Universities Canada loves its new collaborative space

When Universities Canada surveyed its 108 employees about what they wanted in their new office, Chalanne Matheson asked for plants. She got that and much more.

“We have 194 plants in the office and three moss walls, which are just gorgeous,” says Matheson, human resources and operations coordinator, who has been with the organization for 31 years. “So we’re really oxygenating the air and getting a good health benefit from that. I love being around plants and others do as well. It really lifts your spirits.”

Staff were actively involved in providing input that directly shaped the design of the new space, which includes open collaborative spaces, lots of meeting rooms of varying sizes and workstations to suit everyone’s style. Employees even helped choose and test out the furniture as well as voting to name the meeting rooms after national parks. The Nahanni fits 18 people comfortably.

“The kitchen is the heart of the office where people naturally gather,” says Matheson. “It’s such an inviting and comfortable place that people like to work there too. The president often eats lunch in the kitchen with the staff, so he gets to know everyone, which I think is great. It just enhances the whole social and collaborative atmosphere we have here.”

President and CEO Gabriel Miller says having a human-centred, thoughtfully designed space is a huge asset when you’re trying to show people you respect their time and value the chance to connect with them. Employees follow a hybrid work model that requires them to be in-person in the office two days a week, something Miller believes really matters.

“It’s important for people to feel connected to the mission of the organization and to spend time immersed in spaces with the others who are part of moving that mission forward,” says Miller. “It’s also vital to building trust among members of a team and for an organization.

“Trust is critical to productivity, because if people know one another and understand what one another is capable of, it’s much easier for them to rely on their colleagues’ work and know how to complement them. But if you don't have that foundation of trust and familiarity, which is built most powerfully by being with people, you’re at a huge disadvantage.”

The office features seamless technology integration so that collaboration can still take place among staff, whether they’re on the premises or not.

“Each team decides on a day to come in collectively and then usually the second day is up to the individual,” explains Matheson. “One of the big things about the hybrid environment is that you have that in-person human connection because humans were not made to be silos. There’s an energy created when we’re together that’s really important for team building.”

Miller points out that it’s even more critical for younger employees because there are more opportunities to learn, observe and experience things when you’re in person – some planned and some unplanned – that can’t be replicated working virtually. And for more experienced employees, it’s a chance to find meaning in helping newer employees and to build on the work that has been done before.

“It’s all beneficial to our productivity for the simple reason that it’s a healthy, happy, supportive environment for the people who work there,” says Miller. “If you create a happy environment where people feel supported, where they’re encouraged to be collaborative, and where there’s been real thought and care put into the tools being provided to them, they’re going to do their best work.”

This article appeared in the magazine announcing this year's National Capital Region's Top Employers winners, published March 4, 2025 in the Ottawa Citizen. This article was prepared with the financial support of the employer, which reviewed but did not write its contents.