Inside LinkedIn’s New Flagship | WSJ Open Office

Summary

LinkedIn's new flagship office in Silicon Valley, Building One, is a hybrid workspace designed to accommodate the post-pandemic work model. With 75 different seating types and reduced desk count to 569, the space encourages flexibility, with employees free to choose from a variety of setups. The design prioritizes social interaction and trust in employees, with co-working areas, tech-equipped conference rooms, and a postures matrix guiding ergonomic seating choices. This innovative approach is seen as a test for the future of workplace design.

Takeaways

• 🏢 LinkedIn's flagship office space has been redesigned with over 75 different types of seating to accommodate various work activities.
• 🔄 The pandemic has significantly influenced the redesign, with 100% of the changes being a direct result of the shift to remote and hybrid work models.
• 📈 The new office layout supports a hybrid work model, reflecting a growing trend with 42% of people in remote-capable jobs working partly from home according to a Gallup poll.
• 🛋️ The office now features a cafe instead of a traditional lobby, aiming to create a buzz and a welcoming atmosphere for employees as they enter the building.
• 👥 Co-working spaces with open, non-reserved seating have been introduced, allowing for flexibility and collaboration among employees.
• 🔧 LinkedIn reduced the number of individual workstations from 1,080 to 569, embracing the idea that not all employees will be in the office for a full eight-hour day.
• 🤝 The office design encourages social interaction with spaces like the cafe and co-working areas, fostering a sense of community among employees.
• 🛋️ 'Neighborhoods' are designated areas for teams, combining traditional desks with alternative workspaces to cater to different work styles and preferences.
• 💡 The 'postures matrix' was used to determine the variety and type of furniture, considering the ergonomics and the duration of use for each workspace.
• 🔍 High-tech conference rooms are designed to make remote participants feel included, with cameras and technology that enhance visibility and interaction.
• 🔄 Desk utilization prior to the pandemic was around 30-40%, indicating that the traditional office setup was not fully utilized, prompting the need for a redesign.
• 🔑 Employees in Building One do not have assigned desks, promoting a more fluid and flexible approach to working within their team neighborhoods.

Q & A

What is the significance of the seating arrangements in LinkedIn's flagship office space?

The office space features over 75 different types of seating, designed to accommodate various work activities, from quick calls to answering emails, reflecting the flexibility needed for a hybrid work environment.

How did the pandemic influence the design of LinkedIn's office space?

The pandemic led to a complete redesign of the office space. Originally planned with traditional desks and conference rooms, it was transformed into a hybrid work model with fewer desks and more nontraditional seating setups to encourage flexibility and adaptability.

What percentage of people with remote capable jobs are working partly at home according to the February Gallup poll mentioned in the script?

According to the February Gallup poll, 42% of people with remote capable jobs are working partly at home.

What is the concept behind the floor planning of Building One in LinkedIn's campus?

The floor planning concept starts with a social entry point with a cafe and becomes more focused as one moves deeper into the building, creating a balance between social interaction and focused work areas.

How many workstations were initially planned for Building One before the pandemic?

The original floor plans for Building One called for 1,080 individual workstations.

What was the change in the number of workstations after LinkedIn retooled the space with the help of NBBJ?

After the redesign, the number of desks was cut in half to 569 workstations, and dozens of new, nontraditional seating setups were added.

What is the purpose of the co-working spaces introduced in the redesign?

Co-working spaces are designed for open, non-reserved seating, allowing employees to work in a more flexible environment, suitable for shorter work periods or team collaboration.

How does LinkedIn approach the concept of employees working from the office and from home?

LinkedIn leads with trust, allowing employees to make decisions that are best for them and their team, whether it involves working from the office for half the day or working from home.

What is the postures matrix and how does it influence the office space design?

The postures matrix is a concept that combines the amount of time a person is expected to work on a certain activity with the ergonomics needed to support that activity, influencing the design of various seating options in the office.

How does LinkedIn address the issue of desk utilization in a hybrid work environment?

LinkedIn addresses desk utilization by not assigning desks to employees, allowing them to choose seats within their team's neighborhood, and by observing and adapting to how the space is used over time.

What technological features are incorporated in LinkedIn's conference rooms to enhance remote collaboration?

