Last updated at Wed, 13 Jul 2022 12:45:00 GMT

Since its launch in 2011, Rapid7 UK has been on a mission to build a strong footprint in the region. Today, the company is celebrating the opening of its newly expanded and designed Reading office, located in the Thames Valley District at Forbury Place.

This new location was selected to reflect both the changing needs of the business since its original UK introduction, while balancing the needs and desires of our people. Working together, Rapid7’s Real Estate and Workplace Experience team partnered with many of the local employees, ultimately narrowing down the search for new space based on items such as accessibility to rail, newly configured space to meet the evolving needs of our team members (we call them “Moose”!), and our ongoing commitment to championing environmental sustainability in our office spaces.

In designing this new space during a time when many companies are managing through dynamics such as “The War for Talent” and “The Great Resignation,” much thought was put into creating a vibrant, energetic space that draws people in. The team is intent on building a space that fosters meaningful connections that help us innovate and build careers while providing a neighborhood community feel, as opposed to static workstations and limited connections and collaboration.

The world has adopted a sharing economy (think Lyft, Uber, WeWork, and Airbnb), and the workplace has evolved, too. We no longer divvy up office space based on the size of a team with no consideration of how they use it – we are purpose-focused, we help our Moose consider the work that needs to be completed on any given day, and we make sure the resources exist to best achieve this. (We also measure this so that we can adapt and respond to how our resources are used – we are never done.) Through these efforts, we are confident that even those who prefer to work largely remotely and want the option to do so will be drawn to this space in a way that makes them feel working in this office will serve to support their success and career.  

Using our new Reading space as a model, here are three ways we believe in-office time (even in a “hybrid” situation) can make a positive impact on the business as a whole:

  1. Relationships - Technology certainly helped us stay connected and productive through the pandemic. And yet, no amount of virtual happy hours will ever truly be able to replace genuine human interaction. Virtual meeting platforms are a game-changer for productivity and flexibility, but they can’t offer true trust or relationship-building. Think of all the magic that occurs when you share a lunch outing with colleagues or catch a person in the hall and say, “Hey, do you have five minutes to whiteboard this with me?” Consider all the impromptu conversations that take place in the halls, elevators, etc. Those interactions are wonderful because they don’t require formal meetings.
  2. Separation - Nearly everyone we’ve spoken to feels like they have been working more hours since the pandemic began. Why?! We are never away from our technology. Even if we’ve managed to carve in more flexible time during our days to help a child with homework or walk our dog during lunch, we are never more than a few steps away from email, Slack, or our computers. Having a space to go to actually meet with people and get some project work done allows us to create a bit more distance between our work and the rest of our lives.
  3. Inclusion - Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion has been a hot topic in recent years. At the same time, companies are working hard to diversify their workforces in terms of their mix of people, while also creating a sense of parity among people AND nurturing a sense of belonging. That is a high challenge for any organization, but it will be further complicated with new working models. And it’s absolutely the right problem to be solving. Even with the most flexible new “work of the future” models, there is a risk of people “not in the room” feeling left out or overlooked. However, by carefully crafting experiences where people can gather, we can optimize that feeling of inclusion and belonging through collaboration and human connection.

We aren’t just providing a desk – we’re building a community

At Rapid7, we are laser-focused on creating the chemistry that provides people with the right environment to create their best impact. We understand that not everyone thrives on the traditional 8am-to-6pm, in-office model, and we are not working to reinvent that – instead, we are building a flexible and supportive community that makes every Rapid7 office a great place to come to work.

Learn more about our company and its values. Click here to read about Social Good at Rapid7.

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