Nurse staffing startup IntelyCare moved into its new home in Quincy's life sciences corridor in March 2017. The startup wanted to find a spot that intersected worlds: one that was close enough to bustling Boston to attract young talent, yet far enough away to take advantage of lower rents and appeal to older workers. And Quincy was on the precipice of revitalizing its downtown.
Exactly three years later, IntelyCare, caught up in the coronavirus pandemic along with the rest of Massachusetts, had to rethink things.
President and COO John Shagoury told BostInno that IntelyCare had no existing plans to redesign its space, given that the startup's lease ends in September 2021. The pandemic forced Shagoury and his team, who were well aware of the danger of the coronavirus, to grapple with a new reality: Their space was not safe.
"Our existing layout was not Covid-friendly in any way," Shagoury said. "We shut the office down completely for the month of April. We said, 'Let's take advantage of this.' We looked at a number of different options and decided, 'If we're going to do this, we should do more than just make it Covid-safe.'"
IntelyCare hired the design firm Little Dragon to overhaul its 15,860-square-foot office. The teams installed some standard startup fixtures—new standing desks, office furniture in IntelyCare's corporate colors—but also some elements optimized for the safety of IntelyCare staff. Plexiglass partitions were put in place around desks and between cubicles. Chairs were removed from conference rooms. Red Xs were taped down on the floor, six to eight feet apart.
For those workers who are coming in to the office, the protocol looks different, too. Each staffer has their temperature and oxygen level taken before they enter the building. Hand sanitizer and wipes are peppered around. Employees are required to wear face masks anytime they might come into contact with another person.
IntelyCare has also reimagined the Friday lunch. Instead of doing a communal lunch once a week, the startup provides lunch three days a week in individual servings. The office also now features a handful of extra refrigerators.
For Shagoury, the redesign has also made him think about what IntelyCare's space needs might look like going forward, especially as he looks to move his team less than a year from now.
"We could go to a concept where the people who are committed to wanting to work four or five days in the office could have a dedicated space, and others could have maybe a personalized file cabinet on wheels, or they could go to an open desk," Shagoury said. "The good thing for us is we have a few months before we make that decision."
Click or swipe through the gallery below to check out the space.
