A Look Inside NCR's New Headquarters Building in Midtown Atlanta

[AnsleyPark]

Originally Posted by Otakumaster

I think people are mixing up “open workspace “ definitions.

Apparently, one means no cubicals while the other means no assigned desk.

I find it hard to believe that’s companies back in the early 2000s had a modular “no assigned desk “ set up.

They must mean an open floor plan with no cubicals when going back that far.

I was referring to the "no assigned desk" concept. At large accounting firms and investment banks, anyway, a lot of the juniors spend much time in the field at clients' offices, doing audit work, consulting, and the like. I suppose that's why they tried it.

[arjay57]

Originally Posted by tikigod311

This is the first I've ever heard of this concept. Most tech companies have an "open workspace" where there's not cubicles or many walled offices. But this is the first time I've heard of a company where worker's don't have an assigned desk.

A cubicle sounds like an executive office compared to this setup.

[tikigod311]

When moving to an open workspace (no cubicles or offices) I was quite apprehensive. I ran through a list of all the potential annoyances in this setup and I was certain I would hate it. Once I got here, I stopped noticing it after a week or two. Most of the annoyances of are easily remedied by a pair of headphones!

[markjames68]

Originally Posted by Ocean Flames

I wonder how this works for the HR and Finance teams they have working in this office. Or perhaps those departments aren’t housed at this there?

It’s bad enough trying to do HR work ie keep things confidential and masked from people constantly walking or standing nearby who may hear or see something confidential on your computer screen but having to change desks everyday would not work. Surely these individuals are the exception and have assigned seating or at least a private office space to work in.

Any open plan office I’ve ever seen has had Legal, Finance and HR walled off requiring special badge access. Unless it’s so small that it’s contained in a couple of lockable offices.

[primaltech]

From what my friends at NCR tell me (I worked there for 6 years until recently), most people in the engineering divisions are WFH at least half of the week. So that kind of somewhat offsets the not having a permanent desk (which they mostly don't like- but it's still new to them right now), and the commute issues for many.

Also, everybody in tech basically just has their issued laptop and that's their work life. So people who do testing are not really ever at their desk- they're in a lab where the equipment is. Developers writing code, can really be anywhere doing that. Doesn't have to be in the same station every day. The idea is to emphasize/encourage that mobility. Especially at that campus, with all those amenities where you can chill out anywhere and also potentially be working.

And people are in conference rooms in meetings usually half the day, anyway. Further reducing the need of a private desk. Some people, particularly managers of any kind, are in meetings almost all day.

And then everybody else in the company needs a desk even less than that, like consultants or account managers who are traveling half the time.

[Otakumaster]

Originally Posted by primaltech

From what my friends at NCR tell me (I worked there for 6 years until recently), most people in the engineering divisions are WFH at least half of the week. So that kind of somewhat offsets the not having a permanent desk (which they mostly don't like- but it's still new to them right now), and the commute issues for many.

Also, everybody in tech basically just has their issued laptop and that's their work life. So people who do testing are not really ever at their desk- they're in a lab where the equipment is. Developers writing code, can really be anywhere doing that. Doesn't have to be in the same station every day. The idea is to emphasize/encourage that mobility. Especially at that campus, with all those amenities where you can chill out anywhere and also potentially be working.

And people are in conference rooms in meetings usually half the day, anyway. Further reducing the need of a private desk. Some people, particularly managers of any kind, are in meetings almost all day.

And then everybody else in the company needs a desk even less than that, like consultants or account managers who are traveling half the time.

I guess if you have to go to the office everyday it’s hard to imagine having to plan where your desk is. Most people working in a tech position (support, development etc) will also tell you that working on a single laptop screen all day is annoying so I doubt most of them are happy with just sitting anywhere unless a station with multiple screens are readily available.

[primaltech]

Originally Posted by Otakumaster

I guess if you have to go to the office everyday it’s hard to imagine having to plan where your desk is. Most people working in a tech position (support, development etc) will also tell you that working on a single laptop screen all day is annoying so I doubt most of them are happy with just sitting anywhere unless a station with multiple screens are readily available.

Yeah, they have extra monitors at most of the desks.

[bellhead]

Originally Posted by ATLTJL

Looks good except for the open workspaces. Which I know are almost universally reviled.

Love open workspaces where you have to reserve a seat. Thanks to this I know telework all the time.

[arjay57]

Man, am I out of the loop.