Open Workspaces, Hotelling, etc.

[mahagonny]

where no one will have a permanent office,

Im guessing that this place does not have a research requirement?

Wow, people do research on campus? What I've been used to seeing, over many years, is the full time faculty member's office vacant for a minimum of two full days a week, and often all but a few hours per week with the word 'R E S E A R C H' written on those days on the posted schedule. I know this because at one time I needed to be on campus a lot.

ETA:

We

[. . .]

Is "we" full-time staff? Full-time faculty? Part-time faculty? All of the above?

Working from home during the pandemic has taught me just how much I dislike my commute to campus. I would be amenable to some kind of semi-shared space arrangement if it guaranteed me fewer trips to campus when things return to "normal."

Thank you.

[clean]

Wow, people do research on campus? What I've been used to seeing, over many years, is the full time faculty member's office vacant for a minimum of two full days a week, and often all but a few hours per week with the word 'R E S E A R C H' written on those days on the posted schedule. I know this because at one time I needed to be on campus a lot.

I ve spent most of the last week in my office so that I can use the twin monitors.  I have 2 laptops, (a long story, because the 'new one' keeps throwing tantrums, so I have been allowed to retain the 'old' one), but being able to have 2 files open side by side so that I can move data from one file to another is much more convenient with 2 monitors.  So, yes, Faculty Do (sometimes) use their offices for research.

Also, we are known to go to the office on weekends and even late at night.  Sometimes it is easier to get work done when there are fewer people around, and sometimes, though you think no one else will be there, you find that there is still a line for the copier! 

(though your reply was probably not meant to be a serious reply)

[mamselle]

One place I worked as an EA had hourly shuttle buses to the parking lots from major points around the campus until 3 AM.

Junior faculty doing research, writing their books, and hoping for tenure were the usual cause, but many others also made use of the service.

(I knew because I had to stay to set up conferences we were hosting a couple times and had to use them myself....)

M.

[lightning]

We are moving toward a more flexible workspace for the fall, where no one will have a permanent office, we will add more desks in open space, and offices/space will be assigned to or reserved by individuals to use a couple of times a week. Is this becoming more common on campus in student-facing offices?

At my place, I've never even hear rumors about it--neither has there been any random speculation that I've heard about.

Anyone have examples from their experience of 'what works' and 'what doesn't work'? In particular if no one has a permanent space and the space will need to be managed by sign-up?

I've collaborated with private sector entities that model themselves on Palo Alto startups with their open offices. There was always an extra layer of coordination and delay on their part, with them trying to schedule in-person meetings because they had to reserve a meeting room. I can't see this working with students who like to drop in randomly. I was a student at a place that had open offices for faculty. I dropped in on my teacher during his office hours, and my meeting with the faculty member was in the hallway outside of the open office. Needless to say, we could't talk about more sensitive topics. If your school is truly student-centered, they shouldn't be doing open offices.

 

Juggling all the moving pieces seems worthy of a full-time concierge, which we will not have.

It sounds like admin is expecting faculty to be coordinators amongst themselves. Going back to my earlier comment above about my collaborations with start ups, my collaborators really resented having to coordinate meeting times and spaces.

This open office thing might work, but there has to be buy-in. One of the ways to get buy-in is for EVERYONE to have a shared open office. This is includes presidents, VCs, and every else at the top of the food chain. If the open office concept is only for some of the employees, then there is not going to be buy-in. Without buy-in, the open office will fail.

Whatever happens, don't let them ever feed you the line that open offices "break down silos" and "increase synergetic collaboration" or other tripe like that. That's all a bunch of hooey that they use to sell the open office concept, which is merely an attempt to save money. That's all this is about.

[mahagonny]

Wow, people do research on campus? What I've been used to seeing, over many years, is the full time faculty member's office vacant for a minimum of two full days a week, and often all but a few hours per week with the word 'R E S E A R C H' written on those days on the posted schedule. I know this because at one time I needed to be on campus a lot.

I ve spent most of the last week in my office so that I can use the twin monitors.  I have 2 laptops, (a long story, because the 'new one' keeps throwing tantrums, so I have been allowed to retain the 'old' one), but being able to have 2 files open side by side so that I can move data from one file to another is much more convenient with 2 monitors.  So, yes, Faculty Do (sometimes) use their offices for research.

Also, we are known to go to the office on weekends and even late at night.  Sometimes it is easier to get work done when there are fewer people around, and sometimes, though you think no one else will be there, you find that there is still a line for the copier! 

(though your reply was probably not meant to be a serious reply)

it was absolutely serious, and if anyone in my department is reading, they are are saying 'yup.' And I don't appreciate your insinuation.
Tenured faculty hoarding more workspace than they need/use is common. The larger private office is part of the status of the job. I doubt anyone here would waste time disputing it but you never know. Of course it may vary according to type of school, department and field.
If I ruled the world I would give preference to those who have to travel the most miles to campus.

[clean]

hoarding more workspace than they need/use is common.

All I can say is that HERE, the state decides how big an office is.  Only admincritters in the corner offices of the building have more space.
In my office (and Im sitting in it NOW on a Holiday Weekend Friday night at 622pm) includes some support columns running through it!  The state also mandates the furniture that we have (all identical, and all too damn small IF you are 6'3" and obese)

So, at least here, regardless of whether you are a fat full professor, as am I, or a skinny 'clinical faculty', the size of the office is identical!  (I do have a better view, but that was a matter of luck, and not design and not related to my rank --- it is the office next to the Dean's Suite, so the 'smarter faculty' wanted to steer clear!  I got it because it was the last available!)

So Where do you do YOUR research?

Of course Indiana Jones did HIS research all over the planet, but sometimes it involved Snakes!! ("Why did it have to be snakes?")

[mahagonny]

Our situations are different. My job does not require published research. I have published a book which I wrote in my basement where I also do my taxes. Or it could have been the kitchen table. My teaching gig requires bringing equipment to and from work. Having a private office or a locker would make a big positive difference.  Or even more shared space available than there is now. Therefore, my thank you to Dr. Spork upthread.
If we're looking the scenario where the rooms in the building are of various sizes all the way down to tiny and the decision of who goes where is the chair's, it seems to me the person with a full time job and salary has much more opportunity to live near campus, which is quite a convenience. Yet as far as allotting on-campus workspace, they are also given the more desirable choices. Well, that's the way of the world [sob]. Winners and losers. I get through it.

[alto_stratus]

Thank you, all, for sharing your ideas and experiences. I'll admit I wasn't sure how or if this flexible office set-up could work, but we've had some good conversations and weeded down the many options to the most realistic and reasonable ones; and now we'll see if the benefits (less density in the office, not commuting every day - we are staff) will outweigh the challenges or inconveniences.