Conference rooms are equipped with table-height cameras that reframe to better show the speaker and 'ghosting' technology that allows remote participants to see what is being written on the whiteboard without the writer blocking the view.

How does LinkedIn view Building One as a test for the future of work?

Building One is seen as an opportunity for experimentation and observation to determine what works best in a hybrid work environment. The space is entirely flexible and can be adapted to future needs, whether that involves more desks or a completely different model.

Outlines

00:00

🏢 LinkedIn's Hybrid Office Design

The video script introduces LinkedIn's flagship office space, which has been reimagined post-pandemic to accommodate a hybrid work model. With over 75 types of seating and a significant reduction in traditional workstations, the office now offers a variety of spaces for different work activities. The shift from 'one employee, one desk' to a more flexible setup reflects the new normal where 42% of people with remote-capable jobs work partly from home. The tour with project leaders explores the redesign of Building One, LinkedIn's new campus hub in Silicon Valley, which now includes co-working areas, neighborhoods for team assignments, and alternative workspaces. The office emphasizes trust in employees to decide their best work setup, whether in-office or remote.

05:01

🛠️ Experimenting with the Future of Work

The second paragraph delves into the challenges and innovations of designing a hybrid office, focusing on the conference room as a complex element. LinkedIn's approach includes creating informal spaces to level the playing field between in-office and remote participants. Advanced technology is integrated to enhance remote collaboration, such as cameras that reframe to focus on speakers and 'ghost' participants to allow remote viewers to see whiteboard content clearly. The office's design is intended to welcome employees back but also respects the flexibility of remote work. The narrative suggests that Building One serves as a testbed for workplace design, with the flexibility to adapt to future needs and observations, potentially guiding the broader understanding of the future of work.

Keywords

💡Hybrid Work

Hybrid work refers to a work model where employees split their time between working remotely and working in the office. It is central to the video's theme, illustrating LinkedIn's adaptation to a post-pandemic work environment. The script mentions that 42% of people with remote capable jobs are working partly at home, indicating a significant shift in workplace norms.

💡Workspace Design

Workspace design involves the planning and arrangement of spaces where people work, focusing on functionality, comfort, and aesthetics. The video emphasizes the redesign of LinkedIn's office to accommodate hybrid work, with a variety of seating options and areas that cater to different work activities, such as quick calls or focused work sessions.

💡Desk Utilization

Desk utilization is the measure of how often a desk is occupied or in use. The script points out that before the pandemic, LinkedIn's desk utilization was only around 30 to 40%, highlighting the inefficiency of traditional office setups and the need for more flexible workspaces.

💡Co-working Spaces

Co-working spaces are shared work areas that can be used by anyone within a company on a non-reserved basis. The video describes LinkedIn's co-working areas as open and non-reserved, allowing for flexibility and collaboration among employees.

💡Nontraditional Seating Setups

Nontraditional seating setups refer to alternative work areas that deviate from the standard desk-and-chair configuration. The script mentions that LinkedIn cut the number of desks in half and added various seating options, such as high tables and booths with Ottomans, to create a more dynamic and comfortable work environment.

💡Postures Matrix

The postures matrix is a concept used to determine the ergonomics and duration of different work activities. The video explains that LinkedIn used this matrix to add new furniture types based on the expected time spent on each and the ergonomic support required, such as high tables for shorter durations.

💡Trust-Based Approach

A trust-based approach in the workplace means that employees are trusted to make decisions about their work schedules and locations. The video mentions that LinkedIn's approach is to lead with trust, allowing employees to choose when and where they work best, which is a key aspect of the hybrid work model.

💡Huddle Rooms

Huddle rooms are small meeting spaces designed for quick, informal discussions among a few team members. The script refers to traditional huddle rooms and how the pandemic has influenced a rethinking of meeting spaces, with LinkedIn experimenting with less formal, living room-like setups.

💡Conference Room Technology

Conference room technology includes the equipment and systems used to facilitate meetings, such as cameras, microphones, and display screens. The video highlights LinkedIn's use of technology in conference rooms to enhance remote participation, such as cameras positioned at table height and 'ghosting' technology for whiteboard writing.

💡Office Retooling

Office retooling is the process of redesigning or repurposing office spaces to better suit new work models or employee needs. The script discusses how LinkedIn retooled its space during the pandemic, cutting the number of desks and adding new seating setups to create a more flexible and accommodating work environment.

