First Place in Third Spaces Goes to A&G .
Behold what's possible when you radically rethink workplaces.
Once you see how Allen & Gerritsen just reimagined its workplace, you will side-eye all “Return to Office” headlines forevermore. You will grasp how unimaginative and status quo-y those companies are being, in a moment screaming for us to think anew.
Boston-based A&G took inspiration from Ray Oldenburg’s books The Great Good Place and Celebrating the Third Place, where the author described the concept of Third Spaces as “public places that host the regular, voluntary, informal, and happily anticipated gatherings of individuals beyond the realms of home and work.”
Considering that work always happened at the office, then always happened at home, it makes perfect sense that post-Pandemic workplaces should not be either/or but both/and.
The “and” in the equation is thoughtfully furnished, comfortable surroundings that invite collaboration. A&G decided to forego assigned seating and they’ve eliminated the word “desk” from their vocabulary. Instead, seats and meeting areas with names like Barber Shop, Ferry, Hookah Lounge, Bodega and Taqueria can be booked through scheduling software.
Andrew Graff, CEO at A&G, shares the journey that brought them to open Third Spaces on May 1. “Last year when we made decisions about our real estate, it was a great opportunity to reimagine the future of the workplace. We were not interested in ‘returning to the office’ and continuing the old ways and habits of the past. As a company, we believe being together with intention is in fact important to the success of our business, and that flexibility will help improve overall agency productivity, employee well being and engagement.”
CCO Jennifer Putnam sees the creative upside: “Trading in the traditional rigid office for a flexible and agile work environment sets us up for more creative success. If we want to reinvent the future of the workplace, we have to reimagine the spaces we do it in, and make sure creativity, inclusion and comfort are core to these spaces.”
Amen to all of this.
And let me leave you with one more recent example of thinking outside the cubicle. I just heard about a California-based creative leader whose counterpart works in New Jersey. Both women felt the urge for more face-time and came up with a novel solution. They booked their 7-year old daughters into the same summer camp in New Jersey and the two families will share the NJ leader’s home for a week. While the girls swim, paint and play tug of war, their moms will tackle creative briefs together. S’more of this, please.
Until next time, remember that culture is the new creativity.