Reimagining the Workplace: A Floor‑Enabled Operating Model
Unlocking Cost Efficiency, Cultural Equity, and Execution Velocity
Classification: Internal Use Only
Prepared by: Workplace Transformation Office, Hardwick & Lansing
1. Message from the CEO
Subject: A Note on How We Work Next
Team,
Over the past several years, we have asked hard questions about how work happens.
Where does collaboration begin? What does productivity require? Which parts of the workplace still serve us, and which parts have become habits we inherited without examining?
Those questions have led us to an important next step.
Beginning next quarter, Hardwick & Lansing will launch a Floor-Enabled Operating Model pilot in selected work zones. This pilot will help us explore a more flexible, equitable, and future-ready workplace by reducing our reliance on traditional desks and chairs.
This is not about taking something away.
It is about making space for something better.
For too long, the physical workplace has carried assumptions that no longer match the speed of our business. Desks suggest permanence. Chairs encourage fixed patterns. Assigned spaces can quietly reinforce hierarchy, territorial thinking, and habits that slow teams down.
The future of work asks more of us.
It asks us to move faster. Gather differently. Rethink comfort not as a fixed entitlement, but as one input among many in how we create value together.
That may feel unfamiliar at first. Meaningful change often does. We have grown accustomed to certain workplace signals: a desk, a chair, a drawer, a corner, a place to return to. But the next chapter of our culture will not be built around furniture. It will be built around adaptability.
Selected teams will receive additional guidance from their managers and the Workplace Transformation Office. We will listen, measure, and learn throughout the pilot.
I want to be clear: this pilot is not a retreat from our commitment to associates.
It is an investment in a workplace that challenges old assumptions and prepares us for what comes next.
Less furniture. More future.
Laz Morgan
Chief Executive Officer
Hardwick & Lansing
2. Internal Memo
To: All Associates
From: Workplace Transformation Office, Hardwick & Lansing
Subject: Reimagining the Workplace: Floor-Enabled Operating Model
Associates,
As part of our continued commitment to cost efficiency, cultural equity, and execution velocity, the Workplace Transformation Office is pleased to announce the launch of our Floor-Enabled Operating Model pilot!
This initiative reflects a broader shift in how high-performing organizations think about space, ownership, and collaboration. Traditional desks and chairs were designed for an earlier operating environment. That environment no longer reflects the needs of a flexible, digital-first workforce.
Beginning next quarter, selected teams will participate in a desk-free workplace pilot. In designated areas, desks, cubicles, and chairs will be removed. Associates will work seated on the floor, using laptops and other approved mobile equipment as needed.
The pilot supports four key objectives:
Asset-Light Operations
Reducing dependency on non-essential physical infrastructure improves space utilization and lowers ongoing facilities costs.Equity by Default
When no associate has an assigned desk, office, or preferred seating location, status signals tied to furniture are removed from the workplace experience.Mobility-First Collaboration
Floor-based work areas allow teams to form, shift, and dissolve based on current priorities rather than fixed seating plans.Behavior-Led Compliance
A clean-desk policy becomes easier to maintain when desks are no longer part of the environment.
We recognize that this transition may feel different at first. Temporary transition supports, including floor pads, will be available during the initial pilot period. Associates are encouraged to use this period to explore new ways of working, gathering, and adapting.
This pilot is not simply a facilities initiative. It is a culture initiative.
The workplace of the future will require all of us to rethink long-standing assumptions about productivity, comfort, and ownership.
During the pilot, associates should limit personal items to what can be carried or worn. Bringing outside chairs, stools, cushions, crates, or similar seating alternatives into the pilot area is prohibited, as these items may undermine the shared learning goals of the program.
Managers will receive additional guidance on team expectations, accommodation procedures, and approved language for discussing the transition.
Please avoid framing this pilot as a cost-cutting measure. The focus should remain on flexibility, equity, and the evolution of modern work.
The most effective organizations are not defined by what they provide, but by what their people can learn to stop expecting.
Workplace Transformation Office, Hardwick & Lansing
“Less furniture. More future.”
3. Frequently Asked Questions
Why are we doing this?
The Floor-Enabled Operating Model reflects Hardwick & Lansing’s continued commitment to agility, equity, and responsible space utilization.
As work becomes more mobile, digital, and team-based, the traditional desk no longer supports the way high-performing organizations operate. Removing desks allows us to reduce unnecessary physical anchors and create a more flexible environment for collaboration.
Is this about saving money?
This is primarily a culture and operating model initiative.
While the organization expects to realize space and facilities efficiencies over time, the pilot should be understood as part of our broader workplace evolution. Cost discipline and cultural transformation are not separate goals. They reinforce each other.
Will I still have a place to work?
Yes.
Associates will continue to have access to approved work zones within the pilot area. These zones are designed to support focused work, collaboration, and rapid team formation without reliance on assigned desks or chairs.
Where do I sit?
Associates may select any available floor location within the designated work zone, subject to business needs, traffic flow, and safety guidance.
Team clustering may occur naturally based on project priority, manager direction, or proximity to power access.
Will chairs be available?
Chairs will not be provided in the pilot area.
This is intentional. The pilot is designed to evaluate a desk-free and chair-free operating model. Introducing chair-based workarounds may compromise the integrity of the learning environment.
Can I bring my own chair?
Outside chairs, stools, benches, crates, inflatable seating, camping furniture, yoga balls, beanbags, or similar items are prohibited.
These items may create inconsistency across the associate experience and reintroduce furniture-based hierarchy into a model designed to remove it.
What if I have back pain, knee pain, or another physical concern?
Associates with specific medical needs should follow the standard accommodation process through Human Resources.
Managers should not make informal exceptions at the team level. Individual accommodations must be reviewed through the appropriate channels to ensure fairness, privacy, and consistency.
