Are You Happy With The Design Of Your Office?
If you've ever spent any time looking at the behaviour of other people, then you will certainly have noted that we tend to have differing reactions to the same situation. It's amazing to think that personalities can be so different, but it's also useful to appreciate this fact.
It's only by understanding these differences and their importance that we can truly get to grips with managing other people,
for instance. There are plenty of managers out there who seem to assume that they can get everyone to react in the same way. Unfortunately, they are usually left to discover that this simply isn't the case.
Think about how people react to the office environment. Indeed, you may wish to spend some time considering your own thoughts about this space. It's an area where you probably spend a great deal of time. In some circumstances, it can be seen as a space that really only compares with your home. It's natural that it should evoke some sort of reaction.
When you ask people what they think about an office space, there may initially be a slow reaction. They may seem to feel pretty neutral, but you need to dig a little deeper. It's rarely the case that someone will have no opinion at all. You might like to compare the thoughts of employees with your own opinions.
There's a fair chance that there are certain aspects of the office environment that tend to annoy you. Why is it that you allow things to continue, without making changes? This is also an interesting area and it's likely that there are many different answers to this question.
Some people would say that they simply don't have the time to make changes. This is an extremely common answer, although I would suggest that it doesn't reflect thoughts in an accurate manner. Saying that you don't have enough time available can make it sound like you have a situation that simply cannot be avoided.
What are you really saying? I would suggest, in this instance, that you are actually saying that you don't regard the design and layout of the office as being a priority. There may be a feeling that time spent in this area will really be time that is wasted. After all, you won't find clients willing to pay you to carry out this work.
But this is the wrong way of looking at things. You need to remember that the office layout, the furniture that you use and the way in which you ask employees to make use of office space, will all have an impact on productivitiy levels. If you want happy employees, who produce high standards of work, then it certainly is worth spending time making changes.
If you're not happy with the current office environment, then it's reasonable to suspect that other members of staff will feel the same way.
