A Rare Hamburger Headquarters

It is probably the tallest office building in the world built on the profits from hamburgers. But that is not all. When the executives of McDonald's Corp. abandoned their Chicago Loop offices for a new eight-story building in suburban Oak Brook, they also left behind their traditional concepts of office layout. As a result, McDonald's Oak Brook headquarters, opened last March, has a minimum of interior doors and walls, no offices in the usual sense, and what may well be the only waterbed in the world of big business.

On each of the three top floors occupied by the company, there are large open spaces divided into "work stations" by tall green plants, file cabinets and movable pieces of mahogany furniture called TRMs (Task Response Modules). Each TRM contains a closet, a chest of drawers, a bookcase and a built-in desk. In the larger work areas allotted to executives there are such traditional extras as upholstered chairs and round or square oaken tables.

"At first it was horrible," admits Executive Vice President and Project Supervisor John Cooke. "We had people drifting in and out; whole families of curious sightseers came to visit the building." There were also complaints about fellow workers who unknowingly trespassed on the work space of others.

But most of McDonald's headquarters employees, 400 in all, adjusted quickly to the wide-open spaces. Now, says Market Research Coordinator Judy Stezowski, "You always know what's going on. You hear everything." The turnover rate among secretaries and clerical help has dropped in some departments from 100% each year at the old Loop offices to about 25% at the new Oak Brook base. Executives also feel that productivity is up.

By far the most distinctive feature of the building is the "think tank," a sealed-off area on the seventh floor that is available to any employee, male or female,* who reserves tank time far enough in advance. President Fred Turner had the idea, after deciding that some employees might want a taste of privacy now and then. The tank has two sections: one a soundproofed workroom equipped with dimmable lights, a hassock, a beanbag chair, a desk that can be adjusted from sitting to standing height and walls, floor and ceiling covered in beige pseudo suede.

Rich Thoughts. A few steps away is the circular "meditation room," its walls covered with suedelike material and concealing loudspeakers hooked to record-playing equipment. The floor consists of a giant waterbed, 9 ft. in diameter, on which workers recline to think deep and presumably profit-making thoughts. So far, however, no big ideas have emerged, but several recliners have noted that lying on the bed is like lying on a giant hamburger.

That is as close to the real thing as McDonald's employees can get during working hours. Because of local zoning laws, the nearest McDonald's hamburger stand is more than a mile away.

*Use of the tank by mixed couples is strongly discouraged.

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