What if I think productivity will suffer?
The pilot is expected to improve execution velocity by reducing unnecessary meeting duration, increasing physical mobility, and encouraging more intentional collaboration.
Some associates may experience an adjustment period. This is expected and will be captured as part of the pilot feedback process.
How will meetings work?
Meetings may occur in floor-based collaboration clusters.
Early research suggests that meetings in lower-comfort environments tend to become shorter, more focused, and more outcome-oriented. Teams are encouraged to use this as an opportunity to reduce discussion drag.
Where do I put my personal items?
Associates should limit personal items to what can be carried or worn.
The Floor-Enabled Operating Model supports a low-clutter environment and reduces the risks associated with unattended materials.
What kind of feedback should I provide?
Feedback should focus on workflow, collaboration, mobility, and adoption.
Associates are encouraged to avoid feedback that centers only on personal comfort, preference, or comparison to previous furniture-based models. The goal is to evaluate the future state, not recreate the legacy environment.
Is participation optional?
Associates assigned to pilot areas are expected to participate.
The purpose of the pilot is to gather meaningful data under real working conditions. Opting out may limit the organization’s ability to assess the model accurately.
4. Manager Talking Points
Managers play a critical role in helping associates understand, adopt, and normalize the Floor-Enabled Operating Model.
Please use the following talking points when discussing the pilot with your teams. Consistent language will help reduce confusion, limit rumor formation, and reinforce the purpose of the initiative.
Core Message
This is not simply a facilities change. It is an operating model shift.
The Floor-Enabled Operating Model helps us move away from legacy assumptions about work, ownership, and comfort. By reducing our reliance on fixed furniture, we create a more flexible, equitable, and adaptive workplace.
When associates ask why desks and chairs are being removed
Recommended response:
“We’re piloting a more flexible workplace model that supports mobility, equity, and faster team formation. Desks and chairs can create unintentional signals of ownership and hierarchy. This pilot helps us understand what work looks like when those signals are removed.”
Avoid saying:
“We’re getting rid of furniture to save money.”
“We don’t have enough space.”
“Leadership wants to see if people will tolerate it.”
When associates raise concerns about comfort
Recommended response:
“It’s normal for any new way of working to feel different at first. The pilot is designed to help us learn how associates adapt when the environment supports movement, flexibility, and shared use.”
Avoid saying:
“Yes, it’s uncomfortable.”
“I know, this is ridiculous.”
“My back hurts too.”
When associates ask whether they can bring their own chair
Recommended response:
“To preserve the integrity of the pilot, outside seating is prohibited in the pilot area. The goal is to evaluate the model consistently across the team.”
Avoid saying:
“Just don’t get caught.”
“I don’t care what you bring.”
“Hide it under your coat.”
When associates say this feels like cost-cutting
Recommended response:
“This pilot is part of a broader workplace transformation strategy. Cost efficiency is one consideration, but the primary focus is flexibility, equity, and future-ready ways of working.”
Avoid saying:
“Every company is cutting costs.”
“At least nobody’s being laid off.”
“Facilities budget got destroyed.”
When associates ask why executives still have chairs
Recommended response:
“The current pilot is focused on selected work zones where the model can be evaluated under specific team conditions. Different spaces may serve different business needs during the pilot period.”
Avoid saying:
“That’s above my pay grade.”
“Executive spaces are different.”
“Good question.”
Preferred Language
Use:
“Pilot”
“Workplace evolution”
“Future-ready”
“Flexible work zones”
“Shared learning goals”
“Mobility”
“Equity”
“Adoption”
“Normalization”
“Operating model”
Avoid:
“Floor sitting”
“No chairs”
“Furniture removal”
“Cost-cutting”
“Budget issue”
“Discomfort”
“Complaint”
“Pain”
“Mandatory”
“Permanent”
Escalation Triggers
Managers should escalate the following to Human Resources or the Workplace Transformation Office:
Repeated unauthorized seating
Refusal to use assigned pilot areas
Negative comments in public channels
Informal organizing around furniture concerns
Unapproved ergonomic devices
References to injury, medical limitation, or physical inability
External sharing of pilot materials
Client or visitor questions about the model
Media inquiries
Use of the phrase “chair ban”
Final Manager Reminder
The success of the Floor-Enabled Operating Model depends on consistent leadership behavior.
Associates may initially focus on what has been removed. Managers should help redirect attention toward what the model enables: flexibility, equity, speed, and a reduced dependence on legacy workplace assumptions.
The organization is not asking associates to give something up.
We are inviting them to participate in what comes next.
5. Pilot Success Metrics
The Workplace Transformation Office will evaluate the pilot using quantitative and qualitative indicators.
Metrics will include:
Reduction in facilities cost per associate
Increase in usable floor density
Decrease in desk-related tickets
Reduction in clean-desk compliance findings
Improved speed of team formation
Shorter average meeting duration
Reduced reliance on assigned seating
Positive adoption language in associate feedback
Manager-reported normalization of floor-based workflows
Examples of positive adoption language may include:
“This feels normal now.”
“I don’t really miss having a desk.”
“We move faster this way.”
“It was uncomfortable at first, but now I understand the purpose.”
“This is just how we work now.”
6. Closing Statement
The Floor-Enabled Operating Model represents more than a workplace redesign. It is a fundamental reframing of how value is created in a modern enterprise.
Organizations that continue to anchor productivity to furniture risk signaling inertia. Those willing to challenge foundational assumptions position themselves as adaptive, disciplined, and future-ready.
The workplace of tomorrow will not be measured by traditional supports.
It will be measured by how quickly associates learn to rise beyond them.
Workplace Transformation Office, Hardwick & Lansing
“Less furniture. More future.”