Boss Decided To Change Up The Office By Building Every Single Person A Tiny House
According to the United States Census Bureau, between 2019 and 2021, the number of Americans who primarily work from home tripled, reaching a whopping 27.6 million people. This shift was mainly sparked by the pandemic, of course, but since then, more and more workers have realized that nothing beats staying in the comfort of their own homes, avoiding those painful rush hour commutes and being able to sleep in an extra hour each morning.
But there are pros to going to the office as well, like keeping your home life separate from your work life and being able to socialize with colleagues. So what if you could have the best of both worlds? Well, one creative boss in Missouri recently decided to see if he could provide his employees with the perfect balance. TikToker ItsKylie94 recently shared a few videos of the “tiny home offices” that her boss built for their team, and the internet can’t get enough of them.
Below, you’ll find some of the videos Kylie posted, as well as some of the comments amused viewers left and an interview with Dan from Tiny Home Builders. Then, after you’re finished reading this story, if you’re interested in checking out another Bored Panda article discussing tiny homes, look no further than right here!
More info: TikTok
One creative boss decided to build “tiny home” offices for his employees, and the internet can’t get enough of them
Image credits: itskylie94
The extravagant offices went viral after one enthusiastic employee, Kylie, started sharing videos of them on TikTok
Image credits: itskylie94
Image credits: itskylie94
Image credits: itskylie94
She gave a tour of the “neighborhood” and answered some of the viewers’ most burning questions
Image credits: itskylie94
Kylie explained that she works for a property management company in Missouri that she loves, praising her employers for being extremely generous
Image credits: itskylie94
She also noted that the houses were built with each employee’s personality in mind, with the extravagant pink castle going to the owner’s wife
Image credits: itskylie94
Image credits: itskylie94
Viewers wondered if the offices were built on a movie set or housed in a huge warehouse, but Kylie explained that they simply work in an office building with a big, open floor plan
Image credits: itskylie94
Image credits: itskylie94
Image credits: itskylie94itskylie94
She also showed the back of the offices, which houses a “barn” and the employees’ kitchen and restrooms
Image credits: itskylie94
You can see Kylie’s initial video showing the offices here
@itskylie94 #tinyhouse #tinyhome #office #officelife #workfromhome #boss #lovemyjob ♬ Popular – From “Wicked” Original Broadway Cast Recording/2003 – Kristin Chenoweth
She later shared this full tour of the space
@itskylie94 #officelife #office #tinyhouse #tinyhome #tour #workfromhome #lovemyjob #boss #bestboss ♬ Swan Lake “dance of four swans” – Kohrogi
And per the viewers’ request, she posted a video of her personal house as well, which has yet to be decorated
Image credits: itskylie94
Image credits: itskylie94
Image credits: itskylie94
Image credits: itskylie94
While work from home has been on the rise in recent years, with 58% of workers in the US now reporting that they’re able to work from home at least part of the time, not every company allows their employees to work remotely 100% of the time. So if you’re required to go into the office a few days out of the week, wouldn’t you like to feel comfortable in that space? Personally, I would much rather have a tiny home than a cubicle! And this creative solution to giving each employee their own space solves some of the issues workers have with being required to commute to an office.
According to one survey, 72% of employees value being able to work from home to have the freedom to nap or exercise during the day. 73% of workers also want to be able to entertain themselves while they work, with television shows, podcasts, YouTube, and more. “My favorite thing about working from home is that I can listen to my favorite music at a high volume without any headphones and stay in the zone,” says Kfir Cohen, manager of global operations at SDC International Shipping.
But when you have a private “tiny home” with a door that shuts (and even a TV on the wall, as you can see in one of Kylie’s videos), those issues are no longer a concern. Employees can play their music as loud as they like, and they can use their tiny homes for watching Netflix or getting a quick workout in during their lunch breaks. These tiny homes are a great hybrid for workers who start to feel isolated when spending too much time at home but who still enjoy having some privacy during the day. Plus, not everyone has the luxury of having a real office in their own homes, if they don’t have space or can’t afford the furniture required. So being able to work from a comfortable space outside of their homes, which will allow them to keep their homes as a “safe space” free of the stresses and obligations of working, is a win-win.
