March 28, 2019
A Workplace for Wellness, evolv1 Boosts Healthy Habits for TextNow Employees
A workplace where wellness is part of company culture doesn’t happen without thought and intentional effort. Choosing an office environment that supports this goal is a critical piece of the puzzle – an opportunity that TextNow saw in 2018 when they relocated to evolv1, Canada’s greenest building located in the David Johnston Research and Technology Park.
TextNow, the free text and phone service company named one of Canada’s fastest growing companies in Canada by Canadian Business and Macleans last year, just celebrated their 10th anniversary and now employs 120. From their early days as a startup based in the R+T Park’s Accelerator Centre, they grew to 17,000 sq. Ft of space in The Cora Building before taking over an entire floor at evolv1.
We asked employees, Kevin Cogliano and Darren Hooper to share their perspective on the first few months in evolv1 and how their work day has changed.
Kevin: First thing is that my legs are tired by the time I get home. I use the 200 Express to get to and from work, and the larger office means that people are all over the place, so I end up walking a lot more, which is a good thing. I also take the stairs up every day, something I literally never did at the old office.
Darren: Everything is just better than it was before – the gym is accessible at more times and has more space, making it easier to just pop down during the day to get some stretching in and keep myself in shape. A standing desk means more potential to mitigate the issues caused by sitting all day. The new kitchen space means every one can sit together, rather than having shifts of people and creating more disconnection. Even the annoyance of looking everywhere for a meeting room is gone, now there is just space.
Kevin: I love this building. The light is amazing, particularly on the side facing the University of Waterloo and I feel the living wall energizes me with delicious oxygen. My favourite part of our office is the bar and lounge area.
Darren: The vast increase in space allows for impromptu discussions and conversations to occur with some distance from those who are trying to focus. The collaboration spaces allow for close coordination without constantly distracting one another. This building offers big open space, a pretty plant wall to look at – even the stairway seems more inviting, its size draws the eye there rather than the elevators.
It’s a good thing to help where we can, and when given the choice to support positive environmental decisions we did when we made the move to evolv1. Hopefully, this will encourage other companies to do the same, increasing the need for more sustainable buildings and reducing the environmental impact of the tech industry.
