MetLife Plows Under The ‘Cube Farm’
May 22--MetLife plowed under its cubicle farm, evicted managers from natural light-hogging perimeter offices and cribbed ideas from Starbucks and tech startups in a complete renovation of its global technology and operations facility.
The company on Wednesday celebrated the opening of its renovated 92,000-square-foot space. Unmoored from desks thanks to robust building-wide Wi-Fi and a variety of places to do work, free-range employees took time at the MetLife Cafe, strolled on treadmill desks and had impromptu meetings at high-top tables.
"Collaboration zones" have taken the place of traditional conference rooms. There, employees meet sitting on futons and exercise balls and write on whiteboards. Departments are referred to colloquially as "neighborhoods." The space has fewer interior walls and most of those are now glass.
"The investment is about more than productivity and creativity," said Jennifer Meyer, director of workplace excellence at MetLife, which has 400 employees at the facility.
It is also about keeping the company competitive in the labor market, she said. Offering the look and feel of a San Francisco tech firm helps MetLife be an attractive workplace for young talent. MetLife recruiters noticed that during interview, younger applicants were asking what the offices are like, an odd question for prior generations, but a priority for a younger workforce.
"The workplace can be a tool to attract talent," Ms. Meyer said. "We are in the insurance business, but when it comes to the labor market, we are competing with Google and Intel."
She declined to disclose the cost of the renovation project.
Metlife's once institutional-style cafeteria now looks more like a restaurant, with a mix of seating -- long tables, booths and bistro tables. The monitors on a desk can rise and fall with the touch of a button for optimal ergonomics.
Paul Mattern, vice president and Scranton site leader, did not mind losing his old office, noting the entire building is now a workplace and the management hierarchy has become more accessible.
"Everyone here knows they can approach anyone here," he said.
If all that collaboration gets to be too much, each floor has quiet zones for focused, uninterrupted work.
Wall-sized reproductions of artist Tom Everhart's stylized images of Snoopy anchor each floor. MetLife licenses the Peanuts comic strip for their advertising and Mr. Everhart is the only artist permitted to render Charles Shultz's characters.
Clarks Summit resident Dorthea Serino has worked for MetLife for 15 years and the lead business systems analyst cannot remember wanting to come to work as much as she does following the renovations. The offices have transformed the workplace culture, she said, making collaboration natural and workers more creative.
"Since this was done, I got to know people that I've only seen passing by," she said. "I love to get here and then I don't want to leave."
Her favorite feature may be the private treadmill rooms that allow her to take a walk during a conference call.
Chalkboard-painted walls feature Peanuts characters with blank thought bubbles that visitors and employees are encouraged to fill in. One employee wrote, "Thank you, MetLife, for your investment in us."
Contact the writer: [email protected]
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