How to create consistent offices with local character

Introducing the first in a series of articles: Making workplaces work - for people, performance and the planet.

Have you ever walked into an office and instantly felt it wasn’t on par with others in the same company? Maybe the technology feels outdated, the workspace less intuitive, the design less modern.

Inconsistent office experiences affect first impressions and can quietly undermine employee experiences across a national or even international businesses portfolio of spaces.

The challenge for companies with space in different locations is to deliver a consistent, equitable experience for every employee, in every location, without creating a franchise feel.

Three core principles can help organisations frame their workplace strategy: standardise where it matters, design for our people, and celebrate local identity.

This was the approach for JLL UK’s own workplace strategy: “We're not trying to create identical offices,” says Nikhil Dhumma, EMEA CRE Design and Programme Director, JLL. “They’re related, like children from the same family – cousins, but not identical twins.”

The first step is to define a ‘base level’ experience for every office with standard desk sizes, screen specifications, chair quality and meeting room technology.

“Whether you walk into a meeting room in Manchester or London, you've got the same equipment so you can seamlessly join a meeting, without having to relearn the tech,” says Stuart Cochrane, UK Workplace Sustainability Lead at JLL.

This consistency extends to day-to-day amenities too: “We provide daily fruit and drinks like water, coffee, teas, etc, wherever you are,” adds Georgina Pater-Bell, UK Real Estate and Workplace Director at JLL.

“It’s basic, but critical. You should have a comfortable seat, a height-adjustable desk where possible, the same screen setup and a familiar meeting room experience.”

However, attention to detail doesn’t stop at physical equipment and drinks provision. Inclusive design is ‘layered’ into every JLL project to meet the diverse needs of employees. From multi-faith spaces, to parenting rooms and wellness initiatives (like comfort cabinets to support menopause), amenities have been introduced based on employee feedback from office to office.

Inclusive elements are now embedded into every JLL project as a fundamental component. “I picture it like layers,” says Pater-Bell. “At the base, you have your desk setup, your tech. Then you add an inclusion layer — spaces for prayer, spaces for parenting, and so on.”

For JLL, inclusive spaces are not treated as optional extras but as essential elements. Multi-faith spaces, for example, go beyond prayer rooms, creating space for intersectionality, spirituality and quiet reflection regardless of religious beliefs. Similarly, parenting rooms are designed to support not just mothers, but anyone managing family responsibilities who may need a quiet, restorative space.

Those elements are adapted depending on the size of the office and the building configuration: “A 50,000 square foot office will have more space for amenities than a 5,000 square foot one,” says Cochrane. 

For example, offices under 15,000 sq ft — Glasgow, Birmingham, Leeds — have shared first aid and parenting spaces, whereas larger offices have their own.

To overcome such variances, companies must be clear about “must-haves, should-haves, and could-haves”, he says.

While the baseline remains consistent, JLL offices have retained a local identity with materials and finishes that reflect the context and culture of each site.

“The Birmingham look and feel is very different from Water Street, which differs from Manchester,” says Dhumma. “In terms of aesthetics, we’ve deliberately gone down different routes for different offices. There's a shared DNA across sites but each has its own identity.”

In Birmingham, the office colour scheme echoes the red brick and terracotta of architecture throughout the city, with other features that celebrate the design of the Library of Birmingham across the street. In Leeds, the colour palette references the Yorkshire landscape through the seasons and features archways inspired by the city's Corn Exchange.

Yet maintaining consistency across a regional portfolio isn’t without its hurdles and many decisions were made iteratively, with each project built on lessons from the last.

Out-of-hours power control, for example, wasn't standard but, once tested in the Manchester office, the energy savings led to it being introduced in Leeds, Bristol and Birmingham.

In other areas, such as IT, like-for-like standards are harder to maintain.

“You do have different offices on different technology refresh cycles,” Cochrane adds. “So, naturally, some offices are operating with slightly newer equipment than others.”

Landlord provision can also limit what is possible. “Landlords still aren't really embedding inclusive amenity into base builds,” says Pater-Bell. “It's still often an afterthought; you get your showers and maybe a gym if you’re lucky, but anything beyond that, companies are having to deliver it themselves.”

Pre-planning and having clear outcomes are therefore critical for companies when selecting sites and leasing space.

“Focus on the desired outcomes and work backwards from there,” says Dhumma. “You have to know what you’re aiming for.”

Delivering a completely equitable experience may not always be possible – especially across buildings of different sizes, ages and specifications – but organisations can offer a consistent baseline of quality and inclusive design without sacrificing individuality or character.