To learn more about tiny homes and what must have gone into the building of these offices, we reached out to the experts at Tiny Home Builders in Georgia, and Dan was kind enough to have a conversation with us. First, we wanted to know exactly what a tiny home is and what they’re typically used for. “A tiny house is typically lived in like a normal house, it’s just smaller (and thus cheaper!),” Dan told Bored Panda. “They are mostly built on trailers, since houses this small are generally not permitted in most places. This gives them the added benefit of being mobile.”
We were also curious what the process would have been like to build a bunch of “tiny home” offices like the ones featured in Kylie’s videos. “Building these tiny (house) offices would have been a lot simpler than building a normal tiny house. Since these offices are built inside, they won’t be exposed to the harsh elements (rain, snow, winds, etc.) like a normal home,” Dan explained. “This makes the building process a lot easier since the structures won’t need to be watertight. Also, these offices don’t have or need plumbing, so that takes away some of the challenge as well.”
“To build these, you would need to: plan out your design (how big are the offices, where will they be located, etc.); frame out the walls and roof (this is typically done with 2×4’s); add windows and doors; install the electrical wiring; add insulation (optional if you want some sound barrier between the offices); add decorative interior and exterior siding (think shiplap!); paint!”
“It’s not that complicated, assuming you happen to have a warehouse to build these in,” Dan told Bored Panda. He also shared some of the benefits of having a tiny house. “Tiny houses can give people a lot of freedom because of their mobility and low cost. Even if you aren’t planning to live in one, they can be a great way to expand your house to give you a private office space in your backyard.”
Dan also says that tiny houses are for everyone. “There isn’t a specific ‘type’ of person who is interested in tiny houses. We see people from all walks of life that are interested in living a simpler, more streamlined lifestyle.” If you’d like to learn more about tiny homes or even have one built for yourself, be sure to check out Tiny Home Builders’ website right here!
We would love to hear your thoughts on these tiny home offices down below, pandas. Would you prefer to work in an environment like this, rather than the setup your current office has? Let us know in the comments, and then if you’re interested in checking out another Bored Panda article featuring tiny homes, look no further than right here.
Many viewers commented that they loved the idea, with some sharing their own ideas for how to decorate the space
Others, however, were less than impressed by the tiny houses
Later, Kylie posted another video answering some of the most frequently asked questions about the offices
@itskylie94 Replying to @_lily_belle_r_ ♬ original sound – Kylie
I have gotten a lot of comments like this: “Where is it?”, “Is it in a warehouse?”, “Is it a movie set?”, “What do you do for work?”, “Where are you guys located?”, “Are you hiring?” And then a lot of other, more hateful comments like “this is a waste of money”, “This is a waste of resources, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah.”
The company that I work for is probably the most generous company that I’ve ever worked for in my entire life. I’ve been there for two years. Come April, it’ll be two years. And the people that I work for are just, they’re amazing individuals. They’re very kind, generous, and they donate to so many good causes. They do more than just give to their employees. And a lot of other people are saying, “Oh, well, there goes your raise, you know, I’d rather have a bonus.” People are so greedy. I would rather work for a company that genuinely cares about me than, you know, a company that pays me beaucoups of dollars and expects me to be just another number. You know, no, I love the company I work for, I get paid a decent salary.
Anyways, so no, it is not in a warehouse. It is a giant office building. It was a big open floor plan. And the portion of the video that I showed was just a small section of it. There’s an entire back-end side. There’s like a barn office. We have a full kitchen, we have men’s bathrooms, women’s bathrooms. There’s so much more to the office than the little tiny clip that I showed you.
