Today, an office is no longer just a workplace — it plays a crucial role in fostering team collaboration, helping individuals focus, and supporting overall wellbeing. More and more employers in Latvia and the Baltics are looking for ways to design offices that meet not only functional needs but are also human-centered and creative. The work environment is a key factor in building successful teams and maintaining organizational culture, enabling employees to collaborate and deliver their best performance. At the same time, flexibility — the option to work both on-site and remotely — remains essential, especially in the tech industry, where a large percentage of companies continue to offer remote work opportunities to some or all employees.
According to data from compensation research and management consulting firm “Figure Baltic Advisory”, 98% of Latvian IT companies offer remote work (64% to all employees, 34% to some). In Lithuania, 97% of IT companies offer such opportunities (80% to all, 17% to some), while in Estonia, 99% of IT companies offer remote work (77% to all, 22% to some). The IT sector clearly shows that a flexible work model remains the most suitable, balancing in-office collaboration with people’s personal commitments and working preferences.
At “Wise”, we know what our team expects and enjoys in a modern workspace — and we believe that employers should listen carefully to provide a space that people enjoy coming to. As a global fintech company with over 6000 employees working in our 10 key locations, we have seen that when people can influence their workplace, they develop a stronger sense of belonging.
People Are Increasingly Valuing In-Person Communication and Shared Workspaces
After the pandemic and a long period of remote work, people increasingly value face-to-face interaction and shared work environments. These elements are crucial for building successful teams and sustaining a strong company culture, enabling more effective collaboration. In-person collaboration fosters genuine, long-lasting relationships, which are important for overall happiness at work. We notice a preference for holding team meetings and one-on-one conversations in person, as the connection is stronger than over video calls. This is especially important in teams like ours that tackle complex challenges related to the global movement and management of money. Collaborating in a shared space often makes it easier to brainstorm and develop effective solutions. These daily decisions and ideas can ultimately impact millions of individuals and businesses worldwide.
In-person collaboration also supports new team members by making onboarding smoother, as they can receive full support, understand their role, and get to know their team better. However, we recognise that some tasks require deeper focus, and working from home can be more effective in those cases. The key to success lies in finding the right balance.
Feedback is an important factor in making people part of the place we work at. For example, when designing our new offices, we involved employees, designers, and the local community: team members chose the themes and names of meeting rooms themselves, and children of our employees created a dragon wallpaper in one of our meeting rooms.
An Office Is Not Just a Building
Modern offices are no longer just about physical space — they are about creating an environment where the team can grow, collaborate, and thrive. Collaboration is a cornerstone of success, so it's essential for organisations to design offices with creative spaces that foster communication and support a smoother workflow. Equally important is providing zones where individuals can choose settings that best suit their needs for mental switchovers. To achieve this, we have designed work areas in neutral tones to enhance focus, while using more vibrant colours in common areas and meeting rooms to encourage context switching and boost creativity.
Since many of our colleagues are also friends outside of work, we created spaces for relaxation and shared hobbies. This can be done, for example, with a dedicated recreational area with games and activities such as a virtual reality room, billiards, and table tennis, as well as spaces for team events — like a karaoke kitchen. Other unique options are rooms for yoga classes and sauna evenings, and a music room for employees who play instruments. All of these elements foster a sense of community among employees.
One of the key considerations in designing our new space was ensuring accessibility — it’s important for us that our work environment is both safe and comfortable for each member of our team. Our new office is wheelchair accessible and safe for people with hearing or visual impairments — with hearing loops installed at entrances, tactile paths outside, and contrast stickers on glass surfaces, booths, and staircases.
Considering Both Physical and Mental Wellbeing
When planning office spaces, it’s important to consider both physical and mental wellbeing: people do their best work in an environment that they can thrive in — and in our experience, that also includes aspects of physical wellbeing. As office work includes a lot of time behind the desk, special attention should be paid to ergonomics — for example, allowing employees to adjust desk height and lighting. As a lot of the work in tech companies is carried out sedentary, we’ve created a wellness zone with massage chairs. For mental wellbeing, maximising natural daylight with architectural solutions like lightwells is essential, especially in a region where sunlight is a scarcity.
Each company and its people have different needs, and what individuals value in a workplace will vary. However, when employees are given the chance to shape the environment they work in, a strong sense of belonging and team spirit naturally follows. Fostering this sense of ownership is truly priceless.
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