Why Your Workplace Needs a Vibe Manager

These new workplace social connectors are often tasked with creating a cool vibe at work by organizing company parties, staff outings, and professional development events.

“The vibe manager is someone who's responsible for creating a sense of community, creating the types of activities that bring people together,” said Bernice Boucher, Managing Director at JLL’s consulting group. As a senior leader in the workplace strategy practice for the global real estate and investment firm, Boucher advises clients on how to develop dynamic work environments and alternative workplace strategies in supporting their strategic goals.

“Right now, vibe management is the hottest job in real estate,” says Boucher, who talked about global real estate trends during a recent presentation at Haworth headquarters. The new role is spurred by the idea that companies want people who step into their spaces to have this reaction: “Wow, I love it. I feel it. I love the vibe here!”

The concept of vibe managers emerged from the tech sector, an industry that takes workplace perks and fun very seriously in the ever-escalating battle to recruit and retain top talent. They are used in a more client-facing capacity at hipster hotel chains, like Hard Rock and Viceroy.

The need to focus on the vibe in the workplace is evidence that Millennials want more of a social experience with co-workers than their parents or grandparents had. More than one-third of workers don’t have enough social interaction with their work colleagues, according to a recent survey conducted for officevibe.com, which sells software to help boost employee engagement.

Great design and effective space planning are enhanced by programming that brings people together to learn and bond. A workspace can play a major role in fostering an entrepreneurial spirit that attracts and retains employees. On the other hand, a lack of energy can have a negative impact on productivity.

Even if there is no vibe manager, Boucher says one way to raise the energy level in a workplace is to create TED Talk-like events. Bringing in innovative thinkers can be inspirational for employees, especially Millennials who always like to learn. 

Learn about the carefully crafted communities that vibe managers cultivate in the Driving Corporate Innovation white paper from Haworth.