There’s No Place Like Home

When I walked into Insight eight years ago, a receptionist greeted me. I wound around a corner admiring walls that were the color of a school bus, then rounded another darkened corner (we didn’t use the lights much back then), and plopped down in front of my quiet workstation to begin my work. It felt fine. I was happy. I didn’t know any different, but eight years later I notice how much a workplace environment can affect productivity.

The receptionist area has recently become “Café Insight.” It’s a place employees can visit to become inspired, rather than stay parked at a stagnant work station. The school bus yellow has been replaced with a more modern color scheme, and personalized artwork (thank you Zane!) that reflects the Insight brand adorns the walls. There’s a cozy nook for water, tea, or coffee from the Keurig. Brand new hardwood floors make for a sophisticated, polished look. Employee workstations still exist, but if you need to get a change of scenery there are plenty of comfy places at “Café Insight” with an especially nice view out the large front window on a sunny day.

In addition to the building itself, Insight has another feature to keep employees stimulated that I like to call the much-needed “cake break,” which is a generic term for cake, cupcakes, doughnuts, ice cream, cheese, cookies, and chocolate. There always seems to be food readily available at Insight, and it’s common to take a break from the emotional sagas of the day to enjoy these indulgences with co-workers and good conversation to freshen the mind.

Since a sugary food break might not be the healthiest way to alleviate stress, another fun activity Insight employees take advantage of is weekly lunchtime yoga classes. Many employees embrace the idea of a “whole body experience” and look forward to downward dog and shevastinahs…occasionally even taking place in Café Insight!

Exciting things happen at Insight all the time, but taking a step back to look at how things have changed over the years just goes to show how far we’ve come since my first day. It makes a lasting impact on employee satisfaction, creativity in general, workplace comradery, and most importantly productivity.

Just the other day, it was past the time when I normally leave, and a co-worker said, “What are you still doing here” to which I replied, “I don’t know. It’s time for me to go, isn’t it?” Well, you know what… Insight isn’t such a bad place to be.