Refresh, rebrand, reimagine – Our new home for Passenger

The world of work has changed massively over the last two years. In 2020, Covid lockdowns forced offices to close and gave many organisations a crash course in remote working. At Passenger, we were already using a hybrid working model and knew that projected growth meant we would soon outgrow the Westbourne office which had housed us for the past five years. 

While fully remote for most of 2020 and 2021, we didn’t want to confine people to one way of working. A physical workspace can offer flexibility and be designed to support the types of interactions that can’t happen remotely. It can be an important place for collaboration, meeting people and developing team cohesiveness, and so the search began for not just a new space but a new way of using that space.

Refresh

With the new office space, we wanted to do more than simply try and fit back into old ways. A change offered an opportunity to give more value to employees, with a great location, flexible workspaces and an environment that’s productive, accessible and supports Passenger’s own brand values. A chance to create a space to inspire employees to not just “be at work’, but to be their best.

Rebrand

With a company rebrand being launched in early 2022, it was the perfect opportunity to bring the project full circle by finding and creating a brand new workspace to meet new needs, systems and habits. With the learnings of the last two years, it was time for Passenger to reinvent what an office should be.

Relocate

This also brought into question where a new space should be located. Passenger was born by the sea in Bournemouth, and that’s reflected in our new murmuration motif and colour palette of sunset pink, blues, purples and greys. Bournemouth offers not only unparalleled natural beauty, with endless stunning beaches and historic Jurassic coastline, but has long been considered a tech community hub to rival London. For these reasons, plus proximity to public transport hubs and the town centre, it was time to leave the village streets of Westbourne, and head closer to the centre of our south coastal town.

Resize 

Choosing one of Bournemouth most iconic heritage buildings, the old print works of The Echo newspaper headquarters, which already houses beautiful co-working spaces, offers exceptional flexibility. Staff and visitors can enjoy a wide range of facilities and workspaces, plus a dedicated and completely bespoke built office space for Passenger.

Passenger Head of People, Katie Killinger explains “We chose to resize our physical footprint creatively and take a fresh look at what we needed to foster collaboration, productivity and culture. The new office offers plenty of options for working in a variety of ways. As well as open plan hot-desk seating, the space has meeting rooms, telephone booths for video calls, breakout spaces, plus a private roof terrace – perfect for sunshine and social events”. 

Reimagine

Key to Passenger’s growth is recruitment, and a hybrid working model means fewer geographical constraints to finding talent. In addition, employees can experience a better work/life balance when they are freed from daily commutes and able to choose where they want to live. Passenger is coupling its remote working offer with the opportunity to enjoy working from a central office in one of the most beautiful locations in the UK, as and when it suits the individual.

Every organisation and culture is different, and so is every individual employee. Some want to work at home, some enjoy the buzz of a friendly office space and some want a mix. There are now some fantastic ways to collaborate virtually, while for others there is still room for improvement. However, nothing quite compares with being together. Now, Passenger is able to offer the best of both worlds with a creative space in the vibrant heart of Bournemouth and empower staff to choose the way that they want to work.