we’ve developed 5 space archetypes for the beverage experience as well as best practices for a holistic, positive experience of place – the new definitions of great experiences based on current trends (see white paper).
Multiple Worker Needs are Fulfilled through Work. Work is a part of life and life is a part of work. Through our research across multiple companies and types of work, we identified the key needs that people are seeking to fulfill at work – and the important role that coffee and workplace drinks play in meeting these needs. From focusing to initiating and from structuring to comforting, the coffee experience is more central than you might think in contributing to a great experience at work. Check out the white paper here.
Details Matter When People are Seeking New Roles. We also learned – through our research in partnership with LinkedIn – that people who are actively looking for new jobs are especially attuned to details of their experience, including the beverage and coffee experience. People who are active candidates prioritize coffee and especially connect it with engagement and well-being (see white paper on our research with LinkedIn here).
The power of place remains significant and success is found in designing memorable experiences for people at work. Overall, coffee is an important part of this positive experience at work – which is no small thing since work is such an important part of our lives.