IN A world where most of us are used to a desk, a phone and a computer, an office where there are seaside huts and an igloo is going to seem more than a little strange.
But it looks like strange is good – the huts and the igloo are in an office in Nottingham officially judged as one of the UK's best places to work.
While there will be some businesses which would struggle for financial or cultural reasons with the idea of giving space to anything other than desks and chairs, the award won by Capital One contains some important lessons about the way companies do business.
Capital One thought it was a good idea to provide these and other facilities because they are stimulating and keep staff motivated and committed. And motivated and committed staff generally do a better job.
The likelihood of firms splashing cash on turning hum-drum offices into multi-coloured fun palaces is low in this climate.
But Capital One's success suggests they should not dismiss the idea as indulgent, either. The ways we work are changing, and mobile technology may one day render the traditional chair, desk and computer redundant.
So workplace change may come anyway. In the meantime, could seaside huts and igloos hold the key to economic recovery?