So was the Halloween party that basically shut down the architectural firm Tuesday afternoon. You'd expect an award-winning architectural firm's offices to look neat. The Gould Evans Goodman headquarters, in reclaimed shopping center space in Westport, hits the physical mark. Colorful banners hang from the ceiling. Artwork peppers the walls.
Soft music fills the foyer.
Trendy lighting illuminates work spaces. Every bit of furniture is on wheels to facilitate movement, depending on project and team assignments. But the reason that workers sometimes leave the firm and then return within three to six months is not because the place looks cool. It's because, according to Karen Wight Gould, it purposefully runs by the Golden Rule. Workers who leave often find that the grass isn't any greener elsewhere.