First Electronic Bank - Creating a Workplace Worth Coming Back To
After nearly a decade in the same office, First Electronic Bank reimagined its workplace to better support collaboration, strengthen culture, and reflect the innovative organization it had become.
Installation Details
Location: Salt Lake City, Utah
Partnerships: Allsteel
Sq. Footage: 23,000 sq. ft.
Product Solutions: Aspect, Terrace, Gallery Panels, A6 Height-Adjustable Desks, Align, Approach, Evo Task Seating, Evo Side Seating, Retreat Lounge Seating, Retreat Conference Chairs, Gunlocke Calm Sofa, Park Lounge Seating, Jetty:Mod
A Workplace Ready for Change
After nearly a decade in the same Salt Lake City office, the financial institution had evolved into a trusted banking partner for leading fintech companies. Its workplace, however, had not kept pace with the organization's growth and changing ways of working.
Over time, the office expanded through a series of renovations, resulting in a fragmented environment with aging workstations, enclosed private offices, and meeting spaces that no longer supported the way employees worked. Large cubicles limited visibility. Private offices blocked natural light. Conference rooms felt dark and disconnected. There was no central gathering space where employees could comfortably connect, collaborate, or host company meetings.
The workplace also fell short of the experience First Electronic Bank wanted to create for clients and strategic partners. While the bank had built a reputation as an innovative fintech partner, the office no longer reinforced that same impression. Leadership recognized it was time to create a workplace that aligned with both the business and its people.
"We wanted to create a more intentional, inclusive environment that supported engagement, teamwork, and an elevated employee experience," says Jacy Simpson, Senior Vice President and Head of Human Resources.
Designing for the Way People Work Today
Rather than simply refreshing finishes, First Electronic Bank partnered with Workspace Elements, independent designer Eden Stringham, and Allsteel to rethink the workplace around how employees work today.The planning process began nearly a year before construction. Leadership aligned around a shared vision, secured executive and board support, and gathered employee feedback to better understand how people experienced the existing space.
Employees consistently identified the same priorities: enhanced workstations, greater access to natural light, and more spaces that supported both focused work and collaboration.
Those conversations became the blueprint for the redesign. One of the most significant design decisions involved removing the private offices that lined the building's perimeter.
While they once offered privacy, they also prevented natural light from reaching much of the floorplate and blocked sweeping views of the Wasatch Mountains. Opening those spaces transformed the office, bringing daylight deep into the workplace while creating clearer sightlines and a stronger sense of connection across teams.
The redesign also reflected the changing role of the office.
Before the pandemic, the workplace had largely been designed around individual workstations. As employees returned to a hybrid schedule, leadership recognized the office needed to support something more. It needed spaces for collaboration, mentoring, relationship-building, and the spontaneous conversations that strengthen culture, while still providing places where employees could focus when quiet work was needed.
Rather than asking one workspace to support every activity, the redesigned office offers a variety of settings that adapt throughout the day. Ergonomic sit-to-stand workstations replaced enclosed cubicles, creating healthier and more flexible spaces for everyday work. Focus rooms and phone booths provide privacy for concentrated work and individual conversations, while open collaboration areas and informal meeting spaces encourage teams to gather naturally without relying solely on conference rooms.
"We wanted to create a balance between comfort and functionality," Simpson says. "If people are making the commute, we wanted the office to provide an experience that supports them."
That philosophy extended beyond the workstation. Existing architectural features were thoughtfully reimagined to reinforce the character of the workplace. A worn spiral staircase that leadership initially hoped to remove became one of the office's defining design features after being refinished and paired with a custom mural inspired by the surrounding mountain range. Throughout the workplace, hospitality-inspired gathering spaces created comfortable destinations where employees could connect, recharge, and build relationships throughout the day. Every design decision supported the same goal: creating a workplace that reflected the innovative organization First Electronic Bank had become while giving employees a compelling reason to spend time together.
