Workplace strategy survey uncovers employee working styles and needs.

All employees completed a comprehensive workplace survey, enabling Sheldon's workplace design strategist to thoroughly analyse their working styles and habits. The survey provided insight into the strengths and weaknesses of the existing office space, as well as what employees wanted from their new environment. With a high level of participation and detailed feedback, the survey results provided key takeaways that fed directly into the design brief:

• increase the percentage of working areas, including quiet rooms.

• increase social areas with the introduction of a front of house interactive training kitchen and breakout space.

• increase collaboration to allow for neurodiverse ways of working, with an emphasis on ensuring staff have different modalities of working areas.

• decrease ancillary spaces, resulting in a better flow of space and allowing for future flexibility and future proofing.

Spatial modalities required in the new office.

The workplace strategy revealed that employees come to the office primarily to collaborate with their teams, attend internal meetings and socialise with colleagues. In addition, the top five elements identified by employees as essential to support their working styles were natural light, ergonomic chairs, adequate desk space, proximity to team members and quiet areas for concentration.

These insights were carefully considered by Sheldon's design team as they interpreted the strategy and developed the brief. The resulting workspace is highlighted by key design features that include:

• Enhanced Social Spaces: The kitchen breakout was designed to be the central hub of the workspace, showcasing impressive finishes while reflecting the client's vision for an inviting, homely atmosphere. The space incorporates warm, domestic touches to create a welcoming environment that feels both functional and comfortable.

• Diverse collaboration areas: Our design features open-plan spaces with natural light and 100% sit-to-stand workstations from Sheldon’s manufacturing department, surrounded by biophilia. This setup supports various work styles and promotes inclusivity.

• Improved social spaces: We introduced an interactive training room with operable walls that can serve as a large town hall or flexible breakout area. This design encourages informal interactions and facilitates knowledge sharing.

• Increased quiet zones: We added an array of quiet rooms to the new office to ensure spaces for focused, uninterrupted work.

• Impressive entrance: The entrance was designed to make a bold statement, perfectly aligning with the client's identity and ensuring that employees immediately feel a sense of belonging as they enter their workplace. The space has been transformed into a welcoming and inviting environment, with a striking curved tiled wall around the waiting area and a pendant lantern light adding warmth and sophistication to the entrance.

• Interactive kitchen and entertaining space: The kitchen acts as the central hub for casual gatherings and professional events, with the flexibility to open further with operable walls. An archway entrance to the kitchen, alongside light wood and green tones add to the calming feel and tie into the agricultural company’s branding.

Indigenous representation embedded in the design.

This workspace features a number of Indigenous-designed elements that promote diversity and inclusivity within the space.  Acoustic panels in multiple meeting rooms feature artwork by Ampilatwatja artist Jean Ngwarraye Long called Native Seeds, plus three meeting rooms feature an acoustic panel print created by Wiradjuri artist Amanda Hinkelmann + Instyle Design Studio.

Successful collaboration exemplifies Sheldon’s integrated strategy, design and construction approach.

This project was completed simultaneously to a speculative suite within the same building, allowing Sheldon’s teams to streamline their approach to working in this building. Our clients moved back into their office after construction into a space that is unrecognisable from their previous office, sparking a new buzz and excitement. The decrease in unnecessary storage and corridor spaces, and the increase in collaborative, social and focus spaces has led to the creation of an effective space tailored to the needs of our client.