Qonto enhances its WeWork offices with Work With Island acoustic pods & booths

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Context

Qonto is a French unicorn offering a full suite of financial services for business owners: business accounts, invoicing, bank cards and more.

Yannick welcomed us to Qonto’s offices in the 9th arrondissement of Paris to explain his role and how he integrated acoustic pods into the design of the workspace. As Workplace Manager, he oversees all office services and layouts for Qonto, in France and abroad.

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The interview

You moved into new offices in the 9th district nearly a year ago. How did the installation go?

WeWork is one of our partners. They have supported us in several offices, including international ones: Berlin, Milan and Barcelona.

What makes Navarin unique is that it integrates Qonto’s branding and has fully customised spaces. It’s one of the few co-built projects WeWork has done in Europe.

We were able to work closely on the design with them - building the specifications, the space planning and the full layout process, including supplier selection. That’s why we have Work With Island pods in addition to the booths that WeWork usually provides.

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You already have many meeting rooms and shared areas. Why add Work With Island pods?

We selected three types of spaces.

• The open space, which is quiet by design (people can speak, but it stays calm)
• Then the meeting rooms
• And meeting corners, which are like small meeting rooms without a table - with sofas and armchairs for informal discussions.

We also have focus rooms for deep work.

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Work habits have changed a lot in recent years. How do you see people using soundproof pods today?

We’ve noticed that people often need to isolate themselves for short periods of time - 10 to 45 minutes, or just long enough for a video call. A soundproof pod offers flexibility, cost savings and time savings compared to building partitions or small meeting rooms.

Because Qonto is growing fast, we chose this solution to accommodate our teams. It’s a bit like Tetris: some areas don’t have space for large sofas, a lounge or partitions, but we can install several Solo pods or a Quattro. It helps us optimise the space and offer an extra layer of privacy for employees.

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What is the capacity of your offices, and how many pods do you have?

We have around 640 desks and 25 pods.

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Qonto has grown significantly in recent years. Was finding fast, reliable partners a key concern?

When we contacted Work With Island, we were testing what was available on the market.

We needed a supplier who could produce and deliver very quickly, and who had a strong, reliable logistics process - arriving on time, assembling on time, assembling well. On that point, Work With Island was exceptional.

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I imagine expectations for quality and speed were also high for your Barcelona office?

Yes, we’re really happy to have installed two pods in our Barcelona office. We knew the service would be reliable, and that I could even go on holiday without worrying. Work With Island would deliver properly, at the right time, and even give advice if the pod needed repositioning. That matters a lot.

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Which Island model do you use the most?

Personally, I mostly use the Solo pods. I use them to isolate myself for a call or a video meeting, instead of blocking a big meeting room just for me. For now, the Quattro pods are bookable, and the Solo pods are first-come, first-served.

With the Solos, we really liked the high stool. It’s comfortable, with a backrest, but it doesn’t encourage people to stay for three hours. We need turnover: people go in, take their call, and free the pod for someone else.

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I read an article on your blog about your environmental approach. How did this influence your choice of pods?

We always try to source locally whenever possible, for any type of supplier. We were happy to see that you have a production centre in Vendée and that you source your materials and suppliers in France as well. That was something we really appreciated.

The materials are recyclable, and what can be recycled is recycled. And as far as I know, about 90% of your sourcing is French
[Editor’s note: Except for electronic components, all materials are 100% French].

And on top of that, you’re a Qonto client. As we joked before the interview, it’s not a selection criterion, but it’s always nice to give back to our clients - because without clients, Qonto simply wouldn’t exist.