Google's Covent Garden Office, London, UK
We all know the powers of inspiration a change in environment can give you. From that walk out of the office, to a holiday destination that opens the mind and let's out a bit of the clutter.
A positive and fun working environment can be inspiring also, giving people a chance to do their best and most creative work. This is a value add for your customers over the competition. Staff are going to do a better job when engaged and happy, that is not to tricky to grasp.
What is tricky is maintaining it, and seeing a tangible benefit for the customer. Given the obvious principle of the best people making the best team in terms of outputs, can you make the best team from scratch?
When staffing a startup this is often a key dilemma. A funded startup needs its staff to be right on the money from day one, and for everyone to buy into what the brand is all about. This can take some time, and you can't magic a culture out of nowhere. However the environment that they are brought into can go some distance.
So when budgeting for office costs, furniture, office expenses etc, throw a little more money that way, and you will perhaps see more return from the comfy beanbag than you ever thought possible.