As technology companies outline plans for their office design, creating ways to showcase their culture impacts the process.

“Every company has its own unique culture and core values that make up who they are and have contributed to their success,” said Jenny Haeg, founder and CEO of San Francisco real estate firm Custom Spaces, which focuses on finding space for technology and startup companies. “Therefore, it’s crucial for a company to individualize their space to allow that unique culture to flourish and develop.”

For example, one company Haeg assisted was San Francisco-based Checkr, which expedites employee background screenings for businesses. Part of the company’s goal was to create an office environment to reflect its values, including transparency and connection, said Khoi Ho, manager of people operations at Checkr.

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Jennifer Magnolfi, designer, architect, and founder and principal researcher of Programmable Habitats, has studied the convergence of human work and machine work. Increasingly, we will work alongside machines in spaces designed not just for people, but also for artificially intelligent occupants. Magnolfi already sees this in the hacker and maker spaces young roboticists are creating.

Popularly attributed to new technologies and the rise of high-tech firms, current workplace trends and new attitudes about work represent a cultural shift that draws from a combination of factors. Technology has set the ball in motion and continually updates the playing field, but behaviors and dynamics from other sectors have also made contributions.

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An effective workplace is one that helps employees to feel relaxed, motivated, and safe. From my point of view, the latter is especially true. I believe that health and safety becomes a lot easier when it is built into the fabric of the building itself. The Google workplace has been praised for its great design, and it’s easy to see why. Alongside the eccentric features and the myriad of differently styled rooms is a serious commitment to the wellbeing of its employees. The design of the Google canteen (above) means that sugary snacks are stored in translucent containers at the back, but healthier options such as fruits and nuts are stored in transparent containers at the front. The idea is to encourage employees’ to be healthy using workplace design. This is just one example a company that has built safety and health into the fabric of their building rather than absent-mindedly forcing it upon the workplace as an afterthought.

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