I was lucky enough to visit LinkedIn’s Chicago offices (525 West Monroe Street, Chicago) last week, organized via DePaul’s Kellstadt Marketing Group. I got a quick tour of the offices, and then got to hear about the nature if their work from a panel of account executives, managers, planners, and consultants.
LinkedIn Presentation
Based upon the presentation, there are two areas of LinkedIn that I feel I need to investigate:
There were also some nice touches that I noticed touring the offices (which have a distinct Google vibe to them).
LinkedIn Vending Machine
A vending machine contains various computer accessories that a LinkedIn employee might need. The employee simply has to swipe their ID card to get the external keyboard, cable, battery, mouse, etc. that they need. A clever idea that allows for employees burning the midnight oil to get an essential item with a minimum of fuss.
LinkedIn Service Kiosk
The tech desk / help desk has a simple kiosk where you can provide feedback via happy and unhappy faces.
LinkedIn Chicago Decal
The halls have been decorated with murals and designs that incorporate Chicago iconography and places of meaning.
Lastly, all the employees have adjustable height desks. I did not take a picture here, as I did not want to alarm those happily at work. However, this particularly impressed me. I liked how LinkedIn employees could easily adjust the height of their desks and move from sitting to standing. I don’t know which type of desk they used, but it looks like they could be NextDesk Terras.
I had several questions that I wanted to ask that day (Lynda.com, certification, growth issues, etc.) but the questions were not the right ones for the panel. However, it was nice to meet some new folks and see how they work.