GUS Opens New Office In Gurugram

Shared and collaborative work-spaces have become quite a rage now, with many corporates going that way. GUS India’s office is along similar lines, encouraging its employees to engage more in shared work-spaces like the café, comfortable meeting rooms, the lounge, etc. 

The office’s open workstations make the working environment healthy, positive, approachable and friendly - ideal for fostering a creative and entrepreneurial mindset.  

Open spaces can be healthy and produce positive energies, which in this day and age are indispensable – after all, healthy employees are more productive employees. Shared work-spaces also remove barriers of hierarchy (no walls to separate different functions) and make everyone more approachable, thereby ensuring a more productive culture. 

In the same spirit and in keeping with the idea of designing modern work-spaces to suit the new age professional, GUS’ open-plan office has no cabins at all. The floor of the office is divided into home bases or separate cubicles, and each base has a set of workstations and meeting rooms. Team members can swiftly move about, approach each other without feeling odd about it, and use the meeting rooms when they have clients or visitors. 

What ultimately, we should ask, is the purpose of any enterprise, business, or organisation? It is to achieve a high level of productivity and efficiency from its employees. The absence of walls and partitions empowers its employees in many ways; it allows them to walk up to their senior and ask for whatever they need. It mentally eases off a lot of pressure than if one were to knock on the door before entering, which creates a barrier and additional stress. 

These shared areas are also suitable for taking breaks. GUS’ office has rocking chairs and hanging chairs, which allows people to take breaks to sit and work out of a comfy chair (as opposed to slouching all day). Research shows that ample amount of such breaks to stretch and move about eases off a lot of stress and helps prevent weight gain. This freedom of movement in the office is mentally and physically relaxing for the employees and helps uplift their mood instantly. 

Moreover, GUS India’s office uses the work-space judiciously; its café operates as an eating outlet most of the time but is turned into a hall for holding employee town halls by just shifting the chairs and tables. The office space is not assigned for a specific purpose, so it makes it easy and flexible to use it for different purposes.

The atmosphere at GUS India office is friendly, with certain seating areas and meeting points having suspended or hanging chairs with cushions on them; if one of the staff members wants a break, they can take their laptops and work quietly in the relaxing chair before heading back to their workstations.

The office is predominantly painted in warm hues of red, yellow, and indigo – colours that invoke passion – passion for a shared vision that drives the company. A few areas, of course, balance this with shades of grey and black , adding to the traditional professional touch. There is ample sunlight coming into the office during the day while the bright interiors add to the positive energy flowing in all directions. The office has a lively atmosphere that keeps employees charged, creative and enthusiastic at all times. 

The reception area has a bright yellow rocking chair, to make visitors immediately comfortable as they wait; it allows visitors to relax and hold their meetings in a stress-free manner.

Furthermore, to add a dash of ‘Indianness’ to the office, and in keeping with the mantra of “think global act local”, the chairs are upholstered in traditional motif designs. 

Every intricate detail in the office has kept in mind the mental and physical comfort of the staff and those who come in contact with them. A substantial amount of research has already shown that office interiors have a direct correlation with employee productivity. Everything from furniture to blinds to the wall colour and lighting is not just an element of design anymore but a reflection of the values of the organisation and what it stands for. 

What’s more, the aesthetics motivate people to want to come to work every day. Unconventional areas in the office for taking breaks allow them to relax while they work and are proof that this is a company that genuinely cares for the comfort of its staff.