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Dutch human resources solutions provider Randstad, accustomed to helping clients with their staffing needs, has revamped its own U.S. headquarters in Cobb County to better address pandemic-fueled shifts in preferences among its own workforces.
The reoriented office at One Overton Place on Cumberland Boulevard will include flexible offices that can be booked by any employee, teams placed in closer proximity and a new emphasis on communal spaces. It will also feature a TED Talks setup and virtual meeting rooms with new audiovisual technologies.
“Workers have been telling their employers all year that the pandemic changed the way they think about work and that they expect continued flexibility and perks in the years ahead,” Karen Fichuk, CEO of Randstad North America and Randstad N.V. executive board member, said in a news release. “We have heard that message and not only helped our clients adapt their hiring strategies to remain competitive, but our new and improved headquarters will ensure our own employees have their needs met.”
As the rising COVID-19 case numbers associated with the Delta variant cause many companies reevaluate their return-to-work plans, Randstad is implementing a hybrid model that will allow employees to set their in-office work schedules.
The 105,000-square-foot space will also have break rooms with lounge furniture and games, as well as meditation areas, in addition to other worker perks identified in employee surveys conducted with the help of Gensler, an architectural and design firm. Transwestern helped transform the physical space where Randstad has been located since its arrival in the U.S. market in 1998.
The Dutch parent company had global sales of €20.7 billion, about $24.4 billion. Randstad’s own U.S. operation comprises 5,700 employees, while the company has helped deploy 86,000 workers around the U.S. and Canada.
The announcement comes the same week Cobb County saw another longstanding Dutch investor deepen its roots there: airport baggage handling system maker Vanderlande Industries said Thursday it would spend $59 million on a local expansion, hiring 500 new workers.