This isn't hard. Stop making "return to office" required if the only reason is to see asses in seats. Make better use of your square footage. Smaller well-equipped conference rooms is going to get...
This isn't hard.
Stop making "return to office" required if the only reason is to see asses in seats.
Make better use of your square footage. Smaller well-equipped conference rooms is going to get me in the office for times when face-to-face is important.
I love the idea of my own room to block out noise, equipped with a nice chair and peripherals. That's why I have an office in my house equipped with a nice chair and peripherals.
Going into the office and proceeding to block out everyone else defeats the purpose. Going into the office in an open plan and doing zoom calls is equally pointless.
I want my team in the office for:
Project kickoff meetings
One on one teaching when it seems like the person isn't grasping a concept
Requirements gathering with relevant third parties (like people working on physical machines)
Once requirements are understood and documented, let the people work wherever they are comfortable. If people want to be in the office, let them. If people are more productive at home, let them do that.
Exactly. If you want people to the office, make the office a place where people want to be in. Sitting in open plan offices with noise cancelling headphones isn't something I specifically enjoy....
Exactly. If you want people to the office, make the office a place where people want to be in.
Sitting in open plan offices with noise cancelling headphones isn't something I specifically enjoy.
When do I go to the office it's for something that's easier to do in person, like planning or mindstorming (the dynamic is just different when everyone is physically present).
What they write certainly rings true, but the pictures in that article leave me wondering if anybody at those design agencies actually tried working in those "offices" - or if they at least talked...
What they write certainly rings true, but the pictures in that article leave me wondering if anybody at those design agencies actually tried working in those "offices" - or if they at least talked to the people who do.
The list is endless, because every single photo is just so bad. Highlights:
Tiny office with a transparent glass door directly behind the worker. I mean, who doesn't love having people look at the back of their head and their screen?
Conference room without communal screens, whiteboard or... a door, for that matter.
"Booths [...] for small meetings or solo work." It's actually worse than the previous one, since this one also doesn't come with a TABLE. People literally are supposed to work with their computer on their laps.
"A-frame office shelters", leaving 70% of the area unusable because of the "very 1970s vibe" roof hitting your head. I bet it also don't come with a table...
Why do those people struggle so much with just designing a desk at the correct height, a comfortable chair, and a large screen to work on?
The desk has been done. Desks are old. Big wooden things that divide a room and take up a ton of space for a single computer. Computers are no longer huge behemoth towers with forty pound...
The desk has been done. Desks are old. Big wooden things that divide a room and take up a ton of space for a single computer. Computers are no longer huge behemoth towers with forty pound monitors. Modern design already did the 'thin and light, minimalist desk' for the LCD era - where we still needed a small PC with a display - but now, with hip and happening M2 MacBook Airs (because, who needs more than that?) we can just work on our laps! Ergonomics be damned, we're young and hip! Yes, the CEO will still get a full desk and Herman Miller but that's fine. They actually matter to the company. Yes, the headquarters in San Fran will have these crazy setups but I'm willing to bet the Dallas office has a row of mid-height cubicle walls somewhere in it.
I certainly agree, although those A-frames could definitely work with a small desk/table thing like they have in some hotel lobbies for people to use their computers. They actually might have...
I certainly agree, although those A-frames could definitely work with a small desk/table thing like they have in some hotel lobbies for people to use their computers. They actually might have those; we only have a small view of one side of the seat at one A-frame.
It really feels like satire when the caption calls something privacy focused and it's someone sitting at a chair directly next to a glass door with their computer screen facing the door.
This really just makes me think that companies requiring return to office will do anything but provide their employees with actual individual offices. "We'll just make it too small to be...
This really just makes me think that companies requiring return to office will do anything but provide their employees with actual individual offices. "We'll just make it too small to be comfortable in and call it a Veranda." A former workplace of mine had small verandas like those and they never got used except for the occasional brief phone call. I don't recall ever seeing an employee use one for a full day.
It seems to me that work radically transformed during covid and folks are now trying to justify return to work, when in reality it's return for 1-2 meetings a day. The remainder of the day still...
It seems to me that work radically transformed during covid and folks are now trying to justify return to work, when in reality it's return for 1-2 meetings a day. The remainder of the day still makes more sense to have in an isolated environment where noise/distractions are minimized, like home. I kind of get upper brass wanting folks to be there for the in-person meetings they are holding, but it seems incredibly out of touch not to realize how frustrating the remainder of the day is. Commuting in for that one meeting, finding a small space to squirrel yourself away for the remainder of your "work from home" work day, eating a shitty sandwich and working through lunch, and then jumping back into rush hour traffic for the commute home. Seems like a quick way to demoralize employees.
I've been reading the excellent book about managing people, Peopleware. The book is a classic and written before remote conferencing was possible. However the author cited studies about how noise...
