With a little help from the experts, this business owner stepped
up to the challenge of overhauling his company's shoddy off
ice-space design.
It's 9:30 a.m., and you need another cup of coffee. On your
way to the break room, you stumble over computer cables and weave
around employees who are conversing in the hallways. Fifteen
minutes have passed by the time you get back to your office. By
midafternoon, you have a headache and one heck of a backache. For
most of us, it's all in a day's work.
When it comes down to it, the modern office setup is a pain.
Today's office environments aren't keeping up with the
nature of work today, where employees go from working solo to
working on collaborative projects. "The idea that we can
define one space for an individual that will accommodate all those
different types of work is somewhat flawed," says John
Michael, president and COO of Ivan Allen Workspace LLC, an Atlanta
furniture and design firm that works with companies large and
small. "We need a range of settings for people."
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In a 2001 study, the American Society of Interior Designers
found that 57 percent of the 382 office employees it surveyed were
dissatisfied with the layout of their offices, saying it negatively
impacts communication, access, comfort and efficiency. The layout
of an office should aid employees instead of hindering them, says
Rita Carson Guest, founder of Atlanta-based interior design firm
Carson Guest Inc.: "People spend so much time at work, you
want to make them as comfortable as possible."
Seeing the Light
Mark Metz is co-founder and CEO of Optimus
Solutions LLC, a 6-year-old technology solutions provider in
Norcross, Georgia, with nearly 200 employees. The company has grown
to occupy two buildings totaling 27,000 square feet. Now for the
twist: The two buildings are located a quarter-mile apart in a
suburban Atlanta office park. The five-minute walk between
buildings has become a drag on productivity. "Our current
space is not laid out well for our business," says Metz, 41.
"It's certainly not easy to knock on somebody's office
or step into their cubicle." Other aspects of the
company's current office setup bug him, too. There isn't
enough natural light. The guest reception area isn't very
welcoming. Managers' offices are too far away from employees,
tucked away against the wall.
Recently, Metz decided to sink $1 million into a three-month
project that will bring all the company's employees together
under the same roof in a nearby 40,000- square-foot building. The
goal is to have a space where employees are more happy and
productive, Metz says.
The new building will have wraparound windows so every employee
gets natural light and a beautiful view of the woods outside. And
instead of traditional fluorescent ceiling fixtures, employees will
find ambient lighting, where light is bounced up against the
ceiling and back down around the workstation, reducing glare and
reflections on computer screens and making it easier to work longer
without eyestrain and headaches. With ambient lighting, "you
never see directly into any light source. They're all being
bounced to you," says Frank Farrington, principal of the
Atlanta-based Farrington Design Group, which was brought in as part
of Optimus Solution's design-build team. "It's soft
and comfortable."
Managers' offices will be in the middle of the office,
surrounded by employee workstations. Everyone will be just feet
away from each other-an important design element to Metz. "Our
company is very much a teamwork type of environment where
salespeople, consultants and technical people need to work together
to handle a customer's problem," he says. "We want to
help facilitate that. Having a face-to-face conversation is much
more valuable."
New workstations will be installed to increase teamwork and
communication. Smaller, efficient workstations and ergonomic chairs
provided by Ivan Allen Workspace will create more efficient use of
space and storage. Cubicle walls in the new office will be reduced
to a maximum height of 54 inches, tall enough to offer a bit of
privacy and cut down on peripheral distractions, but short enough
that workers don't feel isolated. Lowering the cubicle height
will also improve air circulation. Cubicles will be arranged in
"neighborhoods" of six workstations. Says Farrington,
"The goal is that they'll be operating much more
efficiently."
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Making an Impression
Metz wants a design that's more open, flexible and
user-friendly. Small lounges where employees can stop for a chat
will run the course of the building. Understated tones-creams,
taupes, light greens and golds-will provide a calming backdrop.
"We'll allow the [employees] to provide the color and the
action in the space," Farrington says. Other innovative
elements include carpet laid in small squares, so torn or stained
pieces can be replaced easily, and wireless networking that will
cut the number of cables running along the floor.
Metz is excited about the plan for a bigger reception area with
plasma-TV displays and miniworkstations so visitors can work while
they wait. Conference rooms will be located near the reception area
for vendor and client meetings. Having the conference rooms near
the reception area means visitors won't have to walk through
the middle of the office, disturbing busy employees. "We'd
like to have an area that customers and vendors are more impressed
with because the office looks better," Metz says. "And
it's more efficient."
In the end, Metz hopes the new space will lead to better
communication and teamwork, and provide a boost to recruiting and
retention. "I think it's going to be great," he says.
"It's going to foster more teamwork. Our employees are
going to be happier, because it's going to be an area where
they can get their job done [more easily]."
Update: Looking Good!
Optimus Solutions LLC, an IT solutions provider in
Norcross, Georgia, moved into its new digs at the end of January.
"We're very happy with the outcome," says CEO Mark
Metz. "We feel we accomplished our goals with the
redesign."
His favorite elements are the open floor plan and the ambient
lighting. "There's not a cubicle in the building where you
can't stand up and see a panoramic view through the
windows," he says. "And all the [ambient] lighting will
be easier on the eyes." The final design also allows the
office to be reconfigured for everything from training to
additional cubicles or whatever else the company has in mind.
"This adds tons of flexibility for us," Metz says.
"There's room to grow."
But trading spaces didn't happen without a few headaches.
Metz learned that having too many minds involved in the
decision-making process was a quick ticket to a quagmire. Optimus
eventually designated the company's IT director to be the point
person for the project, and things finally got moving. "Put
one person in charge," Metz advises.
Another temptation for entrepreneurs is to create their own
version of Trump Tower. Aim for functionality over flair so you get
efficiency out of the space for years to come, says Metz, who
bought used $200 desks that he found at a corporate liquidation
sale for his company's managers, including himself. "[Some
desks] still had tags on them. They hadn't been used," he
says. "I got them for a fraction of the cost."
It's still too early to measure the impact on productivity,
but the vibe around the office is, well, optimal. "Everyone
has been thrilled. Morale is way up," Metz says.
"Hopefully, [employees] will be happier and more
productive."
Chris Penttila is Entrepreneur's "Staff
Smarts" columnist.
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