Innovative Workspaces: Fueling creativity and interaction

Office features for the 82-employee Davis Companies staffing services firm in Marlborough include scooters, a beer friedge, Nerf gun wars, a Ping Pong table, big screen TVs showing real-time performance of departments and individuals, couches and bean bag chairs for casual meetings, and high-top tables looking out onto the woods.

Courtesy Office features for the 12-employee marketing firm Idea Agency in Sturbridge include chalkboard walls, a coffee and wine bar with art from a local photographer, a multimedia studio, a social media station, and a custom-built coffee house table with hidden data ports and charging stations.

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By Laura Finaldi

This is part three of a three part piece detailing innovative workspaces in Central Massachusetts. To read the story from the beginning click here.

The historical factor was in play for Christine Tieri, who last year moved her Sturbridge marketing firm across town and rebranded it as Idea Agency. The firm, which has 12 employees, previously operated out of a refurbished antique shop, which was beautiful, but kind of small and closed off – not ideal for a creative place like a marketing agency.

“In our very first building [in Worcester], we had a half-court basketball court and a diner, and people loved that – it really felt like there was a lot of energy,” she said. “We missed our roots of having a wide open collaborative space.”

The new space, which is in a post-and-beam structure at Sturbridge's Collection at Wight Farm, gives them just that, Tieri said. Tieri, who designed the space herself, said she wanted something that would encourage creativity and collaboration among employees and with clients. Idea has an open office layout, big tables, chalk boards on the wall – where people can scribble down ideas as they pop into their heads – and secluded lounge areas for when people need a little bit more peace and quiet.

There's a high-rise table with stools – like something you might see at Starbucks – where people can post up for the day and work, and a bar area where people can grab a cup of coffee or a glass of wine.

Encouraging employee interaction

The beer fridge is a fixture at The Davis Cos., as a way for employees to reward themselves after a particularly tough week, said Patrick Davis, the director of systems and processes at the Marlborough staffing firm.

“When it's Friday, and the week's winding down, it's time to celebrate what we did this week. Folks certainly earn that time,” he said.

Davis moved to its current space five years ago, but renovated it last year. The management team designed the office it in a way that would encourage collaboration.

The office has screens that display real-time data of the company's performance, through an in-house program called Revolution, as well as the performance of individuals. This not only motivates people, but also makes them aware of the hard work their friends and colleagues are putting in, said Davis. The open office is centered in the middle of the building, but there are quieter places where people can go to work if things get too loud.

“Before, folks were more or less working in isolation. Peers could or could not hear what their other team members were doing, how they were sounding on long calls with candidates, and they wouldn't be able to really hear or see how folks were working. This offers a lot more opportunity for spontaneous coaching moments,” said Davis.

Another priority was putting together a training room, so employees can get all the professional development they need right there in-house.

“We didn't want anything technical hindering what we're able to do with our teams,” said Davis.

Matching culture with space

As great as open workspaces, bright lighting and beautiful historical buildings are, they're nothing without a solid company culture, the executives said.

“The office space drives the open culture, but it's also the attitude of people who like to work together on a team for the common good,” Tieri said.

A lot of company culture comes down to showing employees that they're appreciated, said Davis. Whenever a position gets filled at the Davis Cos., employees get to pick a music video to stream through the screens that usually display performance data, as a celebration.

“Everybody can chime in and shoot them an email saying, 'Congrats.' People have a lot of fun with the videos that they put up there. We've gotten away from standard music videos and now folks are making their own videos,” Davis said.

It's important to celebrate achievements, because people spend the majority of their time at work and should feel valued, he said.

“The open environment, I would say is a draw for the right people, and it's not for the folks who generally might not like working in that environment,” said Davis.

Laddawn's employees have many options when it comes to their work environment, but people can work out of the same desk every day if they want to, Richardson said.

“We feel there's a difference between being told where to sit and being able to choose where you sit,” he said. “It's really about facilitating great experiences and providing unlimited opportunities for us all to work better and smarter together.”