Depending on the nature of a business, productivity can thrive in cubicle-filled, no-nonsense workspaces (or as Dilbert called them, cubicle farms). Offices like these foster privacy and encourage focus, and throughout the first couple years of our existence, we had cubicles, too. But after a while, we noticed that maybe this wasn’t the right setup for the kind of company we wanted to grow. Cubicles and creativity don’t mix well, and admittedly, we were feeling a little underwhelmed and uninspired (and even a little cramped).
We know the positive impact a great workspace can have on creativity, communication, and overall wellbeing. With that in mind, we made the decision to tear down the walls, ditch the cubicles, and add other unique touches like skylights, magenta focal walls, glass conference rooms, and even a decompression room with beanie bags and blankets for lunchtime naps. Communal spaces and a central open kitchen completed the space and allow our employees ample opportunities to get together over food or conversation. Now, collaboration is as easy as walking across the room or yelling (nicely) to another department. Our new open office has fostered many a meeting, and we feel like this new setup prompts a heightened sense of urgency and importance when you are surrounded by peers all working as an individual yet collective unit to help Ties.com grow.
One of the main criticisms of open offices is that they hamper privacy and focus, and this proves especially so if everyone is involved in a company-wide verbal discussion and you’re just trying to meet a deadline or reply to an email. At Ties.com HQ, our solution to this is something we like to call “Wiring In.” If anyone needs to tune out and concentrate, they can “wire in” on our network, which will then display their name on the TVs mounted on our walls so that the rest of the office knows not to interrupt via verbal chat, Hangouts, or even email for as long as that person is wired in. We have found great success with this system so far. Alternatively, all of the common areas, our nap room, and the conference rooms (when not in use) are open to employees who are in need of some peace and quiet.
Different setups have pros and cons for different work environments. We found out that the best way to utilize ours was to get rid of the walls to optimize collaboration. It’s working great for us thus far.
