Your work office space

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:

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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.

Baron Silas Greenback

<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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How do they know if it works for most? Because there are no complaints? Staff morale is an amorphous thing that usually declines in increments until there is a tipping point. Of course people are not going to quit and say the reason is the new arrangement, they will just generally feel disconnected and unhappy at work and one day just look at seek and apply for another job. When they resign they wont burn bridges over some management inspired office arrangement.
 
If you think people are happy if they dont complain, you dont understand work place power dynamics.. and the ability of some people to be 2 faced suck ups... until they leave for 'other opportunities to grow'

Baron Silas Greenback

<blockquote class="ipsBlockquote" data-author="MajorRage" data-cid="604198" data-time="1470700286">
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Fish heads became fish heads, because the view was that they knew the best about what they were doing.
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Management .. like most things in the workplace is an exercise in selfishness not competence. They use these office arrangements to cut costs and look progressive.. why? So they look good. Nothing wrong with that in business sense of course... as lomg as they are smart enough to actually think through consequences that are not obvious.
 
Some of the hot desk solutions IMO look better than the open plan mess I have worked in in the distant past.

Nepia

<blockquote class="ipsBlockquote" data-author="MajorRage" data-cid="604198" data-time="1470700286">
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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.
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</blockquote>
Read above my response to Hooroo. It wont work for my role, and as idiotic as my management can be they know this something that wouldn't work in practice. 
 
I'm not in the least resistant to change - when it's justified and will help improve the situation. Change for change's sake and change that would make work more difficult is simply silly.
 
* Don't get hung up on the post it notes, the main files and folders (and posters) are policy, procedures, accreditation documents/frameworks, legislation etc, not to mention my two giant monitors (that the fisheads wouldn't pony up for hot desks on any given sunday, too many accountants. ;))

Hooroo

<blockquote class="ipsBlockquote" data-author="Baron Silas Greenback" data-cid="604204" data-time="1470700787">
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How do they know if it works for most?
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In finance, for the situation I was talking about (Not hot desks) we saw greater accuracy and deadline maintenance (Brought forward and met with) The other team in the other situation remained static for want of a better term.

Godder

People tend to leave management and cultures rather than jobs, so if turnover increases with the fundamental job remaining the same, it's a good indicator of the problem.

The Silver Fern

Your work office space