Post-COVID 19, what do workers want that’ll get them back to office spaces? Well, it looks like these companies have the answers: smoothie bars, coffee gardens, and power nap units!

Employers are doing everything they can to make the office appealing to workers and entice them to leave their homes after years of home-working, reports the NOS. 

Office spaces have become more of a social area

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, office spaces have become a place for workers to meet, talk, and socialise, rather than a place purely for work purposes. 

With many companies offering hybrid work models, employees can work from the comforts of their homes a few days a week, but meet in the office to catch up with co-workers. 

And employers want to adapt the office space to make room for more chats! 🗣

Jeroen Peters, director of marketing and communication at D&B, a facility services provider, came up with the idea to have a ‘culture club’ for his employees. 

“With activities and training, you can spread your culture among employees. Think of drinks, but also games, breakfast sessions, movie nights and padel lessons,” Peters says. 

Why work in the office when you could work from home?

The question remains; how would you lure workers into the office when their homes are so comfortable? 

Everything they could need is right there — comfy chairs to work from, good coffee, good music, and, even better, pants are an option at home. 🩳🚫

The town hall in Amstelveen is an example of an office space incorporating comfort, and intrigue, into the office to encourage workers to commute from their homes. 

Workers can sit and enjoy the facilities available in a Japanese garden, a library garden, and a coffee garden — all in their office area! In one garden, they even have the seats of an old Boeing 747 to recreate an aviation lounge. 

That’s one way to get people to the office! 

Labour shortages

With stress on employers due to worker shortages, they are turning to new solutions to encourage workers to get into the office. 

According to a recent study by recruitment agency Robert Half, more than half of senior management employees expect it will be even harder to find people to fill roles in offices by 2023. 

Basically, it’s a HR nightmare. But, with better facilities for employees to gather and socialise, it might just get people out of the home office! 🛌

What do you think of these facilities? Tell us your thoughts in a comment below! 👇

The Netherlands plans to put Christmas lights on for less time than usual this year to conserve energy. 💡

The lights are one of the main things that make the yuletide season so special.

However, as woners continue to suffer from sky-high bills, the government has no choice but to make some sacrifices in order to cut energy costs.

Dark times call for…fewer lights

As the colder months approach, it’s almost time to bring out those dusty festive decorations from the basement. 🎄

Though, people in the Netherlands will need to get used to having less time to admire Christmas lights in their cities this year.

READ MORE | Christmas in the Netherlands: the merriest bits

In Groningen, the lights will turn on from 3 PM to 9 PM rather than the usual, 1 PM to 12 AM, and this will be the case for most cities in the lowlands. 

The Dutch city of Deventer will also see its light time halved, and they’ll hold off decorating 120 trees and facades. As a result, they’ll be able to save a third of the energy consumption.

READ MORE | Christmas in the Netherlands: your guide to Dutch holiday foods and celebrations

“In the winter, we will have 160,000 people in the centre who are confronted with a bill of hundreds of euros at home. We want to avoid moments of irritation, which are very understandable”, centre manager of Deventer, Peter Brouwer, tells the NOS.

Nijmegen will turn its lights on for 11 weeks instead of 13 weeks and for only six hours a day instead of the usual eight — saving more than 35% of energy! ⚡

Experimenting with LED lights

Many business associations are also looking to switch to LED lighting to save on energy costs.

“It has been a topic of discussion, but LED does not have a huge impact on electricity costs,” Maarten Mulder, city centre manager of Nijmegen, tells the NOS.

Christmas lights are here to stay

One of the main reasons why Christmas lights aren’t being turned off altogether is because businesses actually rely on them to make their shops attractive to customers during the cold season.

“If a street doesn’t look good, people don’t go shopping there either. The cosiness is also in self-interest”, Maarten Hajer, professor of Urban Futures at Utrecht University, tells the NOS.

READ MORE | How Dutch people get rid of their Christmas trees

That being said, we can rest assured knowing that, even though the lights will burn for fewer hours, they’ll be around for that cosy winter feeling. ❄️

What do you think about the Dutch’s initiative to decrease the use of Christmas lights this year? Tell us in the comments below! 👇