Desk signs in "startup-styled" corporate offices

November 20, 2016 2:59 PM

Recently I've noticed that some corporate offices I've visited have started to implement a "startup-style" organization to their office layout. One of the aspects of that is a "desk status sign," explaining if the employee is OOTO (out of the office), ready to collaborate ("yes collaborate with me"), or busy. I'm looking for images of these in any corporate setting for one part of a research project. Are these at your office? Or have you been in an office where these have been part of the system? I saw this for the first time while contracting at a Capital One office building in Virginia this past year, but refrained from taking a picture to maintain some professionalism. If someone on MeFi works at that office and recognizes what I'm talking about, that would actually be ideal, but that's a long shot.
posted by Tamagotchi to Work & Money (8 answers total)

I've seen it used by nursing moms on their closed office doors.
posted by tilde at 3:23 PM on November 20, 2016

We're pretty far from a startup but where I work (US DoD) it's a sheet of copy paper taped to a monitor: I'm on travel, I'm in training, I'm on telework, I'm on leave, etc. Clip art pic of a phone with a number.
posted by fixedgear at 3:39 PM on November 20, 2016

We used some Hoops and Yoyo signs that were printed and put in paper protector sheets.
posted by toomanycurls at 4:09 PM on November 20, 2016

Ah--people do this is my very-not-hip federal government office. We have lots of people who telework one day a week plus remote employees who only pop in a few days a month (or less).

It's generally just a printed out piece of paper taped to the cube wall or office door that says, "I'm teleworking [or on travel] today. Feel free to use this office. You can reach me at XXX-XXX-XXXX."
posted by whitewall at 5:23 PM on November 20, 2016

Oh heh, I did this in some sort of rudimentary style. I stapled 3 paper plates together and outlined them in red, green, and yellow - red meant "I'm in a meeting, do not disturb," yellow was "heads down, but interrupt me if you need me," and green was "I'm 100% available." It was surprisingly effective.

A few other people have adopted it, and it's become a known thing at my (admittedly small) company.
posted by punchtothehead at 5:31 PM on November 20, 2016 [1 favorite]

I'm looking for images of these in any corporate setting for one part of a research project.

Do you need actual photos?
posted by ramenopres at 5:54 PM on November 20, 2016

I never took a picture, but when I worked in a cube (in current job and one previous, neither a startup of any sort), I put up a little Stop sign-shaped thing that said something like "disturb only if building is actually on fire" when I really could not be disturbed. Otherwise, I had no sign up.
posted by rtha at 10:39 PM on November 20, 2016

In the office I currently work in, one of the groups has made themselves little light-up LED indicators that are plugged into their computers. They're linked to their Skype status, so they glow red if somebody is on a call/calendar-busy, yellow if they're AFK, and green if they're available.

People put them on the tops of their cube walls so that you can tell if they're at their desks before you walk over (you can't see heads over cube walls). If you're interested I could see if I could take a picture.
posted by aaronbeekay at 7:31 AM on November 21, 2016 [1 favorite]