Shannon Senderling

Four Work Modes (8, p. 5)

An office should include the four work modes: focus, socialize, collaborate and learn.

• Focus (8, pp. 5-6)

  • This is an individual work space where the employees can focus on a particular task.

  • Assign each employee an appropriately placed personal work space within the environment.

  • Take into account that each employee needs to be catered to individually because they each have different tasks that need to be completed throughout the workday that call for varying levels of acoustical and visual privacy.

  • This will be integrated into the space providing acoustical panels throughout the space to develop a space that each employee can use to store personal items and current projects (8, pp. 5-6).

• Socialize (8, pp.5-6)

  • This is a space where employees can create common bonds and values, network, and build trust between employees.

  • Transform the café area into an employee socialization space that will give the employees a place to relax and get away from a stressful workday, eat their lunch, as well as encourage spontaneous work and non-work related conversations.  A functioning microwave, refrigerator and oven will invite employees to do so (8, pp. 5-6).

  • One – two small lounge areas should also be incorporated into the ballroom with comfortable seating, such as sofas, to establish an informal meeting space. This may be used for scheduled group meetings, or individual group work (10, p. 6).

• Collaborate (8, pp. 5-6)

  • 2-3 collaborative spaces should be incorporated into the space where employees can have both planned and spontaneous meetings.  This may include everything from brainstorming, face-to-face, video, and virtual communication (37, p. 6). These meeting spaces must be equipped with the appropriate technology and white boards to more easily illustrate ideas and concepts. (10, p. 5)

  • The mayor needs a space where he can greet and have formal and private meetings with visitors from out-of-town. The small existing space adjacent to the existing first floor CAO office would be a great place for this conference room because it is well-lit, and large enough to accommodate visitors.

• Learn (8, pp. 5-6)

  • This is a space where an employee acquires new knowledge and skills through education and experience. Training, concept exploration, teaching, discovery and applying knowledge learned all happens in this area.

  • The mayor’s office needs one learning space that may include resource materials, a television, and a projection screen where information can easily be shared within a group (8, pp. 5-6).

  • A sufficient space for the learning area could be the existing meeting space in the ballroom. This area could be a multi-functional space and still serve the purpose of a large group meeting space.

 

Connecting the past, present and future of Lexington

• History

  • Progression

  • Lexington has come a long a way from the past, and this office should reflect this. Placing black and white photos in the space will visually show Lexington’s history and progression from decade to decade. In order to move forward, we must look at where we have come from. Start from the beginning to build a newer and better Lexington.

  • Historic Aspects Respected

  • The historic charm of the building will not be compromised in the new design. Both the quick recommendations and future design will compliment this charm and comply with all building codes.

• Present

  • Dashboard Performance Management

  • Jim Gray has requested a Dashboard Performance Management that will help encourage employees to work as a team to increase productivity.

  • This dashboard must be strategically placed in the space so that it is visible to all employees at all times as a constant reminder (8, p. 16). The best place for this item is the ballroom, hung at about eight feet high on the wall left of the main entrance when walking into the space.

• Future

  • Branding

  • The entire office should incorporate 3D branding. This will foster communication and inspiration among the employees, as well as inform visitors what Lexington is all about(17, p. 3).

  • One way to do this now is by continuing to manage all Lexington residents’ personal concerns, keep both the office and Lexington as a whole free of liter to promote an environmentally friendly environment and encourage innovation amongst employees(17, pp. 4-5).

 

Privacy (12, pp. 1-2)

• Visual Privacy

  • Employees are more comfortable and more productive when given the appropriate amountof visual privacy.

  • Each employee should have a visual separation, which may be in the form of translucent glass, panels, white boards, etc.

  • This separation should have an alternative function, besides visual privacy.  For instance, a bulletin board to hang important papers, or a white board to record data (10, p. 5).

• Acoustical Privacy

  • This is a large space, with many hard surfaces that bounces almost every sound around the room. New technological devices, such as, white noise machines can help muffle this sound, and help keep employees on task(12, p. 5).

  • Soft surface materials, such as curtains or moveable partitions can also help absorb sound in the individual work spaces, so they are less likely to hear everything that is going on in their neighbor’s work space.

 

Functionality

• Lighting

  • Task lighting should be provided for all employees, as well as access to ambient lighting fixtures to give the employees a sense of control (13, pp. 5-6).

  • Brass chandelier lighting fixtures should be replaced with a more modern design that usesa higher wattage to flood the ballroom with light, also creating an aesthetically pleasing sculptural work of art.

• Flexibility

  • Employees should have the opportunity to work in a variety of workspaces, such as: an individual workspace, a meeting table, informal lounge, etc. (10, pp. 5-6).

  • This will give the employee some feeling of control, as well as opening up the lines of communication, both spontaneous and planned conversations.

  • Individual workspaces should be designed to suit their individual needs. For example, JimGray enjoys standing while working. Hisindividual workspace should include a standing-height work surface. For comfort, employees should have the opportunity to stand, lounge, sit, or lean in the office (2 ).

  • A variety of spaces should be incorporated into the facility. This will give the employees several options to work in teams, individually or with the staff.  Spaces should be multi-functional to accommodate a variety of tasks.

• Technology

  • Since Lexington wants to brand itself as “the future” we must practice that by utilizing the best technology available that suits the employee’s needs.

  • Each employee should be analyzed individually to discover their individual technological needs.

  • Projecting screens, individual computers, copiers and fax machines should all be incorporated into the design so that the wiring is not exposed.

  • Copiers and fax machines should be accessible to all employees, but still force them to move about the space and interact with one another. This may be done by placing technological devices in different space around the room that forces communication and is still efficient (14, pp. 4-5).

  • Projecting screens should be hidden when not being used. Large collaborative spaces must have the flexibility to accommodate both large and small meetings (15, pp. 6-7).

• Storage

  • Each employee needs their own storage space to stay organized and maximize individual productivity.  This includes a drawer stack and a filing cabinet if necessary.

  • The space should also include a common resource area that can be shared among all employees.  This may include everything from printed books and documents to digital files that all employees have access to on their individual computers (8, pp. 4-5).

• Ceremonial Space

  • The ballroom was once used as a ceremonial space. These activities must now find a new location.

  • The lobby would be a valid place for these activities to occur because it is large enough to hold a vast number of people, and the historic architectural detailing is charming.