Your work office space

NTA

<blockquote class="ipsBlockquote" data-author="Rocky Rock Rockbottom" data-cid="603287" data-time="1470439333">
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This results in a synergistically holistic paradigmatic shift of axiomatic change channeling I mean challenging towards inactivity-based working protocols oh shit thatâ€™s all the buzzwords I know,
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You're hired! CEO of Fucksticks Inc!
 
 
The point about the people you work with is probably most important. At least, if management are shunts, you can still have a bit of a siege mentality against them. The money won't sustain a team full of people that you don't get along with.

Nepia

I share an office with our Director of Marketing and we have an ongoing battle over the aircon, she's going through menopause so she's always hot and I hate the cold so I like the room to be hot. But we actually get on pretty well and we have a door we can close when we need to get work done.
 
I can't think of anything worse than hot desks. That early bird piston wristed gibbon that every office has will always get the good desk! I don't care how many studies are done hot desks can't be good for productivity. We have 5 marketing girls and even with their door closed they still have the ability to annoy every one else in the office. Funnily enough, in my former job as a consultant hot desks was one of the things we recommended to clients (more because they lapped that bullshit up like it was profound than because we were 100% behind it).
 
Interesting stuff about workplace culture, I went from having an awesome boss 3 weeks to having a doddering clock watcher who has a single focus which means I have to pick up the slack for the rest of the work. And it just filters down so that the people under me have more work to do as well.

Bones

Murray is my cousin, I'll pass it on.

NTA

<blockquote class="ipsBlockquote" data-author="Rocky Rock Rockbottom" data-cid="603318" data-time="1470454608">
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<a data-ipb='nomediaparse' href='http://www.bing.com/images/search?q=spock+eebrow+gif&view=detailv2&&id=25AE1E0652EBE718C8A7992CD4E8B17FAD4AC7A6&selectedIndex=7&ccid=92%2FQfXS6&simid=608009444272966625&thid=OIP.Mf76fd07d74ba56b511663221a0ec8b90o0' title="View image details"><img src="http://s3.amazonaws.com/kym-assets/photos/images/original/000/159/371/Spock.gif?1318992465" alt="Spock.gif?1318992465"></a>
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"Willis" is the forum-sanctioned word filter for the word starting with "w" and ending in "anker" - in honour of the Kiwi middle distance runner and long-distance porn addict.

Mokey

Was interesting today, the new HR Manager was trying to convince me and two others about how great activity based work stations were. (you get your own locker to put stuff in!!)
 
We were not amused. I couldn't give a fuck if her old workplace used them, I loathe the idea of not having my own little space and having to chop and change places every fucking day.

MajorRage

How you can you be against something you have never ever tried.
 
I've been subject to so many different things which I thought were idiotic at the time, and I'd hazard a guess that about 75% of them were actually pretty good ideas.
 
Now that I'm closer to the other side, and see the planning that goes into the moves, I can actually see where thought processes are. There is a lot, and I mean a LOT, I mean an absolutely colossal FUCK TON of bullshit in management, but some of it comes from pretty well thought out research. 
 
A change is as good as a holiday.

antipodean

Office space is one of, if not the highest cost for businesses. So open plans became a thing to reduce costs. It was marketed to employees differently.
 
The problem was open plans suck. So now we've got Activity Based Working environments which are supposed to ameliorate a number of drawbacks inherent in the cubicle farms of open plan design. At least ABW recognises that different teams have different needs. Done well it's quite good. The best I've experienced yet is CBA's new digs in Darling Habour:

alt text
 
All you need is a comfortable chair, some space between you and anyone / everyone else and a power point (because the battery life on my laptop is shite).
 
The biggest problem is wandering around finding a suitable spot.
 
Fundamentally if your role is best suited to sitting at the same desk; the organisation should provide that too. Because an unhappy, unmotivated worker is worse than the additional capital cost.

Catogrande

WTF is Activity Based Working? Isn't all work supposed to be based around some form of activity?
 
And before anyone comes up with anything smartarse, I know I've missed the point somewhere - just don't know where.

Crucial

I'd be quite happy with an Inactivity Based Workspace. Something with a TV and a fridge full of decent food and drink would be nice.
 
 
The main reason hot desking is desirable by some companies is because many of them have realised that they pay a lot of money for floorspace that contains empty desk while their staff are not in need of actually sitting at one. A mixed model is the best. Staff that spend a majority of their day at the desk get a fixed spot and those that are in and out of meetings/ clients visits/ site visits/ pub etc get to hot desk.

