Colorado tech companies BombBomb and ENGAGE use their natural surroundings to their advantage.
When Pikes Peak and the Red Rocks Park and Amphitheatre are in your backyard, creating an office space that has employees excited to come to work involves emphasizing the beauty that’s already there. A potential added benefit? Increased productivity.
According to Harvard Business Review, 78 percent of employees in a 2018 Future Workplace Employee Experience Study told researchers that access to natural light and views improved their wellbeing. Seventy percent reported improved work performance.
But mountain trail and park proximity aside, the teams at these two Colorado companies have also designed their offices to reflect specific core values. Below, BombBomb Director of Talent Management Sandra Martinez and ENGAGE CEO Rob Ratchinsky explain how this intentionality encourages collaboration among coworkers, as well as with the greater Colorado community.
For any newcomer, directions to BombBomb’s office are pretty straightforward. Just head to the tallest building in downtown Colorado Springs. The 145 employees who work from the Pikes Peak-facing conference rooms and desk areas easily collaborate, in part due to the open floor plan, said Director of Talent Management Sandra Martinez.
What inspired the design of your office and what features do employees love most?
The design philosophy for our space was inspired by our core values: relationships, service, fun, humility and flexibility. Our open concept makes it easier to build relationships, serve our coworkers, promote collaboration and have fun.
For focus work, we designated bookable offices for employees to have uninterrupted time. Our central meeting space allows us to come together as a team for all-hands meetings, weekly happy hours and monthly lunches.
This space includes a keg and wine bar, snacks and large tables reminiscent of our middle school days. The design utilizes bright colors and geometric shapes, which reflect our culture of fun. Natural elements embrace the outdoor culture.
Our open concept makes it easier to build relationships.’’
What exciting plans do you have for the future of your office?
We are always thinking about how to change up our snack and beer offerings to provide variety for our employees. We’ve added fruit and other healthy offerings, which we plan to expand in the future.
ENGAGE’s office is located in the heart of LoHi, Denver. Coors Field is a five-minute drive east of the office and Union Station, The Museum of Contemporary Art and copious amounts of cold brew coffee are all within walking distance. CEO Rob Ratchinsky explained what aspects of the space the team most appreciates and what’s to come this year.
What inspired the design of your office and what features do employees love most?
We wanted an inviting, open concept that not only encourages teamwork and collaboration during the day, but is also a social, fun environment where our staff and families could hang out and enjoy themselves. Our employees especially love our professional DJ booth and our community lounge area.
Our large, open concept will provide a perfect environment to host industry events.’’
What exciting plans do you have for the future of your office?
Our large, open concept will provide a perfect environment to host industry events that promote thought leadership and innovative discussion. As great as our office is, we do plan to outsource some of the fun to the numerous restaurants, shops and bars located within walking distance.
