The Closed Door

I don’t really want to use a public coffee shop as an office.

Last year when setting up my software company, I investigated a lot of office options from the most basic government-funded business park closet to expensive serviced offices from industry leaders. Though the carpeting and wall coverings were very different, as were the provisions of furniture, there were still the same basic problems as I saw it.

• Closed doors leading to a lack of collaborative space and human contact.

The problem with the closed door is that it shuts everyone off in their own little domain complete with personal printer and coat hanger. It didn’t matter whether you were paying £250 a month or £1250 a month, the setting was the same.

At one large office vendor I toured, half the offices had their doors wedged open. That may have been because of the soaring temperatures in Ireland that month but I think it was as much to give the occupant, a sole salesman, entrepreneur or account manager, some sort of human contact during their working day. As I passed these offices, the individuals within would always look up and see what was going on, who was passing their door. When visiting the low rent office parks, the experience was the same. People leaving their doors open.

What was this for? It couldn’t lead to a productive work day if you valued privacy, peace and quiet. The closed door office must have been impeding the enjoyment of the work for these individuals.

There were places where the individuals left their cosy offices and interacted with others: the tiny kitchen facilities where individuals would fill their kettles, the vending machines where they’d stock up on sugar, the greasy spoon or sandwich bar where they’d get their lunch or outside and around the corner where they’d smoke their way through networking opportunities. The social aspect of

I asked the local business park about shared workspace and they looked a little surprised. It wasn’t something they’d ever been asked for before.

I asked Regus about hot-desking and collaborative spaces and the duty manager pointed at a sofa which used the same legroom as the people standing to use the vending machine and fill the kettle. In her defence, she did mention the Regus Network Access card which, for £200, provided access to hot-desking across the globe: but in Belfast, even after paying £200, you got the sofa.

In between the serviced office and the public coffee shop, there is a niche for a collaborative workspace. An informal space formally reserved for co-working.