Hooroo

<blockquote class="ipsBlockquote" data-author="MajorRage" data-cid="604046" data-time="1470641918">
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How you can you be against something you have never ever tried.
 
I've been subject to so many different things which I thought were idiotic at the time, and I'd hazard a guess that about 75% of them were actually pretty good ideas.
 
Now that I'm closer to the other side, and see the planning that goes into the moves, I can actually see where thought processes are. There is a lot, and I mean a LOT, I mean an absolutely colossal FUCK TON of bullshit in management, but some of it comes from pretty well thought out research. 
 
A change is as good as a holiday.
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I agree. I've seen it work too compared to a like type of office within the same business.

Hooroo

Also, if it's the minoiryt shouting it down, they are usually quickly shut down once the change takes place and others are enjoying the new environment.

Nepia

<blockquote class="ipsBlockquote" data-author="MajorRage" data-cid="604046" data-time="1470641918">
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How you can you be against something you have never ever tried.
 
I've been subject to so many different things which I thought were idiotic at the time, and I'd hazard a guess that about 75% of them were actually pretty good ideas.
 
Now that I'm closer to the other side, and see the planning that goes into the moves, I can actually see where thought processes are. There is a lot, and I mean a LOT, I mean an absolutely colossal FUCK TON of bullshit in management, but some of it comes from pretty well thought out research. 
 
A change is as good as a holiday.
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Easy. A hotseat desk set up would be terrible for me. Out of necessity I have papers, post it notes, files and folders etc and having to get them out and put them all away again each day would be idiotic and unproductive. There are some offices it will just never work in.

Hooroo

You always need those things until you don't!
 
It's just in the learning

Nepia

<blockquote class="ipsBlockquote" data-author="Hooroo" data-cid="604170" data-time="1470696691">
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You always need those things until you don't!
 
It's just in the learning
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Everything I have mentioned above I use on a regular basis throughout the day. Also, I get dropped in on throughout the day for a bunch of confidential matters and half the time I'd be getting up and walking to meeting rooms. 
 
I don't have a problem with it working for other people and other workplaces but it's not going to be true of all and learning isn't going to change the fundamental nature of the work.

Hooroo

The process changes the fundamental nature of work. Things get done differently. You don't do the same things that happen each day and that in itself is the positive outcome to the change.
 
Everyone always know better before change.....

NTA

Not always - as I said earlier: certain protocols mean desks are wired in a particular way for some of our staff. They cannot hotdesk.
 
For the same reasons, Nepia may need allocated filing space for hard copy work. While we like to say that everything can go electronic, in some cases the savings for hotdesk won't pay for the costs of implementing scan/OCR and related systems. Sometimes there are legislative reasons as well.

Nepia

<blockquote class="ipsBlockquote" data-author="Hooroo" data-cid="604179" data-time="1470697561">
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The process changes the fundamental nature of work. Things get done differently. You don't do the same things that happen each day and that in itself is the positive outcome to the change.
 
Everyone always know better before change.....
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You should get a job as a management consultant. ;)
 
I actually think if you spent a day shadowing me you'd instantly realise your management speak is not applicable.

Hooroo

Don't get me wrong, I don't think the fit is for everyone. I just find that they disappear into obscurity if it works for the most.

Nepia

<blockquote class="ipsBlockquote" data-author="Hooroo" data-cid="604192" data-time="1470699649">
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Don't get me wrong, I don't think the fit is for everyone. I just find that they disappear into obscurity if it works for the most.
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It's not a personal thing, it's the role, it can't be done from a hot desk. My last job would have worked perfectly. Hot desking would only work for a small fraction of my office due to the nature of our work (education).
 
You're the first hot desk zealot I've come across. ;)

MajorRage

<blockquote class="ipsBlockquote" data-author="Nepia" data-cid="604165" data-time="1470696402">
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Easy. A hotseat desk set up would be terrible for me. Out of necessity I have papers, post it notes, files and folders etc and having to get them out and put them all away again each day would be idiotic and unproductive. There are some offices it will just never work in. 
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I'm not saying it's for everyone. But I think if your management decides it is for you, but your argument is about post it's, files, folders etc, then mgmt view is that these things shouldn't be required for your role.
 
The majority of the world is resistant to change, but that doesn't mean it shouldn't happen.
 
Fish heads became fish heads, because the view was that they knew the best about what they were doing.

The Silver Fern

Your work office space