Tag Archive of: working at home

Take a good look around you. What do you see when you're at work? And if you're not sitting there right now, close your eyes and visualize your workplace.

What do you see? Do you see what I've been seeing for the past few years? Indeed, those very boring offices and open-plan offices. Maybe there's a stray pool table somewhere, or there are desks you can turn into standing desks. Are there plants in your office? In my opinion, they are essential elements in an office garden. Or was that just too expensive in terms of maintenance? Is it cozy, or sterile? Sterile as I see many offices these days: office crematorium style.

At the beginning of this century, many organisations switched to 'The New Way of Working'. As homeworking emerged, desks were empty on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. This meant that with 0.7 persons per workplace, there was an overcapacity of desks. So let's downsize. With floor plans, workstations, consultation zones, and more. No more personal stuff on desks. No pictures, awards, diplomas, crazy cups, magnets, garlands (fire hazard!) or other colorful memorabilia on or around your desk. No, from now on a safe where you can put your work stuff. Just pick a spot on the work floor. Every day anew.

What it comes down to in practice is that you and I are creatures of habit. So we keep picking the same desk. With a lot of hassle as a result. Who's got my desk chair? And who's been sitting on my chair?

None of this applies to Zappos. On my recent visit to the head office in Las Vegas, I imagined myself in the Efteling. Really completely over the top and totally un-Dutch, but cheerful. Each employee has their own desk and is free to decorate it as they see fit. Where colleagues like to lend a helping hand, by the way. Are you a Superman fan? Then I can see that on or around your desk, in the form of dolls, posters, buttons and maybe even balloons.

On the shop floor of Zappos, I lacked eyes. Every desk had a nameplate, or series of nameplates, in the shape of an American license plate. Every anniversary - every five years - employees get a new colour, so they are real status symbols. Although sometimes you have to look for them among all the plants, garlands, balloons, monkeys (the cuddly version of course), compliments, tweets and Instagramposts of customers and the tig of photos of teams having fun.

Would this work in the Netherlands? I don't know. But it's cheerful, and that makes me think. After all, happy employees perform better and are finer conversation partners for their customers. Maybe hang a pendulum today after all?

 

This blog was written for CustomerFirst and published on 13 March 2019

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