NEW YORK CITY — At the New York City office of AI startup Spur, the workplace looks like any other until you glance at the floor.
Co-founders Sneha Sivakumar and Anushka Nijhawan have made their company shoe-free.
Sivakumar said, “Gives a feeling of home, so this becomes a second home, especially when you’re building a startup.”
Nijhawan said, “The hours we put in, it’s just not comfortable to have shoes on the whole time.”
Just like in shoes-off homes, you leave your street shoes at the door. But at Spur, the eight employees and office guests can slide into custom-branded indoor footwear.
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No shoes are now a key part of their company culture.
Employees at Spur are not alone, according to tracking website www.noshoes.fun, companies all around the world are walking the walk.
The goal is more than comfort and culture; it’s cleanliness.
Indiana University professor Gabriel Filippelli tested shoes and was surprised to learn what we track on our soles, which can pose risks for health.
“Heavy metals, which can impact, particularly if you have children at home, can impact their neurological development, their brains, their organs. That dust and soil might also contain E. coli contaminants, which can cause significant gastrointestinal issues,” Filippelli said.
His data shows damp mopping helps, but he says leaving contaminants by the front door of homes and businesses just makes sense.
“This is a risk you can manage,” Filippelli said.
It’s working in this workplace, the only problem here. They need a bigger shoe rack.
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