COVID-19 continues to bring many changes to the workplace as we know it. While we’re all still figuring out what the long-term impacts will be, at OstermanCron, we continue to bring our clients the best-fit solutions for now and in the future. We recently provided trak group, a staffing and recruiting firm based in Cincinnati, an innovative solution to the challenges COVID brought to their office space and how they work.
In a typical week pre-pandemic, the trak group utilized their large lobby space to accommodate potential clients and 60 to 100 in-person interviews. Following their return to the office, trak found that while the number of interviews in a week had not decreased, not everyone felt comfortable coming in for an in-person interview, leading trak to conduct all first interviews virtually and over the phone. However, with trak’s staff growing, overlapping phone and virtual interviews exhibited a new problem—too much noise and too little space.
trak needed a solution that would accommodate their growing staff and give them more space for private interviews while also making their space feel more open, and that’s where we came in.
Our team at OstermanCron came up with a two-part solution to provide trak with the best-fit solution for them. To make room for trak’s growing staff, our team proposed reconfiguring their larger private office and opening it up to create space for two people and a smaller office. To address the need for private interview space, we noted there was not enough room in trak’s lobby to create a “private touchdown area” and introduced them instead to the PoppinPod—and trak fell in love with the idea.
The introduction of the PoppinPods provided a unique solution addressing trak’s limited space and the need for privacy during virtual interviews that wouldn’t involve building out more space, moving, or figuring out how to do different huddle rooms. Instead, they could just put up and wheel in the pods.
According to CEO Mike McCullough, since the pods’ installment in December 2021, the pods have been used 6-7 times a day and are well-received by the staff.
“It’s easy to pop right in there and get it done. And as far as per sq foot, it’s very efficient instead of having these giant rooms that are used too seldom. As we look to expand, we’ll probably still incorporate (the pods) into our other offices.” — Mike McCullough, CEO of trak group
*Learn more about the PoppinPod and how you can look at your space differently by scheduling an appointment.