Cool Hi-Tech Office
Software guru Joel Spolsky recently renovated some new office space for his company Fog Creek. His requirements for the space were insightful, and typical of a software startup:
* Private offices with doors that close were absolutely required and not open to negotiation.
* Programmers need lots of power outlets. They should be able to plug new gizmos in at desk height without crawling on the floor.
* We need to be able to rewire any data lines (phone, LAN, cable TV, alarms, etc.) easily without opening any walls, ever.
* It should be possible to do pair programming.
* When you’re working with a monitor all day, you need to rest your eyes by looking at something far away, so monitors should not be up against walls.
* The office should be a hang out: a pleasant place to spend time. If you’re meeting your friends for dinner after work you should want to meet at the office.
I’ve always had a passing interest in office ergonomics, and always enjoyed those articles in Wired at the height of the dot-com boom about weird and wonderful office configurations. Joel’s approach seems wise and financially-responsible.
John