Let’s explore how we worked with Rix to create a ‘destination office’.
Rix: one year on
The J.R. Rix & Sons shipping company was established in the 1870s in East Yorkshire. Today, Rix has grown into a group of businesses spanning a range of sectors – from manufacturing to car sales, heating services, petroleum retail and distribution. It’s still a family-owned business, now made up of 700 employees.
The group had been based in the same office for 30 years and it was no longer fit for purpose. It was made up of fragmented offices, separate workspaces and was an uninspiring environment for the team, Enter: Chameleon Business Interiors. Harry Rix, Chief Data Officer at Rix, explains the company’s workspace transformation journey.
What did Rix set out to achieve with its new office space?
Office space became available in a highly sought-after building on Hull marina, so we jumped at the opportunity to relocate to a larger space that would bring our teams together, consolidating 85 people across various departments and businesses. This represented a big move for us. We needed to get the design right, so that our teams would ‘buy into’ this change.
With our new office space, we wanted to create:
- an aspirational location where people would want to come and work
- a space that was appropriate for the future of work
- a culture change within Rix
How has Chameleon created an aspirational location?
In terms of creating a location where people would want to come and work, Chameleon really hit the mark and made our new space a ‘destination office’.
The gym and café area have enabled staff to connect with one another and engage with the space in an informal way – while prioritising health and wellness. This can be evidenced through the regularly fully-booked group-wide fitness classes, yoga sessions and lunch meetings.
Creative spaces have been established, which have unlocked new potential in our teams, bringing them together in new and exciting ways that just weren’t possible before
How is Rix’s new space appropriate for the future of work?
We moved offices just after the pandemic, so we were acutely aware that we required a space that was forward-thinking and progressive. It needed to be suitable for hybrid working, while supporting the teams who followed a traditional 9 – 5/Monday – Friday office-based working structure.
Chameleon integrated a host of virtual capabilities into our workspace, with the auditorium and innovation hub boasting state-of-the-art video conferencing capabilities – this has enabled seamless hybrid working for all staff
The space has been designed for every type of working preference – Chameleon has installed quiet booths (that are noise and temperature controlled) as well as group meeting spaces and open plan work and collaboration spaces
How has the new design helped shape a new culture at Rix?
Creating a culture change was our biggest challenge. But Chameleon rose to that challenge.
The team delivered thorough stakeholder consultations at the beginning of the project to ensure the whole company was aware of the plans and take them on a change management journey, enabling colleagues to get involved and create a sense of ownership
Feedback was taken on board and Chameleon was able to deliver our requests in a considered way
We wanted to create better cross-departmental collaboration – so Chameleon took us on a journey to embrace open plan working, with designated collaboration spaces to enable true creativity to flourish.
After the move, Rix sent out a staff pulse survey in January of 2023 to collect employee thoughts on the life and culture of Rix. When asked about how the company could better support the community the resounding voice was that we should support staff led events. The space has really been a facilitator for this, and since we have seen multiple new groups be created who use the space. Examples of the culture away from ‘work’ include gym fitness classes, group wide yoga-classes and company wide breakfasts. The communal space is also proudly used after hours to host social events, which can be internal events or even bring together people from the broader local community
Which element of the design has impressed you the most?
Chameleon has made the most of the natural light that floods the space through carefully considering the location of the cellular offices and meeting spaces. The central open and collaboration areas get the most benefit from the natural light, making the office a really uplifting place to be. The innovation hub is a particularly impressive place. Here, we’re able to transfer knowledge across companies and come together to innovate. genuinely enjoy coming into the office.
What reaction have you had from the team?
The response has been overwhelmingly positive. The new space allows for collaborative working and creative spaces. When we discussed designs with Chameleon, we wanted to have areas where the community could meet and discuss projects flexibly and so integration of booked meeting rooms and open table areas really help provide that.
Our recent feedback survey has proven to be a valuable tool to understanding what our community likes about these spaces so we can continue adapting for growth within each sector. The positive energy generated by the office environments is evident in the community.
Crucially, the new design has helped us with staff retention. Even with stiff competition from competitors offering attractive packages, our teams want to stay with Rix. A big part of the reason for this is the light and bright, contemporary and considered, inspirational and impressive workspace.
What advice would you give to other businesses considering a new workspace?
I would suggest engaging with staff early in the process, consider the future trends of work and work with Chameleon, of course!
How would you describe working with Chameleon?
Chameleon definitely met the brief and achieved our objectives. Working with Chameleon was great. We visited Chameleon’s office and really liked the space – so that was a strong start! The team came back to us with some inspiring design ideas and an exciting new approach to office design; one that we hadn’t even considered. The team were consultative and really guided us through the whole process.