Comeback for the Canteen to Embrace Coffee Shop Culture and Creativity

LONDON, February 24, 2015 /PRNewswire/ --

The office canteen is making a 21^st Century comeback. Employers are recognising the need to accommodate the Starbucks and Costa generation who in recent years have been increasingly migrating to coffee shops for informal meetings or to concentrate on solo work tasks. 

For some office workers the coffee shop has become an alternative workplace where they can enjoy a more relaxed and informal environment.

The great disadvantage of this is that coffee shops rarely offer the high technological and ergonomic standards that people need to be able to work efficiently and healthily. In addition, outside the office, staff members are cut off from their colleagues and from the company culture.

According to recent Steelcase research, employees worldwide desire greater flexibility in the choice of working environment, depending on the task and their personal sensibility. Those who can choose where they work will be much more motivated and productive.

John Small, Director of Industrial Design, EMEA at Steelcase said: "In our increasingly mobile working world, it is a challenge for companies to bring employees together."

In the past, office cafés were regarded as dull and uninspiring places. Employers now understand that they have to embrace the coffee shop generation in an effort to stop them from leaving the office.

John continues: "Today, many companies have applied these insights and provide a central meeting point where people can interact and exchange.

"At Steelcase we champion the idea that space and office culture matter in order to create an environment in which employers can meet, work, exchange ideas and relax. Steelcase have brought these insights together in a new WorkCafé - a space that offers the stimulating atmosphere of a coffee house with the high degree of technology and comfort one would expect of a well-designed office. It is not only increasing productivity and interaction between employees, but also ensuring a more efficient use of space."

Further information on the new WorkCafé can be found at http://www.steelcase.com/uk