It’s not an office, it’s an “engagement hub”: Zoom opens new London HQ
Zoom, the video communications firm that became a poster-child for pandemic work, has asked staff to be in the office more often – but staff in the UK will instead be returning to “an engagement hub.”
“Zoom… has opened its new London engagement hub to spearhead the shift from traditional office spaces to experiential working hubs,” the firm said in a statement.
The not-an-office has 75 work points “ranging from library-style benches, touchdown spaces, agile tables for collaboration to traditional desks.”
Zoom employees – occasionally called Zoomies – will be able to book their space through the workspace reservation tool.
Situated in Holborn, the 15,000 square foot hub “has been transformed into a multi-use cohesive hub with built-in Zoom technology.”
The human touch of a smiling face at reception will be replaced with a “Zoom virtual kiosk… empowering everyone to do their best work from anywhere.”
“Our company is centred around people which is why our London Engagement Hub has been intentionally designed with the employee experience at the heart of it all,” says Alana Collins, Head of Real Estate & Workplace at Zoom.
“For in-person days, it’s important to have a structure, rooted at a team level, to build value and purpose. This is why we’ve combined the best of in-person and virtual collaboration to inspire innovation and promote maximum productivity, satisfaction and creativity as we adapt to modern work,” they added.
Zoom’s share price, which topped the $500 mark in the height of the pandemic in 2020, has fallen to $68, almost exactly the level it was at prior to Covid-19.
The office – or engagement hub – will be seen as a vote of confidence in the capital’s tech scene.
“(This) announcement also underlines our commitment to and confidence in the UK – a key market for Zoom where we continue to see strong adoption across our entire unified communications platform encompassing virtual meetings, telephony, internal communications, online events and more,” the firm’s UK boss Phil Perry said.