Assent Compliance continues to grow, but still has not moved from its original office.Justin Van Leeuwen/Supplied
When people used to walk into Assent Compliance’s main headquarters, they were sure to remember one thing about the Ottawa-based tech startup’s digs: the boxing ring.
“One of our founders is a big boxing fan, and that’s how he met our CEO,” said Keira Torkko, the company’s chief people officer. “It stands out, and people would joke: That’s where they must have their HR disputes.”
The five-by-seven-metre ring was a fun feature, but it chewed up a significant portion of the 55,000 square feet the company owned between its two Ottawa offices. And space was becoming an issue for the quickly growing software-as-a-service (SaaS) startup, which collects, manages and reports supply-chain data for businesses. They had grown to nearly 700 employees since their beginning in 2010, and felt like they had no choice but to give up their two offices and seek out a new, bigger location.
“We were growing by 40 to 50 per cent every year,” said Ms. Torkko, who added that 400 of those 700 employees are based in Ottawa, while the rest work from offices in the United States, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands and Malaysia.
By early 2020, the company set out to leave the boxing ring behind and relocate to an 80,000-square-foot former retail space. But then COVID-19 hit, and the uncertainty of the times gave Ms. Torkko and her colleagues cold feet. They put their moving plans on hold.
Now, 18 months into the pandemic, Assent Compliance continues to grow, but still has not moved from its original office. After surveying employees about their experience with remote work, and seeing how productive they were away from the office, Ms. Torkko said the company realized they did not need more space – they needed a new approach.
“We realized what was important to office members: having the choice to come in or not, safety, and maintaining the right connection with team members.”
So the start-up pulled the plug on the relocation and gave up its secondary space in Ottawa, which cut real-estate costs almost in half. Now, Assent Compliance is welcoming employees back to a completely redone main office in September, repurposed for a new hybrid work model.
Ms. Torkko said the workplace is designed to accommodate half its employees at once, with the number of desks reduced to 180 from 350 to promote physical distancing. A seat booking software will show which colleagues plan to go into the office on a given day and where they will be sitting, to promote collaboration within teams.
The company also did away with most eight-person conference rooms, choosing instead to create semi-enclosed meeting areas throughout the workspace, and to add one-person quiet offices for Zoom conferences. The kitchen, which used to be divided into several rooms, is now open and punctuated with furniture to double as another area for small gatherings. The goal, Ms. Torkko said, is to have spaces that accommodate various kinds of work.
“Our philosophy is where we work moving forward is going to be activity driven. If you want to be working independently, you might work from home or in our quiet space. If you’re going to be doing training, onboarding or quarterly reviews, we have space for that too.”
The return to in-person work will be gradual. Employees will not be required to attend meetings in-person for the time being, as Canada tries to stifle a fourth wave of COVID-19. All employees who do come into the office will have to be fully vaccinated.
“We want people to be able to ease back into new styles of working as we understand that jumping right back in may be a challenge for some.”
Despite pandemic concerns, the company is eager to use its updated physical space, which Ms. Torkko thinks will be conducive to organic conversations that can lead to great ideas.
“We want teams like sales and product to connect, we want collisions to happen.”
The redesign will affect everybody at the company – even its most senior workers, such as chief financial officer Russell Frederick, who is seeing his personal office being transformed into a multipurpose meeting space. He is taking the change in stride.
“If I’m not at my office, it’s empty. So why can’t we use that for a meeting room?” he said. “When you break the old mindset, it really brings on a lot of opportunity.”
Mr. Frederick believes in the effectiveness of the hybrid model, as it allows for less time lost while commuting, and permits the company to hire people who live farther away from the company’s hubs. Most importantly, he said, increasing workplace flexibility boosts morale.
““Productivity increased, and employees are happier. When else do you get such a win-win?”
Parallel 45, an interior design company based in Ottawa, oversaw the startup’s makeover. Robin Peixoto, the firm’s principal interior decorator, said the guiding principle was to create multipurpose spaces and an environment that would make employees feel like they can move around.
“You can work in many different places even in the office,” she said. “It’s not like you’re tied to a desk somewhere.”
Creating a workspace that can better mitigate a COVID-19 outbreak was also top of mind, Ms. Peixoto said. The new meeting areas are dispersed and semi-enclosed, to improve ventilation and air quality along with the company’s new HVAC system.
These are busy days in the world of office remodelling. As many Canadians are returning to in-person work in the fall, Ms. Peixoto said most workplaces are in the process of re-evaluating the purpose of their physical spaces, and planning to renovate accordingly. Many companies she has worked with, including Assent Compliance, are taking this opportunity to also make their offices more environmentally responsible, she added.
“Sustainability is huge right now. I think it’s getting to be on everybody’s mind when they are redesigning.”
The company did away with most eight-person conference rooms, choosing instead to create semi-enclosed meeting areas throughout the workspace.Justin Van Leeuwen/Supplied
Ms. Torkko said Assent Compliance recycled and donated the excess chairs and desks they no longer need, and bought sustainable pieces to furnish new meeting areas. They also converted to more energy-efficient LED lighting, which she said will further brighten up the building, along with its new, more open aesthetic.
Employees will, however, have to learn to make do without their centrepiece: The boxing ring has been replaced by two semi-enclosed meeting spaces.
“You’ll still see some boxing ropes hung on the wall,” Ms. Torkko said. “Those aren’t going away.”
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