Five of the world’s best offices in the technology sector

Technology companies are often praised on their ingenuity and forward-thinking culture and ideas. This is often represented in the design of their offices. Whether big or small, a good office space can have a massive impact on the health, happiness and well-being of your staff. It can even impact on your ability to retain them as employees.

Below is our run-down of some of the best offices in technology:

Salesforce

Established in 1999, Salesforce provide CRM solutions ‘powering companies to connect with their customers in a whole new way’. Amongst other benefits, Salesforce gives staff seven days of paid leave to pursue volunteering opportunities, and also provides all of their staff with $100 every month to spend on health and fitness programmes. They are head-quartered out of San Francisco and their office (opened in March 2016) is complete with adjustable-height desks, meditation areas and personal air controls. The building was also the first LEED Platinum building in San Francisco.

Cisco

Cisco Systems, founded in 1984 is a company name synonymous with Technology. They have received recognition within Silicon Valley for their excellent work-life programs; employing over 3,000 staff working from home, and offering a child care centre for 600 children. In addition to this, Cisco offer all of their employees (and their spouses/dependents!) access to the ‘LifeConnections Health Centre’. This facility offers access to a “private care suite and dental services [as well as] a pharmacy, lab and X-ray, alternative treatments such as chiropractic, physical therapy, and acupuncture services”. These facilities are available to Cisco employees in three locations; San Jose (California), North Carolina and Bangalore (India).

VMWare

Based in Palo Alto, California and founded in 1998, VMWare are a producer of virtualisation software. Their software enables computers to be more efficient by running more than one operating system simultaneously. Their campus boasts a 105 acre landscape with more than 1,500 trees on site, a large rectangular fountain, three nature trails and a pond which is home to small turtles. Additionally included in their campus are 75 palm trees, and a skyway. They also have a football pitch, recreational park and two fitness centres. The fitness centres offer a range of courses including yoga, tai-chi and meditation. They also allow dogs on campus, and provide doggie waste bags and receptacles. The company are also big on recycling and water conservation.

Hootsuite

Headquartered out of Vancouver, Canada, Hootsuite were established in 2008. Their technology helps their clients manage multiple social media platforms simultaneously. They have two offices within the city. The first, is a 33,000 sq ft space includes a 24 hour gym, nap room and exercise studio is located on the site of an old police station, and is a dog friendly office. The second, following a similar design has a lunch room kitted out with picnic benches and ping pong tables. The office space is open plan with long desks and separate meeting rooms. There’s also a library!

Oracle

Oracle were founded in 1977, and are headquartered in Redwood City, California. Their HQ campus is around 1.5 million square feet, has 12 buildings and is surrounded by water. The campus also has a 50,000 square foot gym for employees which hosts scheduled wellness classes. It also features a basketball court and throughout campus there are 7 different restaurants. There’s also a laundry and dry cleaning service. Outside, employees have access to a volleyball court and a swimming pool. They even have an on-site conference centre too!