Tricks used to lure WFH staff back to office

<p>The entire 38th floor of the City’s ‘Cheesegrater’ skyscraper is set to be turned into an escape room game for stressed office workers to blow off steam.</p><p>The building’s owner, CC Land, says the idea is for co-workers to better collaborate and “have fun” together as they compete to win Crystal Maze-style tasks.&nbsp;</p><p>Meanwhile at 22 Bishopsgate, the Square Mile’s newest tower, bosses are offering “puppy yoga” - stretches plus dog cuddles - to try and boost colleagues’ serotonin between IRL meetings and crunching spreadsheets.</p><p>They are among strategies to try and tempt working-from-home staff back to the Covid-era physical office.</p><p>That’s on top of street food stalls, ice cream deliveries, craft classes and massages in what’s the Times reports is the “hotelification” of workplaces, or “office 2.0”.</p><p>It’s no longer tech giants bringing high-end freebies to blur the lines between nine to five - now, many of traditional City firms are spending big on renting space with wellbeing extras.</p><p>But does these techniques actually improve productivity or job satisfaction, and does anyone really want boss-approved good times in a “vertical village”?</p><p>To find out more about stress-busting ideas being designed into offices of the near future, The Leader’s joined by workplace wellbeing consultant Emma James, chief operating officer at Kamwell, an employee wellbeing company.</p><br /><hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for privacy and opt-out information.</p>