💡Experimentation

Experimentation in the context of the video refers to the process of trying out different ideas or approaches to see what works best. LinkedIn's office redesign is described as an experiment in creating a new kind of workplace that can adapt to the evolving nature of work and employee preferences.

Highlights

LinkedIn's flagship office space features over 75 different types of seating options.

The office design accommodates various work activities, from quick calls to answering emails.

The pandemic influenced a complete redesign of the workspace, resulting in 100% new features.

Hybrid work models are emerging as the leading choice, with 42% of remote-capable jobs being partly home-based.

Building One, LinkedIn's new hub, is designed for hybrid work, with space for approximately 1,500 employees.

Original floor plans were reworked to halve the number of individual workstations.

Experimentation was key in the redesign process due to the uncertainty of the post-pandemic future.

The office entrance was reimagined as a cafe to create an immediate sense of buzz and activity.

Co-working spaces were introduced, offering open and non-reserved seating areas.

LinkedIn trusts employees to decide the best work arrangements for themselves and their teams.

The office layout progresses from social entry spaces to more focused work areas as one moves inward.

Neighborhoods are designated team areas, combining alternative workspaces with traditional desks.

The postures matrix was used to determine the variety and ergonomics of workspaces.

LinkedIn employees do not have assigned desks, allowing for flexibility in choosing where to work.

Conference rooms are designed to resemble living rooms, aiming to reduce formality in meetings.

Advanced technology in conference rooms, such as table-height cameras, enhances remote participation.

The office space is entirely flexible and can be adapted to future needs or models.

LinkedIn views Building One as an experiment that could inform the future of workplace design.

Transcripts

(upbeat music)

- [Adam Falk] At LinkedIn's flagship office space,

there are more than 75 different types of seating.

- This feels like a spot for maybe a really quick call

or just answering a couple of emails.

Work or NBA Jam.

Yeah. This is your space. And this is mine.

- Yeah. This is my space, and that's your space.

- [Adam Falk] Many of these seats

were actually meant to be desks.

- So I think during our initial plans,

we had just standard desks in this space

with traditional conference rooms and huddle rooms.

- [Adam Falk] But the pandemic changed that.

- How much of what we're seeing in this space

is new as a result of the pandemic?

- 100% of it.

- [Adam Falk] This recently opened space

is designed for hybrid work,

a model that has emerged as the leading choice

for LinkedIn and others,

with 42% of people with remote capable jobs

working partly at home,

according to a February Gallup poll.

So what does a hybrid office look like?

I toured Building One with the project's leaders to find out

and to get a glimpse into what could be the future

of workplace design.

(upbeat music)

Building One is the new hub of LinkedIn's campus

in Silicon valley.

It has six floors, roughly 239,000 square feet,

and room for about 1,500 employees

- Prior to the pandemic, when we looked at this building,

really at that point the main goal

was fitting as many people as we could in this space.

- [Adam Falk] The original floor plans

called for 1,080 individual workstations.

The thinking was, "One employee, one desk."

- Once we were sent home during the pandemic,

a lot of that changed.

And much of what we were trying to solve for

before the pandemic was not the same thing

that we were looking at at that moment.

(upbeat music)

- [Adam Falk] So with the help

of its design partners at NBBJ,

LinkedIn retooled the space,

cutting the number of desks in half to 569 workstations

and adding dozens of new, nontraditional seating setups.

- What did you and LinkedIn learn from the pandemic

that would result in the space that we're in right now?

- I think we really wanted to do a lot of experimentation,

because we just didn't know.

No one had a crystal ball

about what the future would actually be.

So we wanted to provide

as many variety of spaces as possible.

(upbeat music)

(door opens)

- [Adam Falk] The variety starts

right when employees walk in.

The design does away with a large lobby in favor of a cafe.

- Daniel and Adam.

- This is one of my favorite spaces of the buildings.

The idea of this space is that the minute you walk in,

you feel the buzz, there's people getting coffee,

there's people moving throughout the space.

- [Adam Falk] The cafe spills into the first of two areas

LinkedIn calls its co-working spaces.

Think open, non-reserved seating.

The co-working area on the second floor

was added in the redesign.

- So we've got primary work points here.