No, it’s not a movie set, people have asked me that as well. It’s a property management company. I work for a property management company in Missouri. And I work in accounting. I do plan on doing a tour if I’m able to. Like I said, I just did a little eight-second clip, or I guess the video was eight seconds, but the pictures were like a couple of seconds each. So it was a very short little thing. I didn’t think that it was going to amount to anything. So I was really shocked that it did and I cannot keep up with the comments. So I’m going to go in on Monday and show them and get their approval before I just start posting other people’s offices and tours of other people’s offices. But I’m sure that it’s not gonna be an issue to show the outsides of the offices, but I’m going to make sure that everybody’s comfortable with me showing the interior of their offices before I just start posting it on TikTok.
Everybody’s office is custom-designed to fit their personality. And the castle…. Everybody loves the castle. Everybody has something to say about the castle. It is his wife’s. The owner’s wife has the castle.
Really nice houses. Though, am I the only one thinking how much it costed, and if it could have been used to pay them more? And nice with more privacy and silence.
Load More Replies...
An introvert’s dream. I will post a ‘ no solicitors’ sign and ‘beware of dog’.
It's a cute and relatively inexpensive way to do an office build out in an older office building until the fire marshal comes in and asks why all those roofed rooms aren't connected to the fire sprinklers. I had that discussion with a fire captain over a storage closet that we had built out.
I would put up curtains, close the door and get so very much stuff done. If I need to talk over a problem, just knock on a neighbors door, have a coffee and a chat, go back to mine and continue banging out work. If they also let you bring pets and had a pet play place, cherry on the sundae.
This is cute AF! Why not do something a little fun and whimsical? I hope they paint the ceiling blue like the sky to lighten the place up though—I'd still rather have windows with natural light!
I was just thinking if my company did something like this, they might be able to talk me into making the commute again! :D
Load More Replies...
Thi is cool and the tailoring to each person reminded me of the good place a little bit
There's an old folks home somewhere that did something similar. The "rooms" are miniature houses and there's little spaces that look like the post office, police station, etc. It's so the resident patients feel like they're in a familiar "neighborhood". Less stress for them.
Don't know why people are complaining, I think this effort and commitment shows generosity from the employers, not them being tricky and conniving! I love this, it's so cute!
I'd have a spiral staircase ro the top of mine with a windy slide to the ground. Yes. I'm 40. Yes, I love having fun at work.
How would you customize yours inside? Mine would absolutely eventually look like the Addams Family/ Munsters house with a mini greenhouse window in front, Audrey 2 next to the 'walk', & the interior horror/Tim Burton style. Black & white striped paint & Edison bulbs anyone?
Load More Replies...
Yes, and if you don’t have a cat, one will be provided, free of charge.
Load More Replies...
Cute but it's still a cubicle farm with no natural light or fresh air. I'd much rather have a regular office with a window. I think I'd have a panic attack from claustrophobia in one of those.
Also no air conditioning your basically in a shed thats pretty
Load More Replies...
I would love to be able to work for a company that does stuff like this for their employees! Yes, it's still a cubicle and you're still at work, but this would make my work day more fun! It's like a tiny town.
Can mine be the well house in It, with the clown in the sewer drain and a red balloon floating above the lawn.
How would you decorate yours? Mine would absolutely eventually look like the Addams Family/ Munsters house with a mini greenhouse window in front, Audrey 2 next to the 'walk', & the interior horror/Tim Burton style. Black & white striped paint & Edison bulbs anyone? I'd absolutely steal your sewer grate & 🎈 idea.
Load More Replies...
Interesting take, but to be fair the lighting is atrocious, and -at least in the UE- not compliant with minimum workplace safety regulations.
She said this is in Missouri, so I'm pretty sure it's inside a cave! That was actually my first thought - that it reminded me of a place called "exchange city" where kids would do field trips to a little fake town and practice having a job, going to the bank, etc. It was in a cave and the lighting and ceiling were the same.
Load More Replies...
