"We had reservations" about hybrid, said Melanie Collins, Dropbox's chief people officer. While Dropbox does have those physical spaces, it's deliberately not pursuing a hybrid work strategy. Remote work is the default setup for all Dropbox employees going forward. The approach to physical space is part of Dropbox's Virtual First strategy, which it announced last fall and has been refining ever since. "All the space is for in-person collaboration," he said, "and it's completely flexible."Įven in conference rooms, most things are on wheels or easily movable so rooms can rearrange to meet any need. Simpson was cagey about exactly how these ground-up designs will differ - in part because things aren't yet finalized - but he said that, essentially, when you can decide where the walls go, you simply put up fewer walls.
In others, like a new building in Dublin, there's more freedom. In some places, Simpson and his team have been retrofitting existing offices to make them work as Studios. Weekly status updates likely don't qualify, but quarterly planning might. (Don't want the big table in the middle of the room? Just drag it into the corner and sit on the couch instead.) Touch-down spots are cafes and libraries, meant as places for employees to sit and answer email or chat with co-workers for a few minutes between meetings.ĭropbox's Melanie Collins was also this week's guest on the Source Code podcast - you can listen to our full interview above.Įmployees who want to use a Studio should ask themselves three questions before doing so, Simpson said: When do you plan to gather? Why do you plan to gather? And will everyone be able to be there? If there aren't good answers to the first two - and the answer to the third isn't yes - there's no reason to gather. Instead, there are two types of spaces: spacious rooms designed for group meetings, and what Simpson calls "touch-down spots." Meeting rooms are outfitted with movable furniture, false walls, screens and other ways to make a single space accommodate a number of uses. Inside those Studios, Dropbox employees won't find rows of desks or corner offices. He prefers the word "studio," which is how Dropbox has rebranded all its physical spaces. But do not, under any circumstances, call them "offices."Īlastair Simpson, Dropbox's VP of design and one of the leaders behind the company's plan for the future of work, only used the word "office" twice in our conversation, and both times quickly corrected himself. Dropbox is reopening many of its buildings on Wednesday, and they'll be used for many things: team meetings, group hangs, impromptu concerts, all-hands meetings and quarterly strategy sessions.
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