- [Adam Falk] Desks with monitors

and tall backed booths with Ottomans dot the space that,

looking back at the original design,

was once full of assigned workstations.

- So a space like this is great for those smaller

time periods where you might come in and work with your team

and then go home and do some focus time.

Or for vice versa.

- And that's okay with LinkedIn,

to come in for half the day

and work at home for half the day?

- Yeah

LinkedIn's approach is that we are leading with trust.

(upbeat music)

The idea is that we trust our employees to make

the decision that's gonna be best for them and their team.

- [Adam Falk] Co-working is open to anyone in the company

for any amount of time.

Employees assigned to the building

who plan to work there all day will likely move upstairs.

- The concept behind how the floors are planned is

the entry to the building is the most social.

And the farther that you get into the space,

it becomes more focused

- [Adam Falk] Workers sit in so-called neighborhoods

or areas assigned to their teams.

- We call this the living room.

- [Adam Falk] Neighborhoods are split,

about half alternative workspaces

and half traditional desks.

Those desks are mostly here in the back.

- Was this sort of what the whole floor

was meant to look like before the pandemic.

- It is what the whole floor looked like

before the pandemic.

- What led the decision to get rid of desk space?

- Because we imagined that not everyone

is going to come to work eight hours a day.

- [Adam Falk] So rather than fill the space

with potentially empty desks,

of which I still saw plenty, new furniture was added

based on something called the postures matrix.

- The postures matrix is about the amount of time

that we imagine a person would be working

doing a certain activity,

combined with the amount of ergonomics to support that.

- So how long am I meant to spend at this chair here?

- So as a high table we imagine that you spend less time

compared to a low, standard table.

So this would be used maybe 30 to 60 minutes.

- [Adam Falk] LinkedIn employees in Building One

don't have assigned desks.

Instead they can grab a seat anywhere in their neighborhood.

But it's not quite hot-desking either,

as seats don't need to be reserved.

- Even before the pandemic,

our desk utilization I think was around 30 to 40%

- 30 to 40%?

- Meaning that even though people might be

in the office all day, they're at meetings,

they're at lunch, they might be sick,

or just not in the office.

And so now we're really looking at

what does that desk utilization look like in a hybrid world?

- Do you know what that is yet?

- No.

(laughter)

- [Adam Falk] But in a hybrid office,

(upbeat music)

the individual setup is arguably easier to design for it.

It's the conference room that's tricky.

Here, LinkedIn is, again, experimenting,

from conference rooms that look like living rooms-

- What we wanted to do was to take away the formality

of meetings from offsite to onsite,

and put people in a neutral position

where if you are at home as a part of the conversation,

you're feeling very comfortable

interacting with your colleagues.

- [Adam Falk] To conference rooms packed with tech,

including cameras positioned at table height

that reframe to better show the speaker.

- So it makes it a little bit more

like you're sitting at the table.

- [Adam Falk] And cameras

that help make the physical digital.

- When folks are actually writing on this white board,

typically what you would be doing is writing like this

and a camera would be behind you shadowing other people

from seeing what it is that you you're actually doing.

- Right, they wouldn't be able to see

actually what's going on.

- This technology ghosts you out

so that people that are remote can see what you're writing.

- Can we test it?

- Let's do it. - All right.

(dry erase marker squeaking)

- [Adam Falk] I'm standing in front of it now.

- [Robert Norwood] See what it's capturing?

- [Adam Falk] Yeah. I see what you mean.

- So you have this new space with all of these

new bits of technology and different types of seating.

Is it meant to encourage people

to come back into the office?

- I think it's meant to welcome people

if that's where they need to be.

But if that person is gonna do their best work

and have their best contributions to their team

while being remote, that's okay.

(upbeat music)

- [Adam Falk] That flexibility may not be possible

for some companies.

And others like Tesla simply aren't interested.

But LinkedIn sees Building One as a kind of test.

One that others could learn from.

- To what extent is what we're seeing here

in LinkedIn's office the future of work?

- What we have is an awesome opportunity to experiment

and to see what happens over time.

And this is entirely flexible space.

It might turn out that

what we need are more desks in the future

and that this could be changed into that.

Or it might turn into a completely different model.

But the experimentation and the observation

is really the key to seeing what the future is.

(upbeat music continues)