I'd be more impressed if the wealthy and governments could do this for the homeless
I agree... but I also think people doing things like this in the private business sectors is likely to help shift public opinion over to where it's normalized. Then the government is likely to follow suit. From the number of people saying this is a wasteful idea, I'd say the backlash would be huge if the government did just start providing all kinds of free housing.
Load More Replies...
I’d be curious if the cost. It’s very possible that there was a minimal difference between a traditional fit out and these facades. If there was a pets can come to work policy, I’d be all over it
My husband works for a scene shop, they build props for many themed office parties (think movie set props) and stuff like miniature golf courses and (tiny) log cabins for companies like Facebook, LinkedIn and Google (over-the-top huge parties that take hundreds of people a month just to set up) and this looks like something one of these companies would do!! Fun!!
Cute idea, but may not pass fire codes. I didn't see fire sprinklers inside the "houses" in the pics posted. The previously-wide-open space presumably has them up in the rafters, but by putting roofs on the houses it makes those pointless. There needs to be plumbed sprinklers that can douse a fire inside the "house".
I would totally work here, and I would think every workplace should do this!!
Ahh, I would love to have an office in the vein of "fortune teller" or "mardi gras". Something fun like that.
Looks like it's modeled on the new retirement community - nursing home concept, which helps alleviate fear and stress in elderly residents. Good work.
I would put lawn furniture on my front lawn and invite people over for breaks.
Cute idea, but still commuting to an office that looks like a house... But holiday decorations are going to be lit
Sorry, but enormous, wide-open floor plans ARE warehouses. This boss made the best out of a bad situation: it beats cubicles, but a window? Can I have a means of seeing that I'm still on Earth, and not a Dark-City dystopian hellhole?
I find all the comments on how the company should pay it's employees more instead of attempting to make a nicer work environment really freaking stupid. I usually avoid judgement statements like that, but no. That just stupid, short sighted, and making a lot of assumptions. The company may very well pay their employees quite well. But just decent pay isn't enough to retain employees and keep moral up in a workplace. You have to provide a welcoming environment, somewhere the employees can feel comfortable and enjoy being. The fact that each tiny house office was personalized shows that the company knows and cares about their employees. To know people that well, the owners would have had to actually take the time and effort to get to know each employee personally, beyond polite small talk. When I think back on favorite places I've worked, my top two were my my lowest and highest paying jobs. Because both workplaces had awesome work environments and positive company culture.
I would be absolutely delighted to work there, they clearly appreciate their staff. To those who think it’s a waste of money, you definitely would not be a good fit, you would not appreciate their efforts.
I would rather have more money than a cubicle that's pretty on the outside and also a fire hazard
Load More Replies...
What an amazing idea. That would make many workplaces much more pleasant to spend time in. If employees could help build their tiny home, even better. And maybe use recyclable items where appropriate to reduce costs. I'd love to see more workplaces employ this kind of creativity, VERY well done !
Lol just another gimmick to sucker employees into sticking around with s**t pay.
I think it is great and fun. People need to chill out and enjoy life more
They should put up TVs on the walls, like "windows," and show slideshows of outdoor scenes, like from soothing scenery . com!!!
Mind blown, totally obsessed! I am delightfully freaked out by this! If I worked there, I would lose my absolute s--t, but in a good way. Keurig, mini-fridge, crocheted curtains. Yeah, life is good. Imagine if the weather was so bad, one would be stranded at the office. PARTY TIME!!!
Taking the employees mental health into consideration is excellent.
This is genius, especially for a property management company. And it's actual offices with doors rather than cubicals. Fantastic. For a tech company, I can imagine offices which look like oversized equipment racks, or large tower enclosures.
The most shocking thing is that this is at a property management company. PMs are bloodsucking demonspawn.
Awesome! I would work for you, for that reason! I would have a little blue one :D
It’s cute… but… I personally would like to keep a greater visual difference between home and work, I already have enough trouble keeping the two separated.
