Making office cozy, comfortable

Employees have a meeting in a conference room called "Michael's Room" in the building of Woowahan Brothers in Jamsil, southern Seoul.
/ Courtesy of Woowahan Brothers

Ambient and fancy atmosphere promotes innovative ideas

By Nam Hyun-woo, Park Ji-won, Chung Hyun-chae

Jobseekers usually rush to find high-paying jobs with generous fringe benefits. But now they do not stop there, even though they face cut-throat competition in the job market. A growing number of jobseekers are looking for businesses with offices that are cozy, comfortable and fancy.

This might be one of the reasons why many are seeking to join multinational companies such as Google, which have a reputation for decent office space and employee benefits.

In line with this trend, some companies with innovative ideas, and young CEOs and managers are making efforts to make their offices look more like living rooms, playrooms or cafes.

Standard Korean offices — spaced with gray-colored cubicles and furnished with white plywood desks — do little to improve employees' productivity or wellbeing.

But newly-emerging innovative offices seem to give inspiring ideas to employees. Today's workers go to work not only to devote themselves to documents but also to ensure they can recharge themselves while "resting and playing" at the office.

The lounge on the 18th floor of the Coupang building in southern Seoul looks like a coffeehouse. The company tries to make its office space cozy and comfortable. / Courtesy of Coupang

Coupang

The headquarters of Coupang, the nation's leading social commerce company, in Gangnam-gu, southern Seoul, could be a go-to for managers looking for a fresh office interior design.

Employees need not waste their break time searching for a comfortable place to rest.

Just a few steps from their workstations, employees can find luxurious lounges in the company's building. All they have to do is to remember they are in the office and not speak too loudly should anyone overhear them speaking ill of the company or their bosses.

In workstations from the seventh to the 17th floor, wooden panels decorating the walls offer a fresh feeling and help employees feel less stuffy.

Like Coupang's company logo, all offices are splashed with multiple colors. The same color never repeats in a single space — all sofas, chairs and tables have different colors and concepts.

The lounge on the 18th floor looks like the lobby of a boutique hotel. Modern lighting fixtures provide ambient lighting and the furniture takes on a cheerful color and refreshes any gloomy feelings.

In a space in the lounge, grass spreads and beach chairs abound. A camping light on a table gives the impression you are outdoors.

"On every floor, meeting rooms and other spaces are customized with unique accessories or furniture," said a company official.

The company says it came up with its interior design because it believes working "joyfully" is a key to drawing out innovative ideas.

"Our company's office is distinctive from others because ours is a place where employees can joyfully work. Its design provides an environment that employees can have more smooth communication," said the official.

The office building's interior design features things that one never expects to see in an office. On the 18th floor, there are even an indoor climbing wall, slide and artificial waterfalls.

While companies conventionally use higher floors with a good view for executives' or seniors workers' private offices, Coupang used the floors as a lounge where all employees can have free access.

"Creating an employee-oriented work space can maximize their productivity," said the official.

Coupang said it did the interior design work by itself. The company seems to know that employees who can control their space's design are more productive than those who cannot.

"When our management team came up with this interior design, the team focused on utilizing the space and providing a better working environment," said the official.

Coupang officials said their office reflects the company's "young" environment.

"In the lounge on the 18th floor, there are foosball tables, mini hoops and other facilities for employees' entertainment. Coupang believes employees will be energized in the fun and comfortable office rather than rigid and businesslike places.

"The company keeps its ears open to hear what the employees demand and think over ways to improve employee welfare," said the official.

Handstudio employees — one sitting on a sofa and the other on an orange-color "cacoon," resembling a half-hammock, half-tent — talks to each other next to a huge kangaroo toy on the third floor of the company building in
southern Seoul. / Courtesy of Handstudio

Handstudio

Handstudio, a 4-year-old IT startup manufacturing smart TV applications, located in Gangnam-gu, southern Seoul, is another company famous for its fancy office. The company is dubbed "Korean Google" when it comes to office design and its welfare system.

"Our philosophy is creating happiness," CEO Ahn Joon-hee said.

"To come up with creative ideas that could be applied to our products, we think our office should be a happy place where we can freely share ideas."

Handstudio is designed as a place where people gather together, work and relax regardless of their position. An official said the firm's designer created the look by collecting ideas from employees.

Unlike most IT companies full of fixed computers and desks, its office furniture is movable as the pieces have wheels. They can be moved to anywhere in the office, which shows the firm has a flexible organization in its work and office.

"As our space is open to all, we can communicate freely with each other anywhere, anytime. It helps raise work efficiency, of course, because employees from different fields can share their ideas in a free atmosphere," said a company official.

"We work with other people in this kind of atmosphere. We rarely have boundaries between developers, designers and managers, and it is natural to say their opinions regardless of their job titles," he added.

The company introduced black and white around the whole building, while adding some colorful items such as stuffed animals here and there which gives a twist in office decorations.

The conference room can be transformed into another space depending on the purpose. An employee said he often uses the studio to take a nap after lunch.

Woowahan Brothers

"What are we racing for?" A well-known dramatic actor Ryu Seung-ryong, who cemented his strong presence by playing the role of a Casanova in a 2012 Korean romantic comedy movie "All About My Wife," is shouting while riding a horse, holding a metal delivery box with Chinese noodle jajangmyeon inside.

It is a TV commercial for Delivery Race, the No. 1 delivery application launched by a startup company Woowahan Brothers, which means "graceful brothers" in Korean.

As the commercial shows, the application "Delivery Race" provides a service showing nearby eateries which do deliveries.

With its largest share of the business in Korea and its revenues amounting to 55 billion won, this young enterprise is leading the business not only in financial aspects but also in terms of its pleasant office space.

The office interior was designed by CEO Kim Bong-jin.

"The first thing I put particular emphasis on was witty catchphrases written in every corner of the office in order to share the company's vision with the members," said the CEO.

Aside from the catchphrases, funny expressions are written in the office. They include: "I am also the office for someone," "Never do what mom said not to do," "Do not put off till tomorrow what you can eat today," "Let's go Dutch for food," "Growing fat is not a sin," "Please take shower before going to bed" and "Do occupy Neverland."

"Although those words seem to be a joke, they help build up our brand power, because they are so Woowahan Brothers-like," said a company official.

Kim also wanted the office to be of liberal corporate culture. True, the office looks like a coffeehouse and doesn't have any partitions. Besides, as everyone has a small stool, workers can grab a few minutes to have a meeting depending on circumstances.

The most popular place is the conference room called "Peter Pan's attic" located on the fourth floor. The space is full of wooden stairs, posters and books and has a fine view of Seokchon Lake in Jamsil.

"This room is mainly used for conferences, but we often take a nap or just rest during break time," said the official.

"The company is young and a fresh atmosphere makes employees feel comfortable during work hours. And it benefits better communications among us, and thus enhances work efficiency" the official said.