Originated in the 19th century and defined as a;
“Subsidiary office located in the field, away from a main office or headquarters”
Field Office is a concept of an unconventional workspace. A workspace found in an unconventional place or location that blends well with the Norwegian concept of Friluftsliv. The location or activity you may prefer to perform Friluftsliv is irrelevant – the same goes for the Field Office. It can be found in close proximity to your home.
The pandemic forced us to look differently at how and where we conduct our work. For us at Amundsen – we were already cherishing the Field Office before Covid-19. We started playing with the idea back in 2018 when we established ourselves in Boulder, Colorado. At that point we didn’t have an office and needed a break from coffee shops and built a Field Office in the midst of the Flatirons hovering in the foots of the Rocky Mountains.
Burnt wooden walls from an earlier trade-fair sat crocked in the meadows and “log office chairs” worked as natural props to our unconventional office space. In all its simplicity, our Boulder Field Office was a break from the daily grind. For those couple of days, the amount of working hours shall be disregarded in favor of a “fresh start” and what actually comes out of it. What we believe is that these mid-week brakes ensure a continuous “pedal to the metal” mentality and a healthy work-life balance.
Inspired by our venture in Colorado we established Field Office 2.0 in the Nordic tracks above Oslo, Norway.
Only 15 minutes from our HQ you find miles of tracked corduroy trails swirling it’s way into the wast forests.
We installed ourselves with sleds and mounted a 95 Windows stationary computer and cruised along. Our office didn’t coop too well with the steeps and turns of the Nordics tracks and we quickly found our office essentials spread around the forest. It sure wasn’t the place to build a sturdy financial model but that wasn’t what we were after.
What it is all about is doing something different. We can all familiar ourselves with the cons of the home office and the most draining of them all is probably the lack of office socializing. As meeting outdoors was the only option, we simply moved our office socializing to the ski-slopes.
Fast forward 12 months to January 2022. It is hard to believe that we once again found ourselves in a “home office strongly recommended” condition. But that handed another opportunity for a Field Office.
Once again close to our HQ we established a creative workshop surrounded by Norwegian spruce trees and a fresh layer of snow. Upgrades from Field Office 2.0 worth to mention was a shiny new flip-over, log fire and a cast iron pan sizzling with bacon.
Creative ideas and loose dreams were discussed and brainstormed – and given the location offered fresh air and a low hanging sun we felt once again recharged. Hours weren’t counted, and once again that wasn’t what we were after.
We do take our products and company seriously. But ourselves, we will continue to not take too seriously.
The Field Office shall be a little nudge to break up a daily home office routine to do something fun outdoors. Even a 5 minute stroll for fresh air may alter a new perspective.
Like Friluftsliv, the Field Office is simply being in harmony with nature and cherish what it gives in return.
