When you step through the door of Dju design, a graphic design studio on St-Hubert Street in Montreal, you enter a setting, like a living space. It was its signature. A living business card bearing the image of the brand. But the studio no longer has a storefront. “It was a heartbreaking decision,” confides Julie Bernèche , the founder. “In this period of uncertainty, I put all the designer furniture in a warehouse.” In the fall, she sublet part of a friend’s space that was left empty. An experience she enjoyed, and one she will repeat.

Teleworking and office disruption

October 2019. A noisy construction site in the building had initially forced the team to relocate for six months to a semi-furnished temporary office. A foretaste of disruption. Employees were supposed to return home on April 1, but teleworking was imposed by the provincial government in March. While businesses were set to reopen in May, Julie Bernèche questioned the relevance of returning to the original space, whose rent had also increased. Like many other small employers, rent is a significant expense for a small business. But that's not what pushed her to take a different direction.

For her part, Émilie Rousseau , co-founder of MR Gestion de Patrimoine & Solutions Collectives, wanted to streamline her structure and create a centralized office that reflected her image before the pandemic: modern and efficient. The firm is divided into three offices: those in Laval and Westmount, already agile and flexible with a reduced on-site presence for employees, and the one in McMasterville (South Shore), which had never experimented with teleworking. Since March 2019, the cohort of around thirty employees has been forced to work 100% remotely. A great opportunity that the co-owner seized to review the organization and relevance of her rental spaces. Out of three offices, she has kept only one tenth of a square foot. She is taking a step back to put in place a plan to reintegrate her teams into a single, redesigned space.

New ways of working

“I think that telework, even if it is effective, is starting to show signs of weakness,” believes Émilie Rousseau. As an employer, she naturally wants to maintain her efficiency and productivity. “Human contact is important,” emphasizes the woman who recently conducted a survey of her employees, the vast majority of whom want to see their colleagues again and return to the office. Maintaining a physical space remains an important choice for the financial services firm. “It’s not even a question of money,” explains Émilie Rousseau. “Keeping a single space instead of three, strategically located, that is more user-friendly and adaptable based on our presence, our tasks and the needs of our clients,” is part of her thoughts.

Julie Bernèche of Dju design has a similar story, with a different answer. “The coworking space that I sublet has done the team a lot of good. Especially because we are creative people, we need to get together to brainstorm. Team spirit and creative symbiosis are important,” says this certified good boss in 2020. For her, the office has become above all a place to get together. Except that teleworking seems here to stay. “I think that personalized office space is no longer as necessary as it used to be. We can be just as functional from home.” And what’s more, her business model, based 90% on referrals and word of mouth, works very well when teleworking.

Reorganize your space

Digital technology had already made its incursion there. “Even before the pandemic, entering our world and touching the materials was no longer so relevant,” continues Julie Bernèche. “We modulated our models with digital technology, and we used BeHance to present the portfolio.” The health guidelines had also slowed down clients’ visits to their office, which was not adapted to social distancing.

For her part, Émilie Rousseau wants to create a more functional collaborative space. She wants to revitalize the space and dust off a conservative sector. "I want to be an employer of choice and attract competent and committed people. Employees have to want to come to the office." Here's how she would like to design the space: "an open, minimalist area, where nothing is left on the desks, where each employee brings their laptop and has a locker for their personal belongings. With soundproof boots for confidential conversations." The entrepreneur, who wants to improve employee engagement, explains her vision: "Coming to work must have added value, with public transportation costs paid or meals provided. With a social or sports activity at the end of the workday."

She is also thinking about a space that could serve several needs at once. “We can talk to our customers online. But when they come to our premises, I would like to welcome them in a different way. Like creating a customer event after an annual meeting in our conference room, which could be transformed for this purpose.” Émilie Rousseau is juggling all the options to strengthen ties, both with her employees and her customers, and to do business differently.