What a waste of our resources. Why not build the homeless some tiny homes and let your employees work from home?
It's fun and lightens the day for the employees. Not everything has to be sacrificed. Working from home is nice but it isn't necessarily healthy or practical for every business.
Load More Replies...
I don’t know if any employer that will lend you money to buy a home, other than if you work for a bank.
Load More Replies...
I’m sure this particular employer had no such thought or intention.
Load More Replies... Really nice houses. Though, am I the only one thinking how much it costed, and if it could have been used to pay them more? And nice with more privacy and silence.
Load More Replies... An introvert’s dream. I will post a ‘ no solicitors’ sign and ‘beware of dog’.
It's a cute and relatively inexpensive way to do an office build out in an older office building until the fire marshal comes in and asks why all those roofed rooms aren't connected to the fire sprinklers. I had that discussion with a fire captain over a storage closet that we had built out.
I would put up curtains, close the door and get so very much stuff done. If I need to talk over a problem, just knock on a neighbors door, have a coffee and a chat, go back to mine and continue banging out work. If they also let you bring pets and had a pet play place, cherry on the sundae.
This is cute AF! Why not do something a little fun and whimsical? I hope they paint the ceiling blue like the sky to lighten the place up though—I'd still rather have windows with natural light!
I was just thinking if my company did something like this, they might be able to talk me into making the commute again! :D
Load More Replies... Thi is cool and the tailoring to each person reminded me of the good place a little bit
There's an old folks home somewhere that did something similar. The "rooms" are miniature houses and there's little spaces that look like the post office, police station, etc. It's so the resident patients feel like they're in a familiar "neighborhood". Less stress for them.
Don't know why people are complaining, I think this effort and commitment shows generosity from the employers, not them being tricky and conniving! I love this, it's so cute!
I'd have a spiral staircase ro the top of mine with a windy slide to the ground. Yes. I'm 40. Yes, I love having fun at work.
How would you customize yours inside? Mine would absolutely eventually look like the Addams Family/ Munsters house with a mini greenhouse window in front, Audrey 2 next to the 'walk', & the interior horror/Tim Burton style. Black & white striped paint & Edison bulbs anyone?
Load More Replies... Yes, and if you don’t have a cat, one will be provided, free of charge.
Load More Replies... Cute but it's still a cubicle farm with no natural light or fresh air. I'd much rather have a regular office with a window. I think I'd have a panic attack from claustrophobia in one of those.
Also no air conditioning your basically in a shed thats pretty
Load More Replies... I would love to be able to work for a company that does stuff like this for their employees! Yes, it's still a cubicle and you're still at work, but this would make my work day more fun! It's like a tiny town.
Can mine be the well house in It, with the clown in the sewer drain and a red balloon floating above the lawn.
How would you decorate yours? Mine would absolutely eventually look like the Addams Family/ Munsters house with a mini greenhouse window in front, Audrey 2 next to the 'walk', & the interior horror/Tim Burton style. Black & white striped paint & Edison bulbs anyone? I'd absolutely steal your sewer grate & 🎈 idea.
Load More Replies... Interesting take, but to be fair the lighting is atrocious, and -at least in the UE- not compliant with minimum workplace safety regulations.
She said this is in Missouri, so I'm pretty sure it's inside a cave! That was actually my first thought - that it reminded me of a place called "exchange city" where kids would do field trips to a little fake town and practice having a job, going to the bank, etc. It was in a cave and the lighting and ceiling were the same.
Load More Replies... I'd be more impressed if the wealthy and governments could do this for the homeless
I agree... but I also think people doing things like this in the private business sectors is likely to help shift public opinion over to where it's normalized. Then the government is likely to follow suit. From the number of people saying this is a wasteful idea, I'd say the backlash would be huge if the government did just start providing all kinds of free housing.
