Staff who prefer a quiet place to work, and those who do better in a busier environment, are both catered for in Sun Life Financial International’s new office.

Elsewhere, there are shared workspace areas that allow colleagues who might not normally sit together to do so, encouraging communication, teamwork and creativity.

Partition walls have been soundproofed using old denim jeans and cotton, while workstations can be adjusted up and down to suit staff who prefer to work standing up, seated, or a bit of both.

These are some of the innovations and ideas have been incorporated into Sun Life’s new 16,000 sq ft office.

It is on the third floor of Washington House, above the Washington Mall, on Church Street. A large portion of the office is bathed in daylight, which streams through large windows that look out on City Hall. Interior glass wall partitions help the natural light to reach deep into the office.

The company has had a presence in Bermuda since 1891, and established its Bermudian-based business in 1996. In June, it moved from its office on Victoria Street to Washington House.

The new office is the first in the Sun Life Financial US group to implement the company’s BrightWork design methods.

Highlighting some of the concepts that have been incorporated, Darin Minors, senior office manager, explained that some people work better in a busy, social office environment, while others thrive the most in a quiet location. The office has work spaces that cater for both preferences, together with common areas where anyone can go and work.

“This entire space is shared workspace. For example, you could have an underwriter and a compliance person sitting together,” said Mr Minors. As a result, it is possible that knowledge and experience can be exchanged indirectly.

“What tends to happen is something piques your interest about what the other person is doing. So you take an interest. You are able to get an insight and understanding about their work.”

Mr Minors said that before moving into the new open plan office, Sun Life “did a great job in educating to show it would work, and did a great job changing our working environment”.

At the front of the office, overlooking an impressive view of City Hall, is a group of chairs with swing-away laptop tables. This is a shared workspace area where staff can settle down to work, or perhaps contemplate a puzzling work-related issue.

“Sometimes, if you have a problem you can’t solve, you can go to a different space and come up with the answer,” explained Mr Minors.

The office has height-adjustable workstations allowing staff to sit or stand, or a bit of both, during the day, changing their posture for more comfort.

Daylight that filters through many of the third floor windows, adding to the airy feeling.

“One of the things we discussed was having as much natural light coming in to the building; everyone loves it.”

The lunch room is a spacious hub with booth-style seating where groups of can sit together to talk. There are single tables for those looking for a quieter space to relax or continue their work.

Mr Minors pointed to a variety of flat screens and telecom devices dotted around the office, and said: “We are utilising state-of-the-art conferencing.”

There are small offices that have movable walls, allowing them to be enlarged to support multiple uses.

All the rooms and offices have Bermudian-inspired names, including MoonGate, Hog Penny and Dockyard. Along one corridor is a photograph mural featuring Bermuda scenes.

“We try to incorporate as much Bermuda cultural things in the office as we can,” said Mr Minors.

In places, the office displays aspects of the free-flowing corporate office concepts associated with the likes of Google and Facebook, while other areas have a more traditional office feel.

“Sun Life has struck a balance. Google is different from Sun Life, we are an insurance company. Sometimes you need the old-time set-up [of desks], but we also have millennials coming up and they are looking for more of a Google set-up,” said Mr Minors.

There are environmental-sustainability features in the office.

“Sun Life is trying to reduce its carbon footprint. The LED lighting has less power consumption. The walls contain 80 per cent old denim jeans, and the rest is old cotton, which adds to the soundproofing,” said Mr Minors.

The floors are covered in carpet tiles that contain recycled elements. If a section of the carpet becomes worn out, it is easier to replace with a few new tiles rather than install an entire carpet.

In another gesture of environmental responsibility, the company donated more than 60 pieces of furniture from its old office to the Bermuda College, Atlantic Vision Care, Family Learning Centre, CURB and TN Tatem Middle School.

Mr Minors has been with the company for ten years. Comparing the new office with the former office, he said it was “night and day”.

He added: “Our old space was good to us, but we had outgrown it. We were limited with what we could do with it.

“When we brought individuals here to see this space, they were extremely happy with the new environment.

“The designers, the contractor and Sun Life put in a concerted effort to enhance the employees’ environment.”