Employee defections have dropped in half among those workers who started filtering into the new building in June, said David Kling and Jim Matteoni, two executive vice presidents whose departments are in the new building. On the outside, UMB's building looks fairly banklike and granite-lined. But inside are unexpected touches. The main interior colors are grape, melon and lime. Natural light streams through the numerous windows and light wells.
Mobiles hang from ceilings.
Many work areas are airy and open. Some desks are on wheels so workers can quickly create a pod to work on a project. Each has a different theme. These rooms cannot be scheduled for meetings, said the UMB executives. Instead, employees are encouraged to pop in spontaneously to solve a dispute or think through a problem.