Collaboration, cake, and coffee: Seven reasons we love coming into Spark HQ

At Spark, we have long embraced remote and hybrid working, with some members of the team having worked from home for almost ten years. While we’re well equipped for the hybrid setup, there are so many great things about the Spark office – including a lively West End location, networking opportunities, and regular social events – that the team always look forward to their visits to Spark HQ.

Here are seven reasons why we love visiting the office:

1. Collaboration

Spark’s flexible working policy gives us the best of both worlds – a great work-life balance and the opportunity to collaborate with colleagues in-person. There’s always room for learning, and even just listening to our media relations pros pitching journalists on the phone can provide great insight on how to nail our next sell-in. We also connect with people that we don’t speak to every day, and a chat over a coffee can really help to bounce new ideas off each other.

2. Seeing some friendly faces

Having spent a few months eating salads and microwave meals at our desks at home, it’s been great to get back to the office to socialise with our work friends. Spark’s social calendar is always full – this summer we had an amazing team-building day, and we are currently having a series of bi-weekly charity bake-offs to mark the return of The Great British Bake Off to TV screens.

3. The ultimate office setup

The Spark office also helps us to escape from distractions – whether that’s flatmates, children, pets, or deliveries arriving at the door. I’m always happy to leave behind my “home office” (or my kitchen table, in other words) in favour of large desks, air-conditioning, comfortable chairs, monitors, phones, and of course the speedy Wi-Fi connection in the office.

4. Location, location, location

I don’t even need to sell the location of Spark HQ – Oxford Street speaks for itself. With so many cafes, venues, and restaurants, there are always opportunities for networking and entertainment outside Spark’s front door. Returning to the office has given us ample opportunity for journalist lunches, client drinks, team brainstorms, and more. One of the biggest perks of office life is being able to build great working relationships face-to-face – even better when it’s over a nice meal.

5. ‘Ruff’ day in the office?

The benefit of our dog-friendly office is being able to have our furry friends come in for work experience. We’ve recently had Bailey the Cockapoo help out with our ‘re-paw-ting’ work, while Stewie the Shih-Poo stopped just short of hounding some journalists down the phone. Pie the Frenchie is always fetching some great coverage for our clients. The days with canine visitors are some of the most popular days to come into the office – and it’s easy to see why when they’re such excellent interns!

6. A bite to eat

When the clock strikes 12, our eyes turn to Soho’s great lunch spots. And there’s certainly no lack of choice: whatever your tastes, budget, or time, you’ll be able to find something that hits the spot. Check out Jon’s blog on the five best places for lunch near Spark HQ to see what our neighbourhood has to offer!

7. Supporting charities together

We often run fundraising challenges to raise money for causes close to our hearts. Being in the office helps us to support one another (or encourage friendly competition!). Cat and I extended our commute to fight it out during ‘March for March’ challenge, taking a more scenic walk through Buckingham Palace to up our step count. Our Vegan Month also saw the Spark team raising more than £400 for charity as well as learning about the health and environmental benefits a shift in dietary habits could bring.

While working from home has its own charm, making the commute to Spark HQ doesn’t seem like a chore when there’s so much on offer. If you want to work at a place where you can learn every day, get in touch at [email protected].