Today’s companies are constantly looking for amenities that give them an edge attracting and retaining top talent. While many office perks are useful signifiers of a company’s culture and values, the amenities that have a measurable upshot on people’s experience and effectiveness at work are those that give people a choice of workspaces.

Gensler’s 2019 U.S. Workplace Survey found that the spaces that deliver the greatest impact connect directly to people’s most salient needs and preferences: quiet places to perform focused or individual work, and spaces connected directly to collaboration and group innovation. Amenities with a non-work focus, such as lounges and break rooms, deliver the smallest performance gains.

In fact, choice itself can be an important amenity. In today’s work-everywhere culture, having a variety of spaces to choose from is directly connected to a great workplace experience. An innovation hub or maker space, for example, can offer an alternative setting to one’s daily workstation, as well as an opportunity to work with a different set of tools and skills.

When evaluating which workplace amenities are worth the investment, there’s one key factor to remember: the most effective amenities aren’t meant as an escape. Rather, they’re designed to support workers’ freedom to be productive where they like, while instilling in them a sense of pride for the values, heritage, and future of the company.

THE TOP 5 WORKPLACE AMENITIES

1. Innovation Hub: Accenture Innovation Hub — Tokyo
With a variety of spaces to support innovation, Accenture’s Innovation Hub in Tokyo is designed to accelerate the launch of services and strategies to market.

2. Maker Space: Intel Innovation Lab — Heredia, Costa Rica
Inspired by the process of discovery, Intel’s Innovation Lab includes a robotic lab, and other spaces for interactions, idea generation, and technology exploration.

3. Quiet/Tech-Free Zone: Digital Hyundai Card Pixel Factory — Seoul
Hyundai Card’s Pixel Factory includes a variety of flexible, alternative work settings, including a library for quiet space.

4. Outdoor Space: The MET — Costa Mesa, California
With an event green, outdoor social lounge, “Food Truck Runway,” and spacious courtyard that functions as a collaborative outdoor workspace, The MET is an amenity-rich office campus that offers a differentiated tenant experience.

5. Focus Room: Hudson River Trading — New York
Hudson River Trading’s multi-level headquarters in 4 World Trade Center features a variety of amenities, including dedicated rooms for focus work and privacy.