Moving to an "Office of the Future"

[roadwreck]

First day on the new office.   Some positives and negatives as already discussed but there are two big observations:

1.  HVAC Noise - There is a constant HVAC noise that is pretty consistent everywhere, even if you are not located anywhere near a supply/return.  We have open ceilings and after careful observations, we noticed multiple small speakers spaced evenly through out the floor.  We deduced, and later were confirmed, that a constant background HVAC noise is being played as white noise over the observed speakers.  Anyone else have this in their office environment?

We have a white noise system in our office.  When we first moved in they had it on for a few weeks, then turned it off for a few days and asked people to vote whether they wanted it on or off.  The decision to have it turned on won by a narrow margin.  

Some people find it annoying to have the constant drone of what sounds like the HVAC system running but I find it pretty distracting when they turn it off.  We have a pretty open office environment (not quite as extreme as what your new space is) but sounds travels in our office space so without the white noise system on you can hear everyone's conversations from one end of the office to the other.  It was soooooo distracting.  It's pretty incredible how much of a difference the white noise system made.  

 

[Audi Driver P.E.]

I play white noise at my cube.  It's played by VanHalen, The Scorpions, and AC/DC most of the time.

 

[NHPE]

It's nice having group areas to collaborate and share ideas. It's also important to have an individual area to go back to to get your individual work finished or to concentrate on your part of group work. There's a balance which many companies have ended up learning the hard way. The completely open office like this with no assigned space is a fad.

 

[14bk41]

It looks like daycare but for engineers.

Never thought of it this way but I have always thought my office was an ER room.  No cubicle, just horseshoe bays with NO dividers.  It's noisy to the point no one can conduct a business call.  It's stupid and I'd love to strangle the damn architect who invented the open office concept.    No space for drawings.  Too much distraction.  I can get a lot more work done at home, over my dining table.

 

[ruggercsc]

Yesterday, I was in the stall in the Men's room (we still have gender specific bathrooms and "Male" is my gender at birth and the one I identify with), when a cleaning lady pokes her head in and asks if anyone is in there.  I said yes and she stated that she needs to clean the rest room and reload the paper products.  I then hear her start to clean the mirrors,   change the trash liner, add more paper towels, etc.  She starts a conversation and asks how I like the new office, if paper supplies are needed in my stall, and if it needs to be spruced up, etc. all while I am still doing my business in the stall.   Someone else enters the rest room and she says "Come on in".  They politely decline and state they will  be back later.  She finishes about 5 minutes later and leaves (note: I stayed where I was until she was done).

I understand the open concept, social hub, meditation room, a mother's room (a good idea if you want to retain young mothers), collaboration areas, etc. and also understand everyone has a schedule to keep but I was not expecting this. 

 

[ruggercsc]

BTW, Our Company is planning our next regional office renovation and they are looking at other options besides our "office of the future" concept. 

 

[thekzieg]

Yesterday, I was in the stall in the Men's room (we still have gender specific bathrooms and "Male" is my gender at birth and the one I identify with), when a cleaning lady pokes her head in and asks if anyone is in there.  I said yes and she stated that she needs to clean the rest room and reload the paper products.  I then hear her start to clean the mirrors,   change the trash liner, add more paper towels, etc.  She starts a conversation and asks how I like the new office, if paper supplies are needed in my stall, and if it needs to be spruced up, etc. all while I am still doing my business in the stall.   Someone else enters the rest room and she says "Come on in".  They politely decline and state they will  be back later.  She finishes about 5 minutes later and leaves (note: I stayed where I was until she was done).

I understand the open concept, social hub, meditation room, a mother's room (a good idea if you want to retain young mothers), collaboration areas, etc. and also understand everyone has a schedule to keep but I was not expecting this. 

Whaaaaaat?! That is completely insane!!! She really couldn't have waited a few more minutes?! And also, you don't just talk to people while they're working things out. It's not polite.

 

[tj_PE]

Whaaaaaat?! That is completely insane!!! She really couldn't have waited a few more minutes?! And also, you don't just talk to people while they're working things out. It's not polite.

i feel bad when people try to wait for everyone to leave the bathroom for them to do their business. we have a lot of females on this floor (not in my office, but in the building) and you could be waiting there in pain for a long time before there was actually nobody in there. If theres someone in there waiting i try to hurry and get out asap haha. 

 

[ruggercsc]

Whaaaaaat?! That is completely insane!!! She really couldn't have waited a few more minutes?! And also, you don't just talk to people while they're working things out. It's not polite.

Thanks for the validation.  I understand an open concept but not that open.    

 

[14bk41]

Whaaaaaat?! That is completely insane!!! She really couldn't have waited a few more minutes?! And also, you don't just talk to people while they're working things out. It's not polite.

Is she American, or is she foreigner?  In some countries, it's completely normal for the cleaning people to walk in.   I have had several cleaning ladies walk in on me and continue to go about their business, even while I was at the urinal.

 

[ruggercsc]

Is she American, or is she foreigner?  In some countries, it's completely normal for the cleaning people to walk in.   I have had several cleaning ladies walk in on me and continue to go about their business, even while I was at the urinal.

She was a Latino woman in her late 30's early 40's.

 

[Ship Wreck PE]

On 12/23/2016 at 0:36 PM, 14bk41 said: Is she American, or is she foreigner?  In some countries, it's completely normal for the cleaning people to walk in.   I have had several cleaning ladies walk in on me and continue to go about their business, even while I was at the urinal.

She was a Latino woman in her late 30's early 40's.

Was she Hott?

 

[ruggercsc]

Not as Hott as the women on my staff.

 

[Road Guy]

Our janitorial staff don't come in while it's in use but their scheduled cleaning time is in the am, which is a PITA. Especially if you have an hour long commute like me and sometimes, well I just go in (#1) if I really need to..

Our building doesn't even have a main floor bathroom you can get to without an access card so it's literally the only option we have, every other building I've been in the cleaning folks come in at night... I can cut them bldg people some slack if it's later in the day but why they schedule it at 7:30-8:30 is beyond me...

 

[Supe]

Our janitorial staff don't come in while it's in use but their scheduled cleaning time is in the am, which is a PITA. Especially if you have an hour long commute like me and sometimes, well I just go in (#1) if I really need to..

Our building doesn't even have a main floor bathroom you can get to without an access card so it's literally the only option we have, every other building I've been in the cleaning folks come in at night... I can cut them bldg people some slack if it's later in the day but why they schedule it at 7:30-8:30 is beyond me...

Our schedule bathroom cleaning immediately following lunch.  Figure that **** out.

 

[P-E]

I accidentally walked into the women's room about 6 months ago.  The company did renovations around then and switched the bathrooms to fit more men's stalls...whoops.

The second the door closed and I realized where I was, I had this awful realization that I had to get out of there without anyone noticing.   A moment of panic.

Luckily no one was in there and nobody saw me exit, especially since it was on the floor that the owner's daughter works on.   That would have been awkward.

 

[Supe]

You're in a blue state.  Just tell them you identified as a woman that day.  They'd probably give you a medal for bravery while you're at it.  

 

[P-E]

I was envisioning being sent to HR to explain that I wasn't some deviant Perv.  But after 20 years of going to the left to go, it was bound to happen.  

 

[Supe]

I almost did that once in a QT.  Tired after a long drive, I was accustomed to the gas station always having the mens room on the left side, but this particular one flip-flopped.  Had my head down and just started walking in.  If not for the guy behind me yelling "Senor, Chicas!  Chicas!", it would have happened.