I had a chance to visit a former MegaCorp colleague at his company’s snazzy HQ in downtown Minneapolis today. He works at the Midwest’s favorite protein snack company, Jack Link’s. What an amazing workplace!
Attached to the NBA Minnesota Timberwolves arena, Target Center, the company’s offices are in the middle of Minneapolis. Architecturally designed in 2018, the beautiful space feels like a high-end hotel lounge or top-notch university student union.
Link: Jack Link’s / RSP Architects
It’s SO different than any office I ever worked in during my career. It’s a posh space you want to come to – rather than stay at home, which I guess is what modern companies are now competing for. If they want to make you come back to the office, they need to make it a knockout workplace.
How snazzy were the workplaces you were employed at / are employed at?
Images: RSP Architects & MrFireStation.com
MrFireStation 
Math classroom in a fairly modern high school. Cannot think of any ‘workplace amenity’. Does a fixed 22 minutes for lunch count?
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22 minutes – that’s fast! Hopefully you get your summers off, though – is that right?
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Preferred Office Type: My preferred work place locations were within easy commute distance, had ample surface level parking with the all time best having an assigned spot with my name on it, an office with a door and a window. Since the weather is mostly nice in LA, being able to walk to nice places to eat during lunch is always nice.
Bad Office Type: Bad offices have parking structures that I found can add 20 minutes to your commute time when you count going through the gate, finding a parking spot, walking to an elevator and then taking the elevator to your office. If you really want to add to the badness, assign me to toilet stall (cubicle) with no window. I actually quit working at a company that moved from a Preferred Office Type to a Bad Office Type once.
Companies that want to attract and keep good people with high standards need to provide them with a nice place to work. I sense that the US is returning to a time when companies are going to have to compete to attract and retain good people.
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Here is a link to an article written about the lose of employee morale and productivity caused by bad office design. It asserts that people were waiting for an excuse like Covid-19 to get away from office purgatory.
https://www.theepochtimes.com/opinion/the-open-office-discredited-again-5880189?utm_source=ref_share&utm_campaign=copy
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Completely agree with that article. The open floor plan has a terrible reputation among everyone but the MegaCorp real estate & finance managers. I can recall when open floor plan / flexible office spaces were being g rolled out 15 years ago, I asked my team if our group should “volunteer” to pilot it. I’ve never been told no so quickly & loudly before!
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