News • 23/05/23
Ohhh, Jeremy
Last week you told us that office working should be the default.
This kind of message from government is emboldening firms to backtrack on flexible work. (The evidence shows flexible work works, but hey, who needs actual data).
An office suits some people; it suits some people some of the time, and for others it makes very little sense.
To us, the best option seems to be to let people have choice on when and where they work. Which in our desk-based world, is infinitely possible.
It’s REALLY beneficial to get together as a whole team or with a few colleagues. It doesn’t add anything to enforce this on regular set times/days though.
Let the people choose, Jeremy!
And before we get all misty-eyed about the office, let’s just pause and remember some of the absolutely shit bits of office life.
We’ll go first.
???? The noisy typers, desk kickers, hummers
???? The boss who wants a more ‘fun’ atmosphere and gets out the nerf gun
???? The silent farters. The not so silent farters
???? Genuinely lovely colleagues who run to work and then don’t shower
???? Fish dish microwavers
???? Sharing one loo with twenty people
???? Needing to use the shared loo after Nick’s paid a 15 minute visit
???? The tea rounds, for seven people (six of them can’t make tea for toffee)
???? The people who just come and talk AT you, for half an hour at a time (you clearly haven’t worked with him, have you Jeremy?!)
???? The Northern Line
???? The table football and beer in the fridge designed to make you think working 14 hours a day and never going home is fun
⏰ The MD who pops up at 5 to 5 to make sure everyone’s still at their desk
❄ That one person who’s always freezing / boiling
???? People coming in when they’re unwell
???? Mouldy mugs / mugs left in the sink
???? Loud phone calls just to display busyness
???? The boss who stands over you while you’re on the phone, passing you notes of things to say
???? People interrupting you as you’re working like, all the time
