Is this good for the company???

"You've been missing a lot of work lately..."
"Well, I wouldn't say that I have been missing it..."

Office Space.

I have had many jobs in my short life, and all have had very different environments. Just this week I visited 2 different offices, and the contrast between the two could not have been more different. One was in an old building in the garment district that used to be a sweatshop with electrical outlets hanging from the ceiling where the sewing machines were plugged in. The outlets are gone, but it still has peeling paint, cement floors and the feeling of a warehouse. There are piles of boxes and paper all over, and it has a feeling of unsettling chaos, which we all know was enough to send me into an obsessive compulsive panic. The flourescent lights give it a strange, greenish yellow hue, and it made me feel like I wanted to escape the first chance I had. The other is in Chelsea. It has a huge open space with offices surrounding, comfortable furniture, calm lights, a kitchen, nice music and a pleasant ambience. It feels a lot like home. Both places had deadlines and phones ringing and things that needed to be done, but there was no overwhelming feeling of panic and stress at the office in Chelsea. I am convinced that this company has found the secret to success in the work place.

I decided that if there ever came a time when I started my own business and had an office, I would design it the way Homestead Editorial is designed. When you feel comfortable and at home in a place, then you don't feel anxiety and the urge to grab your things and go as soon as possible. Staying late at work is never a happy thought, but when you work in a place that is so pleasant and inviting, it doesn't seem so bad. Need a nap? Go to the back room, watch a little something on the big flat screen tv and fall asleep on the comfy sofa. Need a break? Play a little game of pool before heading back to the deadline. Need a snack? Have a handful of M&Ms or some licorice from the kitchen. Music? Your choice. I have always worked better in an organized, personal environment, and I imagine other people do also.

Computers stacked on top of each other. Desks covered in papers, supplies, books and pens. Harsh flourescent lighting. People running around with panic written on their faces. Cubicles. It's enough to drive me to drink. Whoever thought cubicles was a good idea should be burned at the stake. It feels less like your own office and more like solitary confinement. These kind of work environments usually result in apathetic employees who eventually snap and take out their anger and resentment on the malfunctioning fax machine...

So here is the challenge: find me a job that I absolutely love, where I can wear jeans, that feels like home and pays well... first person to find it and secure it for me wins the golden egg.