Suchi Mukherjee, Founder & CEO of Limeroad.com is passionate about building consumer technology products. She has earlier worked with eBay, Skype and Gumtree. In this case view, Suchi throws some light on the paradigm shifts in office or workplace design over the years and how it is likely to be in the future. She answers questions on the significance of workplace design for an organization’s business. She also explains the guiding principles behind the unique office/workplace design at Limeroad.com.

1. Suchi Mukherjee,CEO & Co Founder, LimeRoad.com
Interviewed
by
Dr. Nagendra V. Chowdary
CASE VIEW ON
BETTER WORK@BETTER DESIGNED OFFICE?
Founder & CEO, passionate about BUILDING CONSUMER
TECHNOLOGY PRODUCTS, selected as 1 of 15 women
worldwide ‘RISINGTALENTS,HIGH POTENTIAL LEADERS
UNDER 40’. Ex-eBay, Skype and Gumtree.
ET CASES
Ref. OB-1-0028B
Interview
with
Suchi Mukherjee

2. 2
Interview with Suchi Mukherjee Better Work@Better Designed Office?
ET CASES
1. What have been the major changes/paradigm shifts in office or workplace design
during the 1980s, 1990s and 2000s? How would they be in 2020 and 2030?
When I first started working in the 90’s in the United Kingdom, I remember office space
being structured and staid. One could see a monochrome palette. Lately one has seen a
shift in how offices are designed, where optimum utilization of space is of utmost
importance, where the use of experimental colours and innovative design to create an
employeefriendlyenvironmenthasbecomeimperative.AtLimeRoad,weusetheLimeRoad
Green and Charcoal Grey on our walls, one will see framed images from both of our current
and previous campaigns, photographs of the team, press snippets and of course a space
filled to the brim with heaps and heaps of passions. In the coming years I see office design
becoming much more experimental and cutting edge, and it would be very exciting to see
how architecture and design evolve.
2. What is the importance of office design/workplace design? Is there any perceptible
relationship between productivity and workplace/office design?
We feel that a lean business needs an office tailored for the specific kinds of work its
employees do. Financial, legal, consulting, and creative firms each have unique spatial
requirements. Technology teams require less support space. By calculating the ideal size
for workstations, designers can reduce a company’s footprint by at least 20% or more. In
turn, if individual heads-down space becomes smaller, a modest increase in social and
team space often boosts productivity by stimulating collaboration.
3. Should workplace design reflect the company’s credo/values? Would this be one of
the deciding factors for any new employee?
In progressive office spaces, designers try to endorse brand values as much as possible. The
reasoning is simple: it is a constant interaction that helps create familiarity with the brand
and breeds innovative ideas. It’s an open office space which breeds healthy interaction
amongst employees, it’s a space where anyone can walk up to anyone at any given point of
time. I think it’s essential that a new employee consider the sort of work culture he is getting
into, and how an office space has been designed will easily reflect this.
ALL OUR EMPLOYEES NEED TO LIVE
AND BREATHE THE PASSION THAT IS
LIMEROAD.
“““““
”””””

3. 3
Better Work@Better Designed Office? Interview with Suchi Mukherjee
ET CASES
4. For Limeroad’s office/workplace design, were there any guiding principles? What has
been the experience of Limeroad employees in embracing the workplace/office design?
LimeRoad is a place created by its employees. From the walls to the work desks it is all a
reflection of who the employees are and how they want LimeRoad.com to be. All the
photos on the walls are from the portal. All our employees need to live and breathe the
passion that is LimeRoad
5. Should the new workplace/office designs consider the millennial workforce’s workplace
expectations?
Absolutely, employees or the millennial as you call them are people with more expectations
than ever and if their needs are not adhered to, there comes a lack of interest in work. The
better the workplace design and environment, the better the work.
6. Is there any ideal workplace/office space design for all the companies across industries?
I’m really not sure about that. We believe it’s who we are and how we behave that largely
shapes the spaces we occupy. Given that many of us spend years working in the same
room, or even at the same desk, it makes sense to organize and optimize that space in a
way that is most convenient to us.
7. Should office or workplace design be changed with the changing times?
Yes, office design should depict the current mood and trend of the times. It is a sign of
healthy progress.
8. Who should be mandated with office/workplace design? Should it be HR? Or should
it be from the founder or the CEO/entrepreneur, or should it be a democratically
designed workplace or office space?
A democratically designed workplace is what works for us. Like I said, LimeRoad is a place
created by its employees. From images on the walls, to the framed core values, to seeing
a million little scribbles on countless post-its from all the constant brain storming sessions,
the LimeRoad Office is made by its people, be it the person who brings us our cup of tea,
to the person who makes sure everything on the website is working fine, to the one who
codes, to that person who loves their music while they create absolutely beautiful creatives,
to the man who makes sure we never go off budget, LimeRoad is them and we believe that
everything be it design, be it the people, be it an office space, everything comes together
to churn out a product that they love.