Load More Replies... I’d be curious if the cost. It’s very possible that there was a minimal difference between a traditional fit out and these facades. If there was a pets can come to work policy, I’d be all over it
My husband works for a scene shop, they build props for many themed office parties (think movie set props) and stuff like miniature golf courses and (tiny) log cabins for companies like Facebook, LinkedIn and Google (over-the-top huge parties that take hundreds of people a month just to set up) and this looks like something one of these companies would do!! Fun!!
Cute idea, but may not pass fire codes. I didn't see fire sprinklers inside the "houses" in the pics posted. The previously-wide-open space presumably has them up in the rafters, but by putting roofs on the houses it makes those pointless. There needs to be plumbed sprinklers that can douse a fire inside the "house".
I would totally work here, and I would think every workplace should do this!!
Ahh, I would love to have an office in the vein of "fortune teller" or "mardi gras". Something fun like that.
Looks like it's modeled on the new retirement community - nursing home concept, which helps alleviate fear and stress in elderly residents. Good work.
I would put lawn furniture on my front lawn and invite people over for breaks.
Cute idea, but still commuting to an office that looks like a house... But holiday decorations are going to be lit
Sorry, but enormous, wide-open floor plans ARE warehouses. This boss made the best out of a bad situation: it beats cubicles, but a window? Can I have a means of seeing that I'm still on Earth, and not a Dark-City dystopian hellhole?
I find all the comments on how the company should pay it's employees more instead of attempting to make a nicer work environment really freaking stupid. I usually avoid judgement statements like that, but no. That just stupid, short sighted, and making a lot of assumptions. The company may very well pay their employees quite well. But just decent pay isn't enough to retain employees and keep moral up in a workplace. You have to provide a welcoming environment, somewhere the employees can feel comfortable and enjoy being. The fact that each tiny house office was personalized shows that the company knows and cares about their employees. To know people that well, the owners would have had to actually take the time and effort to get to know each employee personally, beyond polite small talk. When I think back on favorite places I've worked, my top two were my my lowest and highest paying jobs. Because both workplaces had awesome work environments and positive company culture.
I would be absolutely delighted to work there, they clearly appreciate their staff. To those who think it’s a waste of money, you definitely would not be a good fit, you would not appreciate their efforts.
I would rather have more money than a cubicle that's pretty on the outside and also a fire hazard
Load More Replies... What an amazing idea. That would make many workplaces much more pleasant to spend time in. If employees could help build their tiny home, even better. And maybe use recyclable items where appropriate to reduce costs. I'd love to see more workplaces employ this kind of creativity, VERY well done !
Lol just another gimmick to sucker employees into sticking around with s**t pay.
I think it is great and fun. People need to chill out and enjoy life more
They should put up TVs on the walls, like "windows," and show slideshows of outdoor scenes, like from soothing scenery . com!!!
Mind blown, totally obsessed! I am delightfully freaked out by this! If I worked there, I would lose my absolute s--t, but in a good way. Keurig, mini-fridge, crocheted curtains. Yeah, life is good. Imagine if the weather was so bad, one would be stranded at the office. PARTY TIME!!!
Taking the employees mental health into consideration is excellent.
This is genius, especially for a property management company. And it's actual offices with doors rather than cubicals. Fantastic. For a tech company, I can imagine offices which look like oversized equipment racks, or large tower enclosures.
The most shocking thing is that this is at a property management company. PMs are bloodsucking demonspawn.
Awesome! I would work for you, for that reason! I would have a little blue one :D
It’s cute… but… I personally would like to keep a greater visual difference between home and work, I already have enough trouble keeping the two separated.
What a waste of our resources. Why not build the homeless some tiny homes and let your employees work from home?
It's fun and lightens the day for the employees. Not everything has to be sacrificed. Working from home is nice but it isn't necessarily healthy or practical for every business.
Load More Replies... I don’t know if any employer that will lend you money to buy a home, other than if you work for a bank.
Load More Replies... I’m sure this particular employer had no such thought or intention.
Load More Replies...
235
99