Fast Talk

I believe so. It helps the general mood of an office and only fosters good morale and productivity. I don't think anyone would want to spend there days in a dark and drab cave.

Absolutely. Keep in mind that most Americans are now spending at least forty hours a week (usually more) in the office. This is more time than some people spend at home. A good office environment is a must for productivity and worker morale.

Of course! You want your greatest assets, your employees, to want to work hard for you, right?

I believe that office space has a lot to do with productivity. If the office is dark and dank, people will not work well. If it's bright and has a lot of collaborative workspaces, people will work better together and alone.

Do you feel that the setup of the Fast Company offices provide more interaction and involvement between employees and management? I like the open layout and lockers :)

During a recent conversation with a newspaper editor about their swanky new digs, he let it drop that he suspected it not only has had a postive impact on morale and productivity - but also on the tone of the publication. Seems that all those cranky old hacks needed were some Phillippe Starck furniture and Feng Shui!

don't come and visit me, you may never find me through the paper

Office spaces are all about status. If there is abundance of cubicles, sure nicer digs will make people more "productive," but only because you stop treating them like animals in a cage, and let them interact with others. But don't most of us still want the large corner office, with dark wood, high back black leather chair and an expense account for long lunches with clients? (Mad Men, anyone?)

DEPENDS...I agree that everyone likes to work in a cool, swanky environment. It probably increases productivity. Would you trade it for your bonus? I recently worked with a smaller company that invested in its environment in lieu of paying its employees. Instead of raises and bonuses everyone has a new desk or bigger office. The owner said, "Your bonus is working in a nicer environment." It caused lower productivity and lower morale to learn that all the profit for the year went into remodeling the office leaving nothing for the employees who had worked so hard all year.

Office space speaks to the value that an organization places on an individual or role. Having recently been moved from a decent private office to a cubicle on the shop floor there have been no tangible ill effects (same salary, same job status) but the residual effect is that of less value or importance to the organization.