Renovating an office when its occupied
The end of a lease is often a good time for a change – it may be a new location, lease terms or the interior design. Coty decided to stay in the Warsaw Tower building and renovate occupied space – with JLL advisory.
Coty’s decision to stay in Warsaw Tower was mainly down to the building’s convenient location and the numerous amenities that were introduced by Warsaw Tower’s landlord. JLL experts worked closely with the Coty team in the rearranging of the office. A joint analysis of employee needs has resulted in the introduction of many changes, the most popular of which was an increase in the number of focus rooms, and smaller rooms for individual work and smaller teams. The whole space and its interior were designed with employees’ well-being in mind. So a friendly office supporting creative and productive work was created, and new ergonomic desks and chairs were ordered. The layout of the kitchen has also been completely changed. What was a typical canteen, is now an area where employees can enjoy a more comfortable and relaxing space. Another feature of the new space is a number of "beauty corners" which offer employees the opportunity to test Coty products.
The relocation process was divided into three phases, which were structured in the same way. Each phase assumed that around 70 - 90 people would rotate their workstations. The office was divided into three parts in order to use the entire space proportionately. Removals were carried out during the weekend, starting on a Friday evening and ending on Sunday, so that on Monday morning the workstations were ready for employees. All used furniture and household appliances/electronics were donated to charity.
The renovation did not affect Coty's business in any way. For employees who had to change the location of their workplace due to the renovation, a temporary space in the building was leased. The use of conference rooms, which were open space at that time, became more effective. Working on occupied space required a lot of planning and meticulous preparation, but thanks to the support of JLL experts, it was possible to keep all of Coty’s employees in the building during all stages of the renovation.