Getting Cozy
Offices may become a distant memory once the wide-open workplace comes to town.
The dotcom era seemed to usher in the wide-open workplace-with
everyone from CEOs to interns working in the same space. That begs
the question: Shall we proclaim the cube dead? Elizabeth Scanlon Bils, 32, adopted a "no offices"
policy when she founded her PR agency, Scanlon Corporate
Communications, in 1998. She and her eight employees sat at desks
grouped together, with Scanlon Bils in the middle. But, she says,
"I did notice [my employees] needed a little more space to
think on their own." In the company's new Chicago loft
space, low walls offer more privacy. Sitting among your employees is a positive step, though it
offers difficulties such as loss of privacy, says David Russo,
executive vice president and director of the Society for Human
Resource Management and founder of HR provider Empliant Inc.
"When you get in the trenches," says Russo, "it has
to be understood that, as much as you are part of the team, when
push comes to shove you're the decision-maker." Content Continues Below
As a company grows, a wall-less work space poses challenges,
such as modifying communications and arranging for private calls or
meetings. Joseph Chung, 36, and Jeet Singh, 38, can attest to that.
Founders of Art Technology Group, an e-commerce software provider
in Cambridge, Massachusetts, Chung and Singh have watched their
staff grow to more than 750 employees worldwide-and each satellite
office has the same policy as their headquarters: no cubicles or
private offices. Says Chung, "We always felt like cubicles
were [not conducive to] creating a nice space-you feel like
you're a rat in a maze." | | Alone at last | | Want privacy and a wide-open
floor plan? Art Technology Group of Cambridge, Massachusetts, has
conference rooms with doors and telephones for private calls,
meetings or just quiet. Another alternative: If people need to have
sensitive discussions, David Russo of the Society for Human
Resource Management suggests they get out of the building for a few
minutes. He says, "Go have a cup of coffee; go sit outside.
[Just go] someplace else." |
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