Your work office space
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<p>Oh God, don't even get me started on this topic. Management at dayjob are obsessed with the new and shiny, and I'm hearing the horseshit buzz words like hot desk and collaboration spaces all over the fucking place. I'm in an open plan office (that looks a bit similar to antipodean's V2) but at least I have my own space. One thing I have heard talk of is all hot desks and stand up sharing areas and other fucking shit like that, and it makes me stabby.</p>
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<p>I like having a patch to call my own. I like having my own station with a nameplate and things set out how I like. Work is crazy and complicated and ever changing, but that desk is my anchor. And if I want to chat to people who don't sit near me, I go chat. Or we whip up a hot drink in the machine.</p>
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<p>Because I do a shitload of writing/proofing as part of my job, I like a quieter space to think. I sure as shit don't want to get stuck next to someone who is yapping on the phone all the time. (As antipodean also said, there is always someone who gets louder and LOUDER as the conversation progresses.) I wouldn't mind if we had our own space, and were grouped with our wider team. Then you are all doing the same thing, and know when chat is helpful and when you just want to get shit physically done.</p>
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<p>But I sure as shit don't need to sit next to a new person every day to 'collaborate'. Just because it worked for one business somewhere, doesn't mean it is right for everyone.</p> -
<p>My whole career has been in open plan environments so I have no point of reference for closed door environments. But hot desking can die in a fire, unless you allow me to work from home every day. So that I only come in to the office if absolutely essential, then I will refuse to hotdesk.</p>
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<p>I agree with Mokey you need your own space. Whenever I go to a new office the first thing I do is set out my work space how I want it. I also unashamedly put out a photo of the wife and kids to remind myself why I am there, when shit gets rough.</p>
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<p>Mooshld</p> -
<p>I should add that team culture is part of my role, and every day I see the damage that process over people, change for change's sake, and complete lack of consultation and/or engagement does to morale. I would say to any management team considering 'investing' in workplace environment - take care. If you are determined to move to a completely new model, ensure all staff are kept informed every step of the way with the WHY. (And you'd better have a good why, not we read it in a magazine and thought it sounded cool). If you have the capacity, TALK to staff prior. Ask what good looks like for them for noise, space requirements, meeting rooms, hot desking etc. You might find you can accommodate them in some/all ways, and angst is minimised, output isn't compromised. Plus, if there is the perception that staff have been involved in the process/listened to, trust is built and healthy dialogue and relationships proceed.</p>
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<p>I know some of this sounds wanky, but I cannot stress enough the importance of a great culture within an organisation. Bad culture destroys businesses with poor productivity, high staff turnover and rocketing costs.</p> -
<p>whoa whoa whoa, are you talking about genuine staff engagement Mokey??! I know you write fantasy but... :whistle:</p>
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<p>Ain't no place for that when management is making great (awful) and entirely informed (fabricated) decisions about what their worker bees need!! </p>
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<p>We've had a bunch of people go for standing desks and the vast majority of folks use them regularly. Only thing you shouldn't do with them is try to stand for most of the day, or large parts of it, right from the get go. Give yourself some time to get used to it etc.</p> -
<blockquote class="ipsBlockquote" data-author="Paekakboyz" data-cid="603125" data-time="1470346163">
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<p><strong>whoa whoa whoa, are you talking about genuine staff engagement Mokey??! I know you write fantasy but</strong>... :whistle:</p>
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<p>Ain't no place for that when management is making great (awful) and entirely informed (fabricated) decisions about what their worker bees need!! </p>
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<p>We've had a bunch of people go for standing desks and the vast majority of folks use them regularly. Only thing you shouldn't do with them is try to stand for most of the day, or large parts of it, right from the get go. Give yourself some time to get used to it etc.</p>
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<p>Ha! Shocking, I know.</p> -
<blockquote class="ipsBlockquote" data-author="Godder" data-cid="603087" data-time="1470311689">
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<p>Much like everything else in the corporate world, it depends on the specifics, and most reasonable solutions work for some outfits and not for others. Surprise surprise...</p>
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<p>yeh I don't actaully buy that. You hear all the 'benefits' which are around increased productivity - which is a load of bollicks.</p>
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<p>it's all to do with cost savings - we had a company survey our office and they found 60% of desk utilisation during the day so hurrah now we're moving to fcuking hot desking and 'activity based working'.. which is the latest corporate w@nk word along with 'diversification'. I just which they'd come out and say it rather than trying to sell it with all the other BS.</p>
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<p>I've asked how they're measuring benefits realisation, and have just been told I'm a "change challenger".</p>
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<p>yeh i like my own desk, can't be fcuked spending in total an hour a week packing sht up and unpacking each morning, especially when I've been given what I'd basically describe as a lunchbox to shove my sht in.. which takes my ergo keyboard and fan, and that's it. oh and i have a landscape & portrait screen setup, so more pissing around each day.</p>
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<p>funnily enough I'm running a project to migrate the company to Win10 and 0365.. the 'future ways of working' project is looking at increasing 'mobility' staff (using laptop / tablet) from 20% to 60% plus.. when I give them the figures around equipment hardware (laptop / tablet 3x more expensive than desktop) they're going to sh*t themselves cause the desk cost savings are going to look rather stupid next to the increase in hardware cost when we're talking about 4000 devices...</p>
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<p>anyway glad I've got a place to now rant about how much I hate hot desking.. all our new setup is coming in this weekend.. i'll take a pic.</p>
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<p>right now i've got 7 years of cr@p to remove from my desk area.....</p> -
<blockquote class="ipsBlockquote" data-author="WillieTheWaiter" data-cid="603133" data-time="1470349772">
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<p>I've asked how they're measuring benefits realisation, and have just been told I'm a "change challenger".</p>
