Earlier this year, First American unveiled renovations at its Santa Ana, Calif., headquarters that focus on fostering collaboration, flexibility and innovation among its team members.
The changes were made to reflect what the company learned from employees working from home during the height of the pandemic, according to Chief Information Officer Geraldine Ramezani.
“Since the beginning of the pandemic, we have been actively listening to, and surveying, our employees. One thing became abundantly clear – when we bring people back to the office, we must be able to mirror their working conditions at home and provide flexibility to accommodate new work behaviors people have adopted, while understanding how to make the best use of the time we have together in person,” she said.
“We know that our behaviors have changed, and that the workplace has moved beyond the traditional business design and format. As a company competing for some of the best tech talent in the country in an already tight labor market, we leaned into this shift, focusing on how to leverage it and move our business forward,” Ramezani said.
First American’s Business Technology Solutions (BTS) building is designed like a university classroom, including iLabs with customizable seating and standing desks. It has access to remote technologies, so teams on different schedules can take part in virtual meetings with colleagues in the office.
“It was important to think critically about why we are bringing people back to the office,” Ramezani said. “As we know, many are just as productive at home, so it is essential to provide compelling reasons to gather teams together in the office. Coming in to sit at your own computer all day and take meetings with other teams across the country is not the best use of our space. We’d rather our employees plan team meetings, ideation sessions and participate in all-hands meetings when together.”
Part of the challenge of designing the workspace was the generational differences of the modern workforce.
“Many Gen Z employees have started their careers remotely and this may be their first introduction to the office, whereas other generations are now reveling in the fact that their commute time has diminished or disappeared entirely,” Ramezani said. “Our newer employees also may not understand First American, or our culture, as well as those who have been with us for several years. We designed the space with all groups in mind, bringing them together through mentorship opportunities and activities.”
Those activities include a game area that allows for socialization outside of a traditional meeting. It is meant to allow team members to take a break during the workday like many do when working from home, while still being able to connect with coworkers.
“We see the new BTS building as not just a departmental asset, but a company-wide asset,” Ramezani said. “The space has been fertile ground for us to leverage our collaboration technologies, seamlessly connecting with our teams across the globe. We are able to host ideation sessions, provide immersive training for both local and remote talent, as well as provide open areas to connect, brainstorm and even have fun in our gaming area. The work the First American BTS team is doing helps foster creativity and innovation across the entire company.”