Last day in the office

Today was a sad day, it was probably my last day in the office. - not my last day ever - i’ve still got over 2 months left - Today we packed up the web team office in preparation for a temporary move while the whole floor is renovated. The reality is this is going to take the best part of two months, so it’s more likely than not that i won’t see the web team office again before I leave.

A good office environment is one of the areas that I feel strongly about, it’s just I feel strongly in the opposite direction to most people in large organisations. it’s no different than many companies but currently there is a large drive in the wider organisation for conformity and cleanliness, removal of personal artifacts and clean desks at the end of the day - now again i’m not against a bit of cleaning, but tell me now does the word ‘conformity’ inspire you?

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Over the last 7 years i have fought hard, probably harder than most people would think is wise in protecting the office from corporate conformity, trying at every turn to give us a creative space while facing allegations unkemptness.

I believe passionately that if you are going ask a group of people to be creative, think beyond the default and come up with innovative solutions, that you are starting on the back foot if you ask them to do this in a sterile corporate-speak environment, you have to where you can give them ownership of their space - let the creativity be part of what surrounds them*

In web we tried to build the office around our team, posters were designed in house, the layout was how we wanted it, it was our lego on the window-ledges, our bunting for most 2012 and the printer would occasionally tell you it thought you were great. It wasn’t the exactly the new google. but was good for for the organisation we were in and we owned it; and that’s why it makes me sad to know that over the next few weeks, they are pulling it all down and replacing it with bland corpspeak, ‘be excellent to each other’ mottos, that no one can really remember and inspire little.

 

_* I actually think this for all parts of an organisation no matter how ‘dull’ the services it provides but that goes way beyond my remit. _