I originally wrote this for the Contactually Blog here, but I’m reposting this to my own blog.
Who needs real walls?
On what would otherwise be an unremarkable Monday morning, the normal stream of our team, dogs, and interview candidates filtered into our non-traditional office. So did 5 construction workers from rural Virginia, with sheds made by an Amish company.
We’ve always pushed for creative and frugal solutions to challenges we face – I’d rather spend money on an awesome team and the services and equipment they need than fancy couches and uncomfortable chairs. It would have cost 15-20K, and weeks of dust and noise, to have “proper” conference rooms built out. Having two sheds brought in? $6K, including installation. They were in and out in 6 hours.
We pride ourselves on having a strong company culture that heralds progress over process. Common sense. Ownership. And when I signed the lease for our current office, our focus turned to ensuring that our office culture was reflected in the space. So we have lots of couches, random work areas tucked into corners. Chairs and little meeting spaces spread throughout the office. Everyone has their desk which is their home base, but, are rarely there all day long.
You want to work from the kitchen bar? Sit on a couch all afternoon? Roam around the office while you’re on the phone? We built a space that accommodates it all, and foster that environment. Because who are we to force people to have one place to work all day?
Embracing new ideas.
As non-traditional work spaces become more popular with every new company, we aim to be on the cutting edge of relaxed company culture from the dress code to the office.
We keep our fridges and pantries fully stocked with goodies, encourage open communication and department commingling, and create as many ideation spaces as possible.
What does your office look like?
