josh whitehead

Recently I had a follow-up conversation that began a few weeks ago with one of our staff teams: we’re out of office space…again. Since I began my journey at FPC, I have had four offices throughout our buildings, including windows with awesome views of the mountains and caves with no view at all. Weird part – they’re all just offices. My computer works the same in each of them, my meetings are the same, my phone works the same – to me, an office is an office (and I still have a very small one, but I got my window back).

As you master plan your campus or space, consider the open office concept to maximize your space. Your staff will probably be negative about it at first, but it is has been a great experience for me in the past. Here are some thoughts:

• Do it right. Spend the money it takes to make it a nice environment. Cube walls are expensive, but they show that you value your people as you make the change.
• Prepare people ahead of time. We began talking about the transition to open offices about a year before we created the first environment. Give them time to process the change.
• Create small closed spaces. In your design, create some smaller, closed spaces where people can meet privately or make sensitive phone calls.
• Realize that you can’t make everyone happy. As you assign available closed office space, know that there will be perceived injustices. Make tough decisions based upon what it takes to accomplish the job, not just the job title or staff level.

If your church is reaching people, you will always be adding staff. Create spaces that show that you value your team and have a heart for good stewardship of space – you’ll get the best of both worlds!