We Have Moved!
For those of you that are not aware, we recently moved to a bespoke new office at Earlsdon Park.
Whilst it was sad to say goodbye to our cosy old home at 25 Warwick Road, I must say that our new office is extremely plush! Its light, bright with very high ceilings and virtually everything in it is brand new. I do have reservations about how long our brand new white desks will stay white for though, but they do look nice for now!
My personal favourite feature is the 'zip tap' which is in the staff kitchen and which dispenses instant boiling water. It means I never have to wait for the kettle to boil for my cup of tea - as was the case in the old office! It seems the zip tap has inadvertently made us more productive.
As well as a change in office, our move also brought about a change in working practices. We have gone from teams often sitting in separate offices and certain lawyers having their own offices, to us all working on one floor in an open plan environment. This proposal was met with scepticism by some regarding noise and the ability to concentrate - however I personally have not found this to be an issue at all - and I think most of my colleagues would agree.
One of the nice things about working in an open plan environment is the ability to see and speak to colleagues I didn't ordinarily see much of in the old office. This has made the working environment a lot more sociable.
Another similar advantage is being in close proximity to teams where there are crossovers on particular cases. For example, a commercial property transaction may also require the involvement of our corporate team, and us all working together on the same floor means that we can easily discuss matters with colleagues rather than sending internal emails, making calls to one another or arranging times to sit down and speak to one another - as was commonly the case in the old office.
The firm has also ensured that appropriate facilities are in place to aid team working. For example, every desk has a pedestal underneath which pulls out and has a cushioned seat on top of it so, say if I was having a discussion with my colleague about a case, I can pull out the pedestal and sit on it while we discuss.
The staff kitchen area also has various booths and tables we can make use of when having internal meetings with one another. I must say when I first saw the kitchen area I thought of the breakout areas that the Google and Apple offices have!
Another nice touch the staff kitchen has is a television that enables us to log into Netflix or Amazon Prime. I have had to resist the urge to be anti-social and switch on my favourite Netflix programme while on my lunch break! - but it all means we do take time away from our desks as the kitchen is such a nice environment, which is a big plus I must say.
All in all, we seem to have adapted and settled in really well at our new home. The only issue I have is that of the temperature! The air conditioning is a bit cold for my liking - but I appreciate that it is very difficult to find an ambient temperature for all - and I am sure when Summer hits (if it ever does!) we will be very glad of it!