JetUNsetter

There is so much talk around the productivity boost the office space offers. To begin with, the office was not born to boost productivity. Back in the day it was just the only place where work could be done. No alternative. So let’s take the office from any productivity pedestal to begin within.

However, the office can contribute to productivity (I am not a productivity scientist, this is by experience). There are certain conditions though:

A.. You don’t arrive there exhausted nor frustrated because of commuting

b. It is clean, well lit and well ventilated

c. You have the technology, equipment, tools and set up you need to perform job well

D. You meet people. But not people you practically hate. People who are as hard working as you are, share the same vision (a vision that makes sense to apply skills and talent for) and are kind and willing to work with you. If they can’t be like that naturally, managers, social behavior scientists, doctors and psychologists support colleagues to be just that.

E. You have access to tasty, nutritious and abundant food and drinks that support your health and body through the process

F. You take breaks when you need them so that you can be productive when you actually are

G. You are respected, listened to and valued.

H. It’s not open space.

• The surrounding, noise, smells and distractions of the open space office along the distraction that you cannot talk to your kid without either traveling several floors down or random people listening to you is just uncomfortable. Uncomfortableness is not productive.

So let’s pause for a moment. Picture the office that meets these requirements. Roughly calculate the investment it requires… Quite an uptick, right?

Now let’s picture the current office space reality. Humans disturbed by all sorts of noises, crunched into a desk where everyone is looking at them or spying at them, need to regulate body odor, suppress any other body function, eat low budget sandwiches at specific hour of the day, interact with bullies or unchecked passive agressive managers/ colleagues, feel fear for their jobs, gossip or are been gossiped, sometimes suppress what they want to look and wear, sustain electric lighting all day long, even on a sunny day, are too hot or too cold, are frowned upon when taking breaks even though it was mandatory to sit a training at work telling them it’s healthy to take walks every hour…. Why? Because there was no budget for a bigger, better office space…

Nowadays, office attendees are just confused. They travel to the office because they were told so. (Leaving aside whether you want people in your business to not be critical thinkers and do as you instruct, always) they do not know how to use the office.

Classic everyday example: Because there was no budget to fit them all and the hybrid model was introduced to actually address budget concerns (no other need whatsoever), people sit on their desks. They have a call with colleague A who is mandated to be at home that day (mandated as part of an inflexible “flexible working policy” of course) and colleague B who sits two rows of desks behind them. Colleague B, not really realizing they are in the office for any other reason than to please a manager and keep their job, will not move. Colleague B will take the call from their desk, speaking loudly disturbing everyone one else sitting around them, even though one of the colleagues they have the call with is just in front of them!! But, to be fair and honest, even if they wanted to be human and collaborative and constructive and productive, oops, there was not enough budget for an office that allows for enough break out rooms and phone booths! Vicious circle – vicious circles are a sign of an unproductive process by their very definition, right?

Let’s agree to either have office space that boosts productivity, or leave humans to find their best productive hours and set up in a day and generously offer them to anyone who is willing to buy them.

Please help me make sense of this one too.