theyneedtodotheirstuff,andtofeelathome– notlikeit’sa museum,
orcoldandprecious,”Smithexplains.
“Wewantedtohavea spacethat’scomfortablyprofessionalbutalso
havebreakoutspacesthatyoucanensconceyourselfawayin,besubver-
siveorlaughlikea looninduringa creativeideation.”
Thephysicalofficeis filledwithanabundanceofnaturallight,which
Smithnotesis a provenmoodenhancer.No-oneis lockedawayinwhat
shecalls“dungeon-ycorners”,rathereveryoneintheteamhasa window
togazeoutof.
Inadditiontothis,almosteverysurfaceintheofficeis writable– again
noddingbacktothecollaborationandcreativityAFFINITYstrivesfor.
“Weknowourteamlovetovisualisetheirthinking,”Smith says. “So,
wehavewhiteboards and blackboards everywhere!”
Culture
Asidefroma well-thoughtoutandhyper-productiveofficedesign,Smith
andBrownhaveplaceda hugeemphasisona positiveworkplaceculture
tonurtureandretainstaff.
Likemostagencies,AFFINITYhassocialgatheringsfortheteam,a
PlayStation,yogaclassesandbeanbags.Smithsaystheagencyalsohosts
quarterlypeerrecognitionprogramsandannualstaffawardswhich
includetripstoeventssuchasSXSW.
Butthesearen’ttheonlythingsonofferatAFFINITY,therearea few
otherinitiativesthatsettheagencyapart.Thefirstofwhichstartswith
ensuringeveryoneworkswithinthe9 to6 officehours– notoutside.
“Wedointerestingworkwithnocookiecutterinsight,”Smithsays.
“There’sa highcognitiveloadandtoensureourstaffbringtheir‘A
game’everyday,westaffourbusinesstoensureeveryonecanstartat
9amandleaveby6pmeveryday.Thisissomethingthatweliveby,
irrespectiveofcampaigns or pitches. Tired bodies and minds don’t do
great work.”
TheAFFINITYteamenjoysjustas
muchbreakout,collaborativespace
asdeskspace,fosteringa productive
and healthy working culture.