Show everyone it’s not business as usual and your firm is in a new era – you may find it a helpful tool to reinforce your change program.
Sometimes when companies evolve – they have management transitions – or a new strategic plan – or they just get fed up with mediocre financial results – their management seeks to reinforce that change. In my experience, that’s also a great time to change up the physical facilities. Just saying you have higher standards for excellence and expect different behaviors from your people is one thing, but showing that in the office itself is another.
The overarching message is “things are going to be different.”
So what can you do? Here are some things I have seen AEC firms actually do with their facilities over the years when they find themselves implementing major changes:
- Move people around. Get teams that need to work together more closely together physically. Move people who don’t get along with each other close to each other to improve their communications, or farther away from each other so you can minimize their interactions. Move the new boss into the old boss’s office. “Shuffle the cards,” one might say.
- Add more natural light. I have always felt that natural light is important to one’s mental and physical health, and there’s plenty of evidence out there for any doubters that proves it. Maybe you need to rip out some partitions or change entire interior walls to glass. Maybe some doors need to go or be replaced with glass doors. Maybe it’s as simple as moving stuff such as furniture or cubicle partitions away from windows so they aren’t blocked, or making sure the blinds are open as long as the sun isn’t too hot.
- Repaint and recarpet. Clean up and brighten up. That color scheme from the ‘90s with forest green accent walls has to go, and those bad orange oak built-ins have seen better days. And duct tape on the carpet covering cords? Come on. Paint everything that doesn’t move. Change the ceiling tiles – not just the water-spotted ones caused by leaks, but all of them. Get some new multi-colored industrial carpet tiles that aren’t worn and stained.
- Improve the common areas. Make the conference rooms, lunch room/kitchen, and outdoor patio areas nicer. New furniture, appliances, window treatments, lighting – improve it all. Fix up the bathrooms. Nice bathrooms make a statement to both employees and outside visitors.
- Bring in more electronic “life.” TVs are cheap these days! Hang them everywhere. Play an ever-running slideshow of past projects. Show pictures of employees with mini-bios. Show project site tours. Share performance metrics from the business. Turn on the business news channel. Share a “Welcome to So-and-So” graphic throughout the office to make key visitors feel special. Give the place some light and movement visually to wake everyone up.
- Add art to the space. When I was in the office daily for Zweig Group, we always had a rotating display of motorcycles in our lobby and/or outside my own personal office. How about hanging employee paintings all in one size? Portman Architects always had their founder’s sculptures displayed throughout their space. Years ago, I remember seeing employees’ children’s art displayed in HOK’s offices. Liven it up and change the art or at least some of it throughout the year.
- Clean up the building exterior. It may be as simple as complaining to your landlord about the state of the parking lots or overgrown landscaping, or taking matters into your own hands and getting your employees together for a little exterior maintenance project. Look at the exterior lighting and signage, too. Fix what needs fixing to look like you have some higher standards.
If you need money and have been in business for a long time, your bank will probably give you an amortizing loan to pay for these and other improvements you want to make. Ask them. Or maybe it’s time to renew your lease and your landlord will roll some or all of these costs into a new lease for you. If there’s a will, there’s a way. Make it happen. Show everyone it’s not business as usual any longer and you are in a new era. You may find it a helpful tool to reinforce your change program.
Mark Zweig is Zweig Group’s chairman and founder. Contact him at mzweig@zweiggroup.com.