A recent study revealed that 30% of workers performed better when working outside the confines of their office’s sterile walls.

The YouGov Omnibus survey, which was conducted on behalf of managed service provider Redcentric, questioned over 2,000 UK adults, and discovered that almost one-third of office workers work more productively when outside the workplace.

Elsewhere, another report, entitled ‘The impact of office design on business performance’, concluded that, when designing an office, social interaction needs to be at its heart in order to create economic and social value for the business.

The study, which was commissioned by The Chartered Association of Building Engineers and the British Council of Offices, said because human beings are social animals, they need contact with others to provide a sense of purpose and worth.

It said, “Multi-task and club spaces may allow us to communicate directly with individuals in shared spaces, whilst simultaneously interacting virtually with others in remote locations.”

Findings such as these may have sparked the current surge in trendy workplaces we’re seeing in the alternative finance industry. With competition on the increase, every broker and intermediary is looking to gain an advantage over the competition by boosting an employee’s productivity. Some want to create a more relaxed and conducive work environment – a home away from home – to keep the workforce energised, creative and ready to win the next deal.

This may be one of the reasons why second charge lender Nemo Personal Finance decided to create an unusual space in its Cardiff-based office – bringing the staff that work there together.
 

Nemo’s offices

“At Nemo we feel it’s so important to have a flexible space that colleagues can use for both work related meetings as well as down time,” said Fiona Pritchard, Head of Marketing at Nemo Personal Finance.

“We’ve created a space that mixes both of those requirements and it’s proved really beneficial to us since we launched it in the summer.

“With artificial grass, comfy chairs, large TV and an open plan kitchen, we’ve created an area where colleagues can meet informally over a coffee or lunch, or to have meetings in a more informal setting.

Fiona said the area opens up into a flexible space with projectors and traditional tables and chairs which can be used for briefings, training, workshops or meetings that involve larger numbers of colleagues.

“The versatile area has already been used for a number of events, including one of our broker MCD roadshows, workshops, and even an indoor staff festival with a hog roast and live band!”

Alpha Bridging, which is based in Gravesend, Kent, prefers to adopt a more comfortable setting when it holds business meetings in the capital.

The specialist lender makes use of its boat.
 

“Owning a boat berthed at St Katherine’s Dock, which is on the edge of the City of London, gives us a more convenient place to entertain clients and is big enough to be a great venue for business meetings,” said Mercedez Binning, Managing Director of Alpha Bridging.

 
Mercedez said Alpha’s clients and business partners appreciate the more informal setting.

“We believe that people work better together when they are comfortable and relaxed.

“Having the opportunity to host meetings and events on the boat means we have a cost effective and appealing venue right in the heart of London.”

Together, which rebranded in September, told Medianett that it wanted its office space to reflect its new identity as well as bringing the brand to life within the building itself.

One of the key features of Together’s new brand is the firm’s focus on its workforce, which is always a company’s greatest asset. And so, on launch day at its head office in Cheadle, Greater Manchester, the whole team was given a goody bag of treats including a piece of a jigsaw. Each separate piece was assembled, and collectively they made a picture-wall of Together’s staff.

Brand manager Sheryl Murphy commented: “The jigsaw wall is just one example of how we can ensure that our colleagues recognise that they are part of the brand.

“That creates a sense of pride and highlights how much they are valued.

“On the launch day, it was great to see the jigsaw completed by the whole company working together,” Sheryl concluded.

Together's jigsaw wall