Even before the pandemic, many bosses were eliminating private office spaces, opting to work among employees as if to signal that the CEO role was approachable and collaborative. Among the notable examples was Michael Bloomberg who occupied a cubicle in an open-office arrangement both as head of his own corporation and as mayor of New York City. At many agencies and other companies, long gone are the days of the cushy corner office — a trend under new examination with the continued evolution of the modern workplace.

For many, particularly those in creative fields, the idea of “owned space” has evolved, said Conrad Edwards, CEO of the Indianapolis agency Bsmnt, which has done work for Verizon, Gillette and the NCAA. “Home offices, shared desks and private offices all serve their purpose, but collaborative space is vital,” he said.

Working remotely over the past year-plus has proven that the Bsmnt staff can be productive even from a distance, but many of its team members still crave personal interaction, said Edwards. “That need for integration is what’s driving what our work environment will look like going forward. Opening up a new space with a bunch of private offices defeats the purpose and kills that synergy.”

Edwards noted that Bsmnt, like other companies, is still determining precisely when it will be safe to return to the office, calling such plans “a moving target” what with the delta variant rearing its head. But Edwards envisions a space with a defining feature of “maximum flexibility.”

Another agency, McKinney, homed in on a new location for its LA outpost right before the pandemic hit: a former artist’s studio in the West Adams neighborhood that necessitated a total overhaul, which the agency did smack in the middle of the lockdown. During that process, space for collaboration, once again, was top of mind — as was doing away with private offices for executives. The policy also extended to the agency’s home base in Durham, North Carolina, where the office of CEO Joe Maglio was turned into a combination collaboration space and game room.

As with Bsmnt, designing a space that could be easily adapted was key. “With new hybrid models being discussed and developed, we’ve found that flexibility is taking precedent over dedicated offices that may only be used a few days a week,” explained Sylvain Tron, managing director at McKinney, whose clients include ESPN, Samsung and Sherwin Williams. In addition to more collab spaces, the shop installed tech-forward conference rooms …read more

Source:: Digiday

Author: Aaron