Several interesting conversations arose at the recent Future of Work Forum in Chicago during breaks. One in particular was around office design. We were discussing the office designs of organizations like Google, Facebook, and LinkedIn when an attendee brought up the point that their company doesn’t have millions of dollars to spend on office design. They can’t afford slides and expensive renovations. Another attendee said it doesn’t have to cost a fortune! In many cases, there really is no need to hire an architecture firm. That can even be a waste of money as a firm would be trying to design an office space that they don’t work in, for a culture they likely don’t understand. So what do you do if you want to have a cool office but don’t have millions of dollars to spend? Take the budget that you do have and recruit employees to volunteer their time! The second attendee did this in a previous company with just a budget of a couple thousand dollars. The employees went to Ikea on the weekend and bought furniture, paint, and supplies. Then they were able to create the space they wanted to work in. They redesigned, added color, created community desks, and brought life to their office on a budget. If you want a cool office but don’t have money, that is not a fair excuse. If you’re organization is large, you just aren’t prioritizing your office design. Allocate it in the budget and make it happen. Smaller organizations can recruit employees to create their own space. It doesn’t have to be expensive or time consuming. It should represent what the employees care about and value. Allow them to have a voice in the environment they wish to work in! ---------------------------------------------- ABOUT THE FUTURE IN FIVE The Future in Five is a regular video series where best-selling author, speaker, and futurist Jacob Morgan shares his ideas, insights, and commentary around the future of work in five minutes or less! Jacob Morgan is a keynote speaker, best-selling author (his most recent book is “The Future of Work”), and futurist. He explores how the world of work is changing and what employees, managers, and organizations need to do to adapt. You can also subscribe to Jacob’s newsletter to get weekly content on the future of work To work with Jacob or have him speak at your event visit TheFutureOrganization.com Website: http://www.thefutureorganization.com/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/jacobm The Future of Work: Attract New Talent, Build Better Leaders and Create a Competitive Organization: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1118877241/?tag=wwwwileycom-20 The Future Organization Newsletter: http://www.thefutureorganization.com/newsletter/

Comments

1. For ideas on how to DIY your office space, you might check out https://projectworkplace.cisco.com/#/scenario/0.
2. It's because of ignorant stupidity like this that reduces the importance of what architects do. They don't just put slides and reclaimed wood in your juvenile office. If you think buying a bunch of shitty furniture at ikea can equate hiring a professional, that's fine because you are probably a terrible client anyway. Architects are trained to provide not only an aesthetically pleasing space that reflects a company's culture. They are entrusted to provide a healthy, sustainable and most of all safe space for the end users, and this takes not just the architects but many different trained professionals to achieve. Pffft... You and those people who listens to you can go enjoy your slide and ikea furniture.