The corner office has been a symbol of corporate status for many years. Today, however, the corner office is rare in most workplaces.
“Previously, office hierarchy was demonstrated with executive offices circling the perimeter windows,”Rod Vickroy, Smith Group’s design director, workplace interiors, said the statement. Smith Group is a leader in modern workplace environments.
Modern workplaces are forming alliances to support collaboration and teamwork in today’s economic downturn. They also require a more open working environment. The traditional executive office has been dissolved as executives are increasingly involved in the day-to-day operations.
For example, take New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg. He has sold his City Hall executive office to buy a cubicle. The former Wall Street trader, who is now a mayor of New York, has stated that he created a large open space for his staff to work in.
Level Playing Field
This school of thought has been adopted by many companies. Intel Corp.’s policy states: “Executives are not entitled to operate under different standards than other employees.”Therefore, executives are seated in cubicle workstations like all others.
The HON Company is one of the leading office furniture companies and offers a wide range of workstation options. The Initiate panel system from HON Company, for example, allows companies to have an open floor plan that still accommodates the needs of executives.
HON Company uses the Initiate Panel system at its Muscatine, Iowa headquarters. “There’s no such thing as a formal corner office at HON,”Jim Cahill, HON vice president for systems and education, notes. “Our furniture systems allow us to create work areas that achieve necessary privacy for our executives without putting them up on an unreachable pedestal. We believe in teamwork here, and our teams include everyone from the receptionist to the company president.”
Changes in times will affect the way you see the workplace. It’s all about the people. “farewell”To the corner office of the presidential pedestal. Instead, say, “Hello”Flexible, functional and collaborative workstations. It seems that the future is bright – top executives and employees will share common ground.