I've been reading the excellent book about managing people, Peopleware. The book is a classic and written before remote conferencing was possible. However the author cited studies about how noise and distraction degrade performance in measurable ways. He cited one in particular that showed noticably less creativity when quiet work space was unavailable.
Out of the office work during the pandemic gave people a taste of how it is possible to not only avoid commute time but control the aesthetics and comfort and style of your work space and avoid noise, intrusion and hassle.
Hey, you know what lets me define space more definitively than by simply arranging chairs and couches, with more architectural style and high-quality finishes than grim cubicle walls? Being in my...
Hey, you know what lets me define space more definitively than by simply arranging chairs and couches, with more architectural style and high-quality finishes than grim cubicle walls? Being in my house.
You’re curious — what happens when you go around the curve? Is there another meeting space? Is there a highlighted aspect that makes this a journey you want to happen?
This isn't hard.
Stop making "return to office" required if the only reason is to see asses in seats.
Make better use of your square footage. Smaller well-equipped conference rooms is going to get me in the office for times when face-to-face is important.
I love the idea of my own room to block out noise, equipped with a nice chair and peripherals. That's why I have an office in my house equipped with a nice chair and peripherals.
Going into the office and proceeding to block out everyone else defeats the purpose. Going into the office in an open plan and doing zoom calls is equally pointless.
I want my team in the office for:
Once requirements are understood and documented, let the people work wherever they are comfortable. If people want to be in the office, let them. If people are more productive at home, let them do that.
Exactly. If you want people to the office, make the office a place where people want to be in.
Sitting in open plan offices with noise cancelling headphones isn't something I specifically enjoy.
When do I go to the office it's for something that's easier to do in person, like planning or mindstorming (the dynamic is just different when everyone is physically present).
What they write certainly rings true, but the pictures in that article leave me wondering if anybody at those design agencies actually tried working in those "offices" - or if they at least talked to the people who do.
The list is endless, because every single photo is just so bad. Highlights:
Why do those people struggle so much with just designing a desk at the correct height, a comfortable chair, and a large screen to work on?
The desk has been done. Desks are old. Big wooden things that divide a room and take up a ton of space for a single computer. Computers are no longer huge behemoth towers with forty pound monitors. Modern design already did the 'thin and light, minimalist desk' for the LCD era - where we still needed a small PC with a display - but now, with hip and happening M2 MacBook Airs (because, who needs more than that?) we can just work on our laps! Ergonomics be damned, we're young and hip! Yes, the CEO will still get a full desk and Herman Miller but that's fine. They actually matter to the company. Yes, the headquarters in San Fran will have these crazy setups but I'm willing to bet the Dallas office has a row of mid-height cubicle walls somewhere in it.
It's a vanity art project, honestly.
I certainly agree, although those A-frames could definitely work with a small desk/table thing like they have in some hotel lobbies for people to use their computers. They actually might have those; we only have a small view of one side of the seat at one A-frame.
It really feels like satire when the caption calls something privacy focused and it's someone sitting at a chair directly next to a glass door with their computer screen facing the door.
This really just makes me think that companies requiring return to office will do anything but provide their employees with actual individual offices. "We'll just make it too small to be comfortable in and call it a Veranda." A former workplace of mine had small verandas like those and they never got used except for the occasional brief phone call. I don't recall ever seeing an employee use one for a full day.
It seems to me that work radically transformed during covid and folks are now trying to justify return to work, when in reality it's return for 1-2 meetings a day. The remainder of the day still makes more sense to have in an isolated environment where noise/distractions are minimized, like home. I kind of get upper brass wanting folks to be there for the in-person meetings they are holding, but it seems incredibly out of touch not to realize how frustrating the remainder of the day is. Commuting in for that one meeting, finding a small space to squirrel yourself away for the remainder of your "work from home" work day, eating a shitty sandwich and working through lunch, and then jumping back into rush hour traffic for the commute home. Seems like a quick way to demoralize employees.
I've been reading the excellent book about managing people, Peopleware. The book is a classic and written before remote conferencing was possible. However the author cited studies about how noise and distraction degrade performance in measurable ways. He cited one in particular that showed noticably less creativity when quiet work space was unavailable.
Out of the office work during the pandemic gave people a taste of how it is possible to not only avoid commute time but control the aesthetics and comfort and style of your work space and avoid noise, intrusion and hassle.
Hey, you know what lets me define space more definitively than by simply arranging chairs and couches, with more architectural style and high-quality finishes than grim cubicle walls? Being in my house.
I want to get to the meeting on time, you knob.
I laughed at that too. It's one of those things where, like, I bet that person is a good designer - but that's also a comically insufferable quote.
Mirror, for those hit by the paywall:
https://archive.is/7IZ5l