The Changing Shape of Office Space

Anyone who has ever had to punch a time clock, sit at a desk for eight hours and then go home only to do it all again the next day has probably dreamed of a working life beyond the cubicle.

Some Springfield professionals – Web developers, programmers and entrepreneurs – are breaking the workplace mold to take care of business in some atypical places, from coffee shops to co-op space to their own kitchen tables.

For Steve Olson, a Web developer and search-engine marketing professional, the benefits are both economical and social.

Olson started working out of Big Momma’s Coffee and Espresso Bar LLC, 217 E. Commercial St., in September after he moved out of space at the Vandivort Centre to trim expenses.

“I really enjoyed being downtown, but this street has the level of community I didn’t see downtown or in my one year on the south side,” said Olson, who runs 18 Web sites. “Here, I know my neighbors.”

Big Momma’s has free Wi-Fi and is an excellent location for work, Olson said.

“There’s an outlet next to every table,” he said. “I will tend to work standing up, and it’s a nice way to stretch my legs.”

Separate, but together
Independent Web developers Landon Lewis, Ted Kaemming, Ryan Swedal, Skye Carroll and Jarad Johnson operate their own businesses, but they share leased office space, chipping in on the rent and other overhead.

They have been sharing second-story space at 313 Park Central East since 2008. Their open-floor loft office has two large worktables, a couple of leather sofas and a conference room.

“One of the advantages is having the camaraderie,” Swedal said. “When I used to work at home exclusively, it was easier to feel isolated.”

Lewis spends two days a week at the office, Swedal averages about 20 hours a week there, and Kaemming is there mostly on weekends.

“Not only do we share office resources, but each of us has a specialty and we can share each other’s knowledge,” Kaemming said.

The crew decided on a downtown location for its affordable rent.

“Our experience is that it’s cheaper down here than it is on the south side,” Lewis said.
Simple rules make it a productive environment. During “quiet times,” each partner uses instant messaging or e-mail to ask each other questions even though they sit across from each other at the tables. Since no one has an office door to close, this rule keeps interruptions to a minimum. It’s encouraged that people step away from the table to make phone calls and listen to music only with headphones.

And Xbox is banned from the office.

“When we first started working together, there would be times when someone would play for four or five hours at a time,” Lewis said with a laugh.

Although they all signed the Marx Building lease, the rest of the work arrangements were agreed upon with trust and a handshake.

“If you don’t have a good relationship, this kind of arrangement could go south quickly,” Swedal said.

When the developers aren’t working at the shared office, they divide their time between their homes and coffee shops around town.

“Places like the Coffee Ethic embrace people working there, but there are other places you don’t feel like it’s embraced,” Lewis said. “It’s a subconscious thing that comes down to the comfort of the chair, the speed of the Internet and the amount of seating available.”

Tom Billionis, proprietor of the Coffee Ethic on Park Central Square, said working professionals and students are a common sight at his shop.  

“We’re supportive of them; we like customers of any kind,” he said. “Guys like Landon make sure they are not just using table space and free Wi-Fi. They are patrons who support us by purchasing things.”

Cut the commute
It’s not just small businesses that see value in thinking outside the walls of the office. Jack Henry & Associates Inc., for example, offers flexibility regarding when employees must be at their desks.

“We made some changes about a year ago when gas prices were so high,” said Karen Shannon, manager of employee relations and human resources. “Many of our employees telecommute one or two days a week to avoid traffic.”

Jobs like customer service and programming work well for telecommuting, Shannon said.

Some Jack Henry employees work at home offices, and others have the option of working at co-op satellite offices near their homes.

Those satellites provide employees with temporary workstations at an office that they share with other employees, but none of the workstations are assigned to any one person, Shannon said. Employees simply use the desk, computer and a phone as needed.

“We really encourage our employees to manage by performance and objective, so that the managers don’t have to see their employees sitting in their seats in the cube,” Shannon said.