Office Buildout Review: Signet Electronic Systems Employees Embrace Open Office, Collaboration, Digital Signage

Checking back in with Signet Electronic Systems after its new office buildout puts employees in an open office layout with collaboration and digital signage tools.

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Commercial Integrator checks back in with Signet Electronic Systems after its new office build-out.

The new office buildout for Signet Electronic Systems was always going to be a little unique and ambitious. The Norwell, Mass.-based integration firm is in the business of improving its customers’ work environments – many of which are embracing open office, collaboration and digital signage.

So when an opportunity came up for Signet, which had been in its office for over 25 years, to purchase a building essentially in the same lot, the stakes were high. The integration company and its employees would walk the walk – improving their work flows, collaboration and communication in much the same ways its customers do with its help.

Prior to Signet’s big move and in the midst of the planning and construction of the new space, Commercial Integrator talked with several employees about the transition. Indeed, employees’ input was at the heart of the plans for the building.

“To be an industry leader, we must be able to attract high energy, fresh, tech savvy talent,” said CEO Bradford Caron. “An environment designed around state-of-the-art technology and natural light, combined with amenities such as a lounge, café, outdoor patio, individual private lockers, and designer furniture is attractive to Generation X, millennials and Generation Z.”

The old space wasn’t cutting it, according to Caron. It wasn’t allowing the organization to evolve its workflows as quickly as needed. He wanted a space that current and future employees will embrace.

Designing a Space to Improve Workflow

Starting back in the old space, Signet Electronic Systems had been “working very hard to break silos and become a much more cohesive team,” said Andy Pelletier, director of project management, when CI visited during the construction phase.

“When we’re working as more of a cohesive team the end result to the client is a much better one. In the new office space, we really took that into account. Brad kind of spearheaded the overall design and the flow of the office, and it really speaks to just a project flow from conception in sales and engineering all the way through operations and then into service. It kind of works in that circular fashion.”

“We really strategized on where we placed each department to basically mirror the workflow of a project going through our office,” says Kelly Clasby, Signet Electronic Systems.

The new office buildout also offers more space —  2,400 square foot area for production, assembly, testing and certification and boasts a 14,000-square-foot environmentally-controlled warehouse.

Just as important as the added space, Caron recognized that the old space wasn’t allowing the organization to evolve its workflows as quickly as needed.

He wanted a space that current and future employees will embrace.

Now that the space is completed, CI went back to review the end result. So far so good, says Kelly Clasby, business manager, in the video above.

In terms of improved work flow, “We really strategized on where we placed each department to basically mirror the workflow of a project going through our office buildout,” she says.

“It promotes an automatic collaboration between each department.”

Clasby says the open office space took adjustment for some but overall Signet Electronic Systems has gotten “some really positive feedback on it.” She points to specific improvements such as new digital signage that stem from the open design and addresses some ways that Signet has addressed issues arising from the open space.

Digital signage, she says, has had a big impact on internal communication, company culture – and in cutting down on company-wide emails.

Watch as Clasby discusses the impact of Signet’s new open office in the video above.

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