What with
all the drama going on in my life again I haven’t had much opportunity to write
again. Not a happy moment for me as I
did make certain promises. So just to
keep things ticking over a bit I am going to cheat a bit and post some blog
articles I have posted on my work intranet.
This first
one about working environments is very poignant for me at the moment.
I recently
got into a discussion about work environments and how they can have a major
influence on us all.
We have all
worked in places that we were less than excited to get up in the mornings and
go to; this is an awful feeling. It is much more pleasurable, and less
stressful to go to a work environment that is filled with positivity and
enjoyment. A positive work environment is not only important for our physical,
mental and emotional health, but is also important for the results that we
produce for the company. The better we feel at work, the more likely we will
take pride in our job activities and be loyal towards our place of employment
It makes sense that people that are
happy within their working environment will work far more effectively and
happily than those who are uncomfortable: it therefore makes sense to consider
certain aspects of your workspace quite carefully.
Now I am not only talking about the
normal aspects of space, clutter, noise, ventilation, lighting and
temperature. Although, these are all
equally important aspects. In my case the
temperature and clutter are great negatives. (I find myself unable to work very
productively if I am cold, and anything below 22deg is cold for me.)
Physical
space matters. I think it is far easier to be productive, creative and happy at
work in a colourful, organic, playful environment than in a grey, linear,
boring one. And this is not just the
outside of the building; we need to remember that most employees work inside
the building.
Now, when your office was furnished,
did the shopping list go something like this?
·
One
desk. Gray / brown.
·
One
ergonomic office chair. Black.
·
One
waste paper basket. Gray / black plastic.
·
One
filing cabinet. Gray / brown.
You know – the usual stuff. Typical.
Traditional. Boring and very unimaginative.
I’m not saying
that a fancy desk or a weird chair is going to magically improve creativity and
productivity – but I am sure, that all that sameness and eternal corporate greyness,
does nothing good for our ability to come up with great new ideas.
Here are
some ideas on how to spruce up a workplace that may actually inject some colour
and fun into our work environment.
·
Colour,
vibrant and energising. Not magnolia or
grey!
·
Music,
upbeat and maybe a bit toe tapping. (not
to loud of course)
·
Plants. Real ones, not those plastic fake looking
ones.
·
Creative
areas with white boards, or why not just write on the walls. Praise
for employees is written across the walls and ceiling in the main area of What
If Office.
·
Bean
bags, they look great and can be used in a million different positions. Four
bags and a coffee table and you have a great meeting room! I doubt you can get stressed when seated in a
bean bag?
·
And
what a bout a slide feature? Whooohooo!!! That’s the sound of someone
blazing down the new slick carbon slide in the Red Bull office in London right before a
meeting! Not only does the Red Bull office have a slide they have ping pong
table meeting rooms, a floating staircases, a slick slide to a modern bar and
cafe, and a comfy lounge area… Now any tie wearing client is bound to be
transformed into a cool craving stunt junkie after a quick plunge here.
Now, I doubt
I have to mention the office of all offices - the Google offices. I am sure you have all seen pictures of their
work areas!
What are
your thoughts? Any suggestions on how to
transform a drab workspace into an exciting area of discovery you would love to
spend hours at? What would happen if we
allowed staff to “create” their own areas?
AND, if you
dare – show us a picture of your work area (before you tidy).
