Working In the Office
Working in the office can be very fun and exciting, especially when you’re not limited to sitting at your desk all day long! Whenever you need a break from your desk, you can sit anywhere in the office and keep working (so long as no one’s taking that spot).
Tip: One very good spot for a change of scenery is what we call the “Chill Zone” in the front of the room, with the two TVs and the couch! You may also play games there (we have a Super Nintendo and a GameCube setup, among other things) on your break if you like - just make sure it’s at low volume or mute if people in the office are trying to concentrate!
Beside the Chill Zone, you may notice there are light switches on the wall (near the door) that we rarely touch. This is because we have motion-sensor lights, and they will turn off if they sense no movement after a good 10-20 minutes or so. You do not need to worry about turning these off.
In the case where the light above your desk is not to your liking and you’d like to make it brighter or dimmer, you can go to the light switch and turn it up or down however much you like. Please make sure everyone else working under the same light is comfortable changing the brightness of it.
Office Rules
The only rules are there are no rules!!!
Just kidding!
It is pretty lax at the office, but we ask that you do respect your peers and don’t make a lot of noise when you can avoid it. If you sit next to someone, it’s also polite not to over-extend how much space you occupy (don’t have some of your items sitting in the connection of the two desks, or on their desk).
Meeting Rooms
Aside from the desks scattered around the office, we also have breakout rooms! These rooms are numbered 144, 145, 146, and 151, and they are often used when you need to step into a meeting and don’t want to step out of the office to do so. Most of them have tentative themes based on the chosen decor; we have the “Minecraft room” (145), the “video game room” (146), and the “space room” (144). 151 has no theme (yet), but we do store board games and party supplies there.
Note that, while some people may spend more time in these rooms than others, the rooms are not any singular person’s “office” and you are free to use any so long as no one else is currently occupying them. The biggest room, 144, can also be used for a meeting, but its best purpose is to have a brainstorm session with some peers! (Or to take a nap on the couch on your lunch break.)
Outside our office, there are small rooms scattered across both floors that can be reserved for meetings. On the first floor, we usually use room 147. Rooms 136A and 136B can also be reserved together or separately, but are really only used for larger events and must be reserved using a separate form. All the upstairs consultation rooms and conference rooms can be reserved by setting the room as the location of a meeting in Outlook.
Room 142, the small meeting room directly between us and the bathrooms, can be booked through Aida, but Webcourses Support has first dibs to the room and you will need to clear out if they show up in need of it.
Below are the floor plans for the first and second floor for easier lookup:
Note: As room changes are semi-common at the DLC, the maps may not be fully up to date. The important stuff, however, such as our room and the breakrooms, do not usually change.
CDL Building Amenities
As stated before, you’re allowed free access to other rooms in the building (besides the rooms you need reservations for), especially when you need a break from your work. Some of these places include the vending machine breakroom (room 126) and 101A.
Breakrooms
There are three breakrooms in the DLC building: Room 101A, Room 126, and Room 219.
For storing food/lunch, we are only to use the fridge in the first floor breakroom by the lobby (101A). You should also write your name and date on anything you put there (such as with a post-it note). The Continuing Education/vending machine breakroom (126) should only be used to access the vending machines.
Otherwise, we have a small fridge/freezer in our LS&T room located near the giant Max Power costume by the back windows. Space is very limited, however, so please be mindful when using it and make sure not to leave food items there longer than necessary! (This goes the same for the lobby breakroom fridge, as well.)
Also in the 101A breakroom is the emergency snack cabinet. It’s the one along the far wall above the microwave. There’s often things like crackers, soup, oatmeal, and the like. All food here is available to you to eat when you don’t have a meal or are hungry, courtesy of the amazing Patsy from RITE! Be sure to thank her if you use it and see her around.
The upstairs breakroom (219) - aka the “ID breakroom” - is available for us to visit as the IDs are very welcoming. Sometimes it has some snacks available for everyone. Just mind your manners and don’t make a mess!
The Hospitality Room
CDL often rents out the larger conference rooms 136A/B along with the Hospitality Room (111) to outside vendors (or for other DDL staff meetings). This room often has refreshments/catered meals for this purpose.
Do not take any food or drink here unless you are 100% sure it is available for us. As tempting as it may be when you walk by and see the table filled with donuts and muffins, they are most likely not for us. There will be an email if there is food available for all (or full-timers in the room will let everyone know via slack/out loud). Sometimes this means delectable leftovers from catering, so keep an eye on your inbox!
The hospitality room doors have recently been opened daily to allow access to appliances such as the coffee machine, popcorn maker, toaster oven, and more. You are free to use these! Just make sure you clean up after yourself and don’t leave a mess, or else the privilege will be taken from all of us.
However, do not take anything from either fridge or any of the cabinets/drawers unless given express permission. If you need plates/mugs/utensils/etc, we have some available in our LS&T room, or check the main breakroom.
The “Swag”/Snack Table
When you first walk into the LS&T room, there is a small table to the right by the first desk cluster. This is generally known as the Swag Table. Anything here, including food or trinkets (like “swag” from conferences or events) is completely free for you to take, so please help yourself! No need to ask anybody or announce that you’re taking something. Likewise, if you bring in snacks to share with everyone (thank you!) you can leave them there.
That concludes everything you need to know about the office! If you have any questions, feel free to ask somebody in the office for clarification! :)