Have you made a great work connection by bumping into a co-worker at the coffee pot? Or at the proverbial water cooler? Or the copy machine? Increasingly these spaces are being recognized as vital places where information is exchanged and things get done.

In education we call them “hubs,” but in the office you can think of them as community areas: places where people gather to work, relax, and socialize. They’re often close by and comfortable, natural places for people to interact.

Ours is the Coffee Bar, a centrally located casual space for us to grab a cup o’ joe, and expresses the warmth, creativity, and whimsy inherent in our organization. It’s a place to share a highlight from the previous day’s game, and a chat about a current assignment before we go on our individual ways.

When we don’t need the formality of a conference room, the Coffee Bar is a place to have a meeting. There are booths, high tables, or–Michigan weather permitting–an outdoor courtyard. Because people are always passing through, a two person meeting might morph into a three or four person meeting when we wave someone over–or they invite themselves to join.

Community areas like the Coffee Bar interest us, and Herman Miller researchers are currently studying these spaces. Share your office’s community area with us and you could win a Herman Miller work chair of your choice. Send us a photo of your company’s community area along with your name, geographic location, and thoughts on what makes it a great place to work – and we’ll register you to win.

Send submissions to: applications@hermanmiller.com

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