Showing posts with label office space. Show all posts
Showing posts with label office space. Show all posts

Wednesday, January 7, 2009

Holiday card mishap

This story is just too good to keep to myself. I debated about whether or not to tell it in a public forum but I just can't resist. My friend, Jane, had me laugh so hard today that my eyes were tearing over. My stomach was aching. 

She has a boss who's a bit of an exhibitionist. For example, when they needed to use some photography for a new product her company was launching, he used a photo of himself. In a muscle shirt. And the presentation was being sent to perspective clients.

So with this year's holiday cards, he got a little creative. Most people get a family photo where everyone's smiling, the dog seated on the couch, etc. Not this guy. He took a trip to Bali this past summer and thought he'd like to showcase that. Now, a normal person would choose a picture of the sunset, the ocean, maybe even a picture of himself sipping a tropical looking drink. 

Jane's boss decided to have someone take a photo of him in a black speedo (what Jane describes as an ill-fitting banana hammock) and used that for his holiday card. Yep - sent it to family, friends, co-workers, business contacts. I was floored. Talk about lack of judgement!

Now the card is all the talk about the office. People crowding in corners, at the copier, at the water cooler. Some are laughing, some are appalled, all have lost respect for him. Even clients are commenting on the card. It sounds like a stunt that Steve Carell would pull on The Office. (I'm thinking of sending the idea in to NBC.) Would anyone in their right mind seriously do that? Well, you know what they say - in all good comedy, there's a little bit of truth.     

Tuesday, January 8, 2008

Improving officespace: death to cubicles

How the color taupe ever made its way into U.S. offices I will never know. I am so sick of this color I could scream. My friend, Alex, and I talk about this regularly. Humans love and crave color; so how did corporations miss that? There is nothing inspiring about taupe and if I can’t be inspired then I can’t work.

I’ve been thinking about the subject a lot lately as I am in the process of moving into a new space at work. Originally, the facilities people were trying to figure out how to cube it up as I am sharing the office with another person. I fought my urge to roll my eyes and gag. Cube up this beautiful office? What??

If I had my way I’d paint it some fabulous color, put down Tatami mats, create a “Beautiful Mind” wall, and leave that space as open as possible – no walls thank you. I’m getting my way, partially. No fabulous paint color (white is all that’s “allowed”), no Tatami mats. I am going to have a beautiful mind wall and though the space won’t be totally open, it will have bookcases and a credenza in a cherry finish as a “wall” as opposed to taupe cubicle walls. It’s a start.

The progress has been driven by my boss and to the members of the facilities team who took us downstairs into the depths of our corporate building to the warehouse where they hide the cool furniture. We’re hoping to have the place set up and be moved in by the end of the month. And here’s the kicker: the maintenance team is excited to do the project. It’s something new and different for them. Finally, a creative outlet for them! They hate the taupe, too.

I came across a post on the website http://www.coolhunter.net/ that addresses the problem of boring office space with outrageous ideas. And given the rut that corporate office design is stuck in, I think being outrageous may be the only way to wake us up from our cubicle-induced coma. Enjoy these wild officescape photos and I hope they inspire you to buck the taupe.

http://www.thecoolhunter.net/design/CREATIVE-WORK-ENVIRONMENTS---Do-you-work-in-one-/