My department moved buildings at work. The previous space was getting too small for us, and other teams were growing and needed the space, so they built a brand new space for us. It’s kind of exciting, but also a bit inconvenient. It’s exciting that the building is constructed just for us and that a lot of thought was put into making it a space most suited for our situation. On the others hand, it’s all the way on one side of campus, away from where most meetings take place (we were centrally located before). This means that walking to a meeting has gone from 2-7 minutes to 8-12 minutes. It doesn’t sound like a lot, but that can really cut into work time and makes it hard to have back to back meetings.

Our pod area is really nice though. One of the benefits and downsides of the old building was that it was 1 giant room with all the pods squeezed it, no walls, no cubicles. On one hand, we had forced interaction which was nice particularly if you were new and wanted to get to know a wide range of coworkers. On the other hand, it tended to be fairly loud, making it nearly impossible to concentrate some days. In the new building, every pod is separated into their own area with walls/half walls to cut back on the noise. As I’ve been here a while now, I appreciate this feature. Though I do feel bad for any new employees who will have a harder time getting to know everyone.

The pod space also came with a host of convenient items. Some are more for the pod in general, like a table space for quick team meetings, a common TV area for dashboards and even relaxing music for the pod, and the ability to choose pod relevant art for the walls. It is also a nicer personal set up as well. I have my own shelves now, so my desk isn’t as overwhelmed with my stuff. I also have more personal space to just move and breath in. Overall, I’m much happier with my space.

The other nice feature is that the somewhat isolation may make bringing Illidan to work a little easier. I can have him in the space and put a gate up over the door so that he can’t really see what’s going on everywhere else. This may help to keep him calm and serve to slowly acclimate him to the new work environment. I’m actually a little excited and a little nervous to try a half day here soon.