The art of office environments
It’s all about the people
Whether it’s partitions, quiet zones, project rooms, separation of discipline, open plan, hot-desk, remote, I’ve read numerous personal opinions and reactions to a business switching their approach to office environment (or adapting to a new employers ethos). Generally, feedback is mixed, with the majority of switches moving from segregated to open plan. That is to be expected, not all employees will embrace change, some will be settled, some itching to be surrounded by a different set of personalities. Either way, these opinionated accounts do not give a rounded appraisal, nor provide solutions/suggestions to the challenge.
Having worked both client (IBM, Vodafone) and service side (Creative Jar, The Escape), in various locations and environments, I have a clear opinion on what works best for me. And that is the point… It’s all about the individual and how comfortable they feel. To get value for money a business owner needs to ensure their staff are operating at maximum capacity, efficienciently and cohesively. But above all else, they need to feel their opinion counts. It’s a fine balancing act and individual feedback should be embraced.
It’s all about the individual and how comfortable they feel.
Team-based operations, I feel, tend to work best when you are surrounded by like-minded professionals, where quick and effective discussions can take place without gathering everyone together in a meeting room. On the flip-side, roles that require little interaction can operate effectively in an isolated environment, with zero disruption. However, neither of the two scenarios above work unless the individuals buy into the theory, or ultimately feel comfortable.
A copywriter working with a team of UX/UI designers and project managers, putting a new site live, should not feel pressured into sitting within a group environment throughout the duration of a project. It’s a role that requires minimal disruption, once the brief has been set, with attention-to-detail a primary requirement. Contact with the wider team can be ad-hoc, or by request. That doesn’t mean to say this is the outlook all copywriters have in this scenario, but it can most certainly assist their final delivery. We’re all adults and assigning accountability, respecting and believing in our peers is part-and-parcel of many industries.
So, where am I going with this… I am firm believer in members of an organisation feeling empowered to work unrestricted and with freedom in order to achieve their best results. If the powers-that-be look to change the office mechanics then quiet zones, project rooms and the ability to work remotely, should be at the fore of their thinking, with employee input a primary focus. An un, or overly, sociable work colleague, doesn’t represent someone who isn’t great at their job.
