The Brief
Adyen's Toronto Workplace Manager had two goals that aren't always easy to achieve together: a plant program that felt globally consistent with Adyen's other offices, and a vendor relationship that didn't require constant follow-up to get results.
Their previous provider made communication a chore. Response times were slow, feedback went unacknowledged, and Nicole found herself managing the vendor rather than partnering with one.
What Good Communication Actually Looks Like
From the first service visit, Benji's team — led by Daniel — worked differently. Instead of arriving, watering, and leaving, every visit included a brief check-in: what's working, what could be improved, and whether any changes were coming on Adyen's end that we should know about.
When Nicole had feedback — on a species that wasn't thriving, or a zone that needed a different aesthetic — it was acted on, not filed away. That's what proactive looks like in practice: not waiting to be asked, but anticipating what the space needs next.
Design for Culture
At Adyen, plants aren't decoration — they're part of how the company signals to employees that the office is a place worth showing up to. Nicole described it plainly: the plants reinforce a culture where people feel at home.
That framing shaped our design approach. In workstation areas, we used structured, low-profile specimens that add life without competing with the work happening around them. In dining and social zones, we introduced softer, more expressive varieties — plants that invite people to slow down and settle in.
The result is a program that feels intentional and cohesive, not like a generic plant subscription.
A Standard Worth Maintaining
Adyen holds a high bar for consistency across its global offices. The Toronto location is expected to meet the same aesthetic standard as locations in Amsterdam, San Francisco, and beyond. For Benji's, that meant treating every maintenance visit as a quality check — not just keeping plants alive, but keeping the program sharp.
That standard is what Nicole now uses as her baseline when evaluating any service vendor: does this partner make me feel valued and listened to, or am I managing them?