The eventual post-pandemic return to work presents the perfect opportunity to reimagine workplace strategy and space planning. Already one of South Africa’s largest interior design and fit out companies, and owned by JLL, a Fortune 500 company, Tétris Design & Build not only understand the new needs of clients, employees, and teams, but have a pool of talented women ready to shape and implement the workplace of the future.

Workplace solutions that foster inclusivity while attracting younger, dynamic teams are in high demand as companies of all sizes contemplate how best to refresh and reinvigorate their offices into workplaces that are flexible, promote health and wellbeing, and actively contribute to business performance.

Zama Zaca, Head of Business Development at Tétris says there is more to design than space planning and mere aesthetics. “Workplace strategy and design is a depth of thinking that considers the emotions invoked by the aesthetic. It considers the sense of wellbeing that is established by the textures, lighting, and airflow. It’s also about the elevation of productivity that is enabled by ergonomics, acoustics, and technology. It looks at what can be achieved when colleagues collaborate in communal spaces. It’s about the sense of belonging that is harvested by brand presence, corporate culture and is crucial in creating a healthy workforce!”

The possibilities and the potential of workplaces to be more exiting and productive is an outlook championed by Tango Matoti, Head of Space Planning & Workplace Strategy at Tétris. She says it’s unfortunate space efficiencies and increased productivity as a result carefully considered and thoughtfully designed workplaces are still viewed as a nice-to-have in some sectors. “Workplace strategy and design is about helping organisations understand how workspaces can really support their employees, and the types of areas and spaces they should be investing in to align the user experience within the workplace design. Most spend a lot of time in the office and so I find it rewarding when people’s attitudes are changed by a space and they are excited to go to work and feel catered for, listened to, and happy in their space.”

Caryn Dos Santos, Business Development, Workplace Design and Space Planning, at Tétris agrees that building relationships with clients from initial brief through to final handover is a challenge well worth the reward. “Meeting with a client and encapsulating their vision for their project and the process of discovery along the way is incredibly exciting. Of course, a client’s satisfaction when moving into their beautiful new space is the cherry on the top.

For Meera Ajoodha, Interior Designer specialising in Workplace Design and Space Planning at Tétris, reimagining the workplace is a truly holistic endeavour. “We go to great lengths to understand client needs through site assessments, company research, leadership interviews, focus group interviews and then we look at current and future office, economic, and environmental trends and develop impactful solutions that set up offices for long-term success, productivity and efficiency,” she says.

While the near constant rate of change leads to an understandable level of risk aversion, the women at Tétris South Africa are leading the way in creating create positive work cultures, through the design of workspaces to compete for talent by combining international best practice with outstanding local design.