Financial services are warming up to a more collaborative and green work environment

A corporate culture often translates into the physical work environment. For those more conservative firms, images of large corner offices with mahogany desks, high leather-back chairs and gleaming desk accessories were all once considered de-rigueur, especially in the financial services sector. Today, companies need to be more nimble in every way and this is translating to the physical environment as well. In a post-recession economy, a sleeker, leaner and more open environment is considered the new norm. Old school financial service companies continue to reinvent themselves with a more open office layout incorporating both formal and informal meeting spaces to accommodate clients as well as internal teaming areas. That's not to say they've totally given up the corner office (regardless of bullpens and open areas, that corner office is still a status symbol), but the perimeter offices have replaced the dark, heavy wood with glass walls that usher in natural daylight to the rest of the office. (Daylight isn't just for those worthy of the perimeter anymore.) The footprint of the modern day office is much smaller, far more functional and takes advantage of previously underutilized square footage for storage, filing systems, and conference and teaming rooms. This trend is not just affecting the perimeter offices-cubicle configurations are adapting as well. Open areas with lower or no partitions between co-workers enable cross communication and team thinking. The designs are also more efficient when integrating technology and allow for hoteling employees (or those who are visiting or only in the office part-time) to plug into an open cube as well. These highly functioning, ergonomically-designed systems are incorporated to promote greater efficiencies among workers and to leverage the shrinking square footage of the office environment. As employment no longer means a permanent desk, conference rooms are no longer large, stuffy rooms with giant tables-they are now trending towards being technology hubs that allow for inter-office, inter-country connectivity. As the average workday trends away from 9 to 5 and towards longer hours, the physical office is seeing changes that accommodate the longer hours. An investment in supplemental HVAC systems that are needed to heat and cool offices has become commonplace. Another facet to keep employees happy through the extended workday is the investment in the casual yet upscale pantry and kitchen areas. What was once pushed to the back of the office and perceived as a "service area" is now front and center and has become a hub of activity for informal meetings and clients (who are even invited into the space for coffee, meals and snacks). The new focus on the pantry and kitchen area creates opportunities to thoughtfully and creatively incorporate corporate branding from a subtle color palette to logos on mugs or tabletop items. Over the past few years, we have also seen greater adaption of ecofriendly building practices, materials and furnishings. What was once a rarity and exception has now increasingly become the norm due to multiple factors including an even more environmentally conscious building code, greater availability of eco-friendly materials leading to lower prices for sustainably manufactured furniture, wall and floor coverings and a greater interest to work in a green office. While some larger clients are willing to absorb the additional cost of becoming LEED certified, others are interested in being environmentally responsible with design while forgoing the actual cost-laden certification process. As efficiency becomes more and more important in every aspect of the corporate culture, these physical changes in the corporate environment will only continue to progress. While the amount of space per employee is decreasing, the number of amenities and design-plusses is on the upswing. Even the most corporate of the corporate cultures-the financial services industry-is starting to see the benefit of these changes. While we don't expect every financial services firm to act like a technology or media firm and eliminate their corner offices, they are embracing the general trend-some even with enthusiasm and gusto. Joe Yacovone, LEED, AP, is a senior managing director at Cassidy Turley, New York, N.Y.