Permit Techs: What is your workspace like?

[Emily C]

I just got out of a meeting where we discussed our upcoming redesign of the second floor where I work. My department is small; we have our Director, an intern, our Building Official, our Senior Planner, and then me. The director, building official, and planner all have offices. The intern has a nice little setup by the window, and I'm on the other side in a fairly generous space.
Our redesign is going to have me in an even smaller cubicle (with four others near me), where I'm still cut off from the rest of the department. I'm curious, what does your space look like? Are any permit techs out there lucky enough to have an actual office?

 

[Farmaholic]

Gosh, it must be frustrating to be cut off from the rest of your team, @Emily C. Is there no better way to set things up? I'd come up with a few ideas and present them to the boss, if you think there's a better floor plan/design that could make things easier and more productive. It can't hurt to try.

I work with permit techs often. I never thought about it before, but they usually work in open office spaces but have individual desks. They don't even have a cubical for privacy. It might be different in the rural areas of California where fewer techs are needed.

 

[Karah]

Hi Emily,

I don't have my own office, but I feel like permit techs should. I understand the approachable "being out in the open" cubicle or desk setup because it's a public office however, if I am processing permits or someone's FS119 (in Florida, that is our public record exemption law), I feel like it would be nice for my customer's to have a level of privacy from the rest of the customers in the office. Also, when I am working on permits and general tasks throughout the day, it's difficult because I am in the same SMALL office with Code Enforcement and we know that when upset customers come in and get loud and everyone gets to talking it's hard to concentrate.

 

[tdugan]

My department currently has two permit techs (including me), two full-time inspectors, one work-as-required inspector, the Building Official and the Deputy Building Official. We have a large, open front office where both permit techs work at their own desks. The back room is where the inspectors/deputy building officials work when they are not in the field. We also have a third, empty workspace in the front office that our work-as-required inspector will use when he is here. There is a door separating the front office from the back area, but it is very rarely used. I find our workspace to work very well.

 

[Emily C]

Hi Emily,

I don't have my own office, but I feel like permit techs should. I understand the approachable "being out in the open" cubicle or desk setup because it's a public office however, if I am processing permits or someone's FS119 (in Florida, that is our public record exemption law), I feel like it would be nice for my customer's to have a level of privacy from the rest of the customers in the office. Also, when I am working on permits and general tasks throughout the day, it's difficult because I am in the same SMALL office with Code Enforcement and we know that when upset customers come in and get loud and everyone gets to talking it's hard to concentrate.

I agree. I also do minutes for Planning Commission, and that definitely requires special attention and focus, which is hard when I'm in the "open."

 

[Emily C]

Gosh, it must be frustrating to be cut off from the rest of your team, @Emily C. Is there no better way to set things up? I'd come up with a few ideas and present them to the boss, if you think there's a better floor plan/design that could make things easier and more productive. It can't hurt to try.

I work with permit techs often. I never thought about it before, but they usually work in open office spaces but have individual desks. They don't even have a cubical for privacy. It might be different in the rural areas of California where fewer techs are needed.

Luckily our Planning Consultant/soon to be interim Director agrees with me and feels my frustration, so I think we're getting things going in the right direction.

 

[shwhite]

We have an open front office where us two permit techs work in front of the waiting area but we do have a small partition wall separating our desks for a little bit of privacy for when we are helping customers. We only have offices for the Building Official, Director and Deputy Director but all other desks utilize the partition walls to create their own spaces like cubicles. It would be amazing to have an office admin up front to assist with minor things and distribute customers to the correct person so we are not constantly stopping what we are working on but hopefully one day!

 

[Chris_Sows_32]

I have a cubicle and so do my coworkers but my supervisors have offices. We dont have much space however since we are a bit isolated from the food court next door.

 

[mdhami]

My space is an open with 2 cubicle type areas. Our manager has an office but no one else in permitting does. My area is kept clean and displays things like photos, favorite artist artwork and of course little trinkets and toys. I feel like it is a total reflection of the generation I grew up in. We have raised desk and 2 screens. Sometimes I think I want an office and sometimes, I am happy I don't.

 

[mdhami]

I have a cubicle and so do my coworkers but my supervisors have offices. We dont have much space however since we are a bit isolated from the food court next door.

Food court...tell me more.

 

[Chris_Sows_32]

They have a Quizno's, a Pho Restaurant, a couple food trucks, and an Italian restaurant, however wait times are so long haha. I do like the occasional garlic butter pasta for lunch haha

 

[Steph]

My workspace is the counter. Our permit coordinator has a desk with lots of space and another permit tech he has a desk as well. But I and another permit tech our desks are the countertop.
I wish we had desks as well because I feel like our counters get too crowded with paperwork sometimes. I took a cabinet from an empty desk for some material space I needed to help me stay more organized.
Hoping one day we will have more appropriate desks.

 

[mdhami]

I have a cubicle and so do my coworkers but my supervisors have offices. We dont have much space however since we are a bit isolated from the food court next door.

Send some Garlic Butter Noodles up North to WA. haha

 

[alishna]

That sounds like a big change for your department’s layout and not necessarily for the better in your case. It’s tough when the “redesign” means losing some of the space and comfort you’re used to, especially when it ends up making you feel even more separated from your team. I’ve heard of a few permit techs who lucked out with offices, but it seems pretty rare. Most of us are in cubicles or shared areas, and the layouts can really vary depending on the size of the department and the building itself.