Workplace Observation Study – Booking.com

Founded in 1996, Booking.com, who opted for a Workplace Observation Study with Measuremen, has grown from a small Dutch startup to become one of the largest online travel platforms in the world. Today, the company has more than 17,000 employees working in over 200 offices worldwide, including more than 5,000 employees in Amsterdam alone, spread across multiple locations throughout the city.

As Booking.com is currently building a new campus in central Amsterdam, they asked Measuremen to conduct a workplace observation study to provide an analysis of how the existing office spaces are currently being used. The idea is to leverage these insights as part of a creative and functional workplace design for the company’s new HQ that is perfectly tailored to the needs of Booking.com’s diverse employee base and vibrant company culture.

Purpose of Workplace Observation Study

One of the company’s primary goals for building its new campus is to bring more of its Amsterdam-based employees back under one roof. As an e-commerce company, with large numbers of tech employees and numerous other disciplines with diverse and varying requirements, it is crucial to get the balance right between spaces that allow for quick and easy collaboration between team members, as well as quiet areas suited for work that demands more intense levels of concentration. Through that lens, Measuremen was asked to analyze the current office usage to help gain a better understanding of how different spaces in the existing areas are utilized in order to create an optimal design for the new campus that fits the unique needs of Booking.com employees while creating an environment where employees can do their best work.

Outcomes of Workplace Observation Study

With optimal efficiency and productivity in mind, Measuremen conducted a Workplace Observation Study on the use of two of the largest Booking.com office locations in Amsterdam, The Bank on Rembrandtplein and the building located on Piet Heinkade. Several meeting facilities and working spaces were analysed with special attention to how these spaces were being used in different ways during the day, as well as overtime.

Using this information from Measuremen’s Workplace Observation Study and more from Measuremen’s detailed report as a base, Booking.com is designing and building their ideal future workplace to create an inspiring campus that helps every employee to feel right at home and empowered to work to their full potential. This includes a mix of open, multi-purpose flex spaces designed for team meetings and ad hoc collaboration with more quiet areas for individuals that require a different set-up to perform optimally.

This case study outlines a small part of the larger workplace observation study that was developed for Booking.com in March 2018, the findings from which will be published in early 2019. If you have any interest or questions regarding a workplace observation study for your company, please don’t hesitate to contact the Measuremen team for more information.

Want to know what we can do for your organisation?

Click here