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<p>LOL fuck that's a new one. I just get told I have an attitude problem because our organisation are a pack of clueless fucking cuntstacks only interested in climbing the corporate ladder, using the same system that got their predecessor up there before shifting out.</p>
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<p>I turned up yesterday after two days work from home, and some outsourced fluffybunny had stolen my chair and replaced it with a meeting room chair. Was set up just the way I like it. Fucking cock. If its not back there when I go in Monday* then I'm going to claim back strain and WFH the rest of the week.</p>
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<p>* I'm having a mental health day today. Fuck 'em.</p> -
<p>the rebellion starts here comrades!</p>
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<p>As someone from the other side, ie the management wank stains, i can tell you why managers aren't completely honest. Because if you told employees "this will save the company money" they would shit. Half would ask for a payrise (because of the increased profits, you can afford it), a quarter would grumble about the company putting money first, and a quarter would run to Fair Work to lodge some sort of grievance. A sum total of 0% would think "you know, if this makes the company a bit stronger, that's good for all of us". </p>
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<p>And then some fluffybunny would go and lodge a workcover claim, because apparently that's free. </p>
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<p>Fucking employees...</p> -
<blockquote class="ipsBlockquote" data-author="mariner4life" data-cid="603149" data-time="1470352654">
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<p>the rebellion starts here comrades!</p>
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<p>As someone from the other side, ie the management wank stains, i can tell you why managers aren't completely honest. Because if you told employees "this will save the company money" they would shit. Half would ask for a payrise (because of the increased profits, you can afford it), a quarter would grumble about the company putting money first, and a quarter would run to Fair Work to lodge some sort of grievance. A sum total of 0% would think "you know, if this makes the company a bit stronger, that's good for all of us". </p>
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<p>And then some fluffybunny would go and lodge a workcover claim, because apparently that's free. </p>
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<p>Fucking employees...</p>
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<p>Just because you are management, does not make you not an employee.. just a sucker slightly higher up the sucker chain who gets your lies from a different source.. </p> -
<p>true i guess, but then that depends on the company you work for. </p>
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<blockquote class="ipsBlockquote" data-author="WillieTheWaiter" data-cid="603133" data-time="1470349772">
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<p>I've asked how they're measuring benefits realisation, and have just been told I'm a "change challenger".</p>
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<p>Was that said by a smiling HR lady, with a rising intonation indicating the delight that she had a label to pin on you. Look on the back of the label and you'll find in small lettering "obstructive c*nt" and a diary note that "we'll get to that fecker shortly".</p>
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<p>It's like kindergarten really, isn't it.</p>
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<p>I, on the other hand, have just been practicing chip shots in the lounge with the cat's ping pong balls. I think I might have a refinement to my technique to test outside, so the morning hasn't been wasted. :)</p> -
<blockquote class="ipsBlockquote" data-author="Hooroo" data-cid="603156" data-time="1470355906">
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<p>and how high up in management.</p>
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<p>Not at all. Until you are an owner or on the board.</p>
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<p>CEO's for example get shat on all the time, just not so visibly. </p> -
<blockquote class="ipsBlockquote" data-author="mariner4life" data-cid="603153" data-time="1470354723">
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<p>true i guess, but then that depends on the company you work for. </p>
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<p>That is likely true.</p> -
<p>The irony is when you're working for a global tech company that sells solutions for mobility and flexible work practices, but insists that you are in the office all the time.</p>
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<p>It's a trust issue, which happens when senior management are utter fucksticks, so inept at their job that they believe you must be worse. Otherwise, why would they be in charge? The same sort of management that destroys billions of dollars in shareholder value.</p> -
<blockquote class="ipsBlockquote" data-author="antipodean" data-cid="603175" data-time="1470363175">
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<p>The irony is when you're working for a global tech company that sells solutions for mobility and flexible work practices, but insists that you are in the office all the time.</p>
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<p>It's a trust issue, which happens when senior management are utter fucksticks, so inept at their job that they believe you must be worse. Otherwise, why would they be in charge? The same sort of management that destroys billions of dollars in shareholder value.</p>
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<p>I feel ya, hell, I could do my job at home, but not really because I might goof off or something.</p> -
<blockquote class="ipsBlockquote" data-author="Mokey" data-cid="603096" data-time="1470314643"><p>Oh God, don't even get me started on this topic. Management at dayjob are obsessed with the new and shiny, and I'm hearing the horseshit buzz words like hot desk and collaboration spaces all over the fucking place. I'm in an open plan office (that looks a bit similar to antipodean's V2) but at least I have my own space. One thing I have heard talk of is all hot desks and stand up sharing areas and other fucking shit like that, and it makes me stabby.<br><br>
I like having a patch to call my own. I like having my own station with a nameplate and things set out how I like. Work is crazy and complicated and ever changing, but that desk is my anchor. And if I want to chat to people who don't sit near me, I go chat. Or we whip up a hot drink in the machine.<br><br>
Because I do a shitload of writing/proofing as part of my job, I like a quieter space to think. I sure as shit don't want to get stuck next to someone who is yapping on the phone all the time. (As antipodean also said, there is always someone who gets louder and LOUDER as the conversation progresses.) I wouldn't mind if we had our own space, and were grouped with our wider team. Then you are all doing the same thing, and know when chat is helpful and when you just want to get shit physically done.<br><br>
But I sure as shit don't need to sit next to a new person every day to 'collaborate'. Just because it worked for one business somewhere, doesn't mean it is right for everyone.</p></blockquote>
This x1000.
