Office of Financial Management - Olympia
- BAR Group
- Apr 11, 2016
- 2 min read
Organization Summary
The Office of Financial Management is the bulldog in Washington State government. This tour was specifically of the Facilities Oversight Unit, located in the Insurance Building on Capitol Campus. This unit is single-handedly spearheading the modernization of state government work spaces.
Features of the Workplace
Open work spaces
Wellness room
Day use lockers
Drop-in space for legislative workers
Mobile-work ready
Colorful
Brittany's Blurbs...
This office was the second state agency workplace that I had ever entered. Previously, I was an intern in a place (a place that shall not be named) that was comprised of multiple floors of seemingly identical mazes of cubes. Needless to say the dark, dreary, isolated cubical farm left a bad taste in my mouth and a negative perception of state government workplaces. While OFM’s arrangement didn’t “wow” me, it was a clear distinction from my previous experiences. There were green sitting chairs in place of cubicles. These chairs were inviting and created a space that propping up with my laptop to casually check my emails and work for part of the day. Central in the space were four desks squarely arranged with a circle table in the center. As we began our tour, staff were casually sitting around the table, smiling, welcoming us into their space. This place felt different. It gave me hope that government can create visually stimulating, flexible, and fun places to work.
Amanda's Aspect...
This is where it all started! The innovation of the work space in Washington government agencies. It was fairly small but had a lot of innovative spaces! It was so clean and simple. They gave other agency workers the opportunity to drop in and work there if they were on their way across campus or needed a spot to work during Session.
Rachel's Ramblings....
I was surprised to walk into a government office and see only half of the space cluttered with cubicles with grey cubes. Not only that, but a staff were casually gathered in a circle talking. They didn’t break their huddle for us. We sat in the newly ordered green office chairs, unlike nothing that I had seen in a state agency. I was drawn to the bright picture hanging on the grey cubicle to bring color into the area with the green chairs. I couldn’t help but to continued to be enchanted with how color and space changed the whole feeling in the office. I thought for a moment about how the grey was playing tricks on how I felt as I walked farther from the green chairs and bright picture. Yet when they were not in my sight the casual conversation in the grey open cubicle space broke and we were greeted by staff. The desk was not assigned here, nor was their clutter hanging on every corner. Only the top manager had an office. Our team had an in depth conversation with the huddlers they were cheerful and excited about their new collaborative mixed space. When we left I took it all in with a deep breath, contemplating the grey and green once again. Could it be done I thought?
