The perfect workplace is all about you
It seems that this is your first time to my blog. Welcome! In this blog I will share my ideas on how you can make a living in a way that feels good to you, your family, your environment and everyone around you. If you want to know more about me and this blog, check out my about page. And if you want to stay updated on my new posts, subscribe to my RSS feed. Thanks for stopping by!
Every Monday is a Perfect Workplace Monday at JarkkoLaine.com. Take a look at other posts in the series.
One of my bosses once said that a you know that a workplace is great when you can’t wait to get back to work after your summer holidays.
I think it’s a great definition.
And it makes a great test: If you feel the same way about your work as this guy does, your workplace might well be perfect. If not, maybe it’s time to either fix it or find a new one.
The first step to take when you notice that your workplace isn’t perfect is to figure out what your perfect workplace actually would be like. It’s not an easy question, but the better you know yourself the easier it becomes to answer:
Your perfect workplace is a representation of who you are.
In your everyday life you do everything according to who you are and who you want to be. So why would you spend eight hours a day doing something that doesn’t represent who you are? Just acting like a standard piece in a standard corporate puzzle.
Here’s what I think you should keep in mind when thinking about a perfect workplace:
- A perfect workplace is something different for all of us: When I first saw images from the Threadless offices I was amazed. The place really looks different - unlike the default cubicles this office has a personality. But although I really love what the Threadless guys have done with their office I wouldn’t want to work there. It’s just not me. I can see that it’s great, but it doesn’t match my personality.
In my dreams I have a completely different sight: a peaceful cabin in the middle of the nature. A place where I can hear the rain and feel the wind while working on my code:
- In a perfect workplace you have your own spot that feels like home. It could be a typical desk that you decorate in a way that makes you feel good (maybe add your family portrait or fill your wall with graffiti), or it could be a corner in a coffee shop -like environment. Whatever makes you feel at ease. That’s the only way you’ll ever enjoy coming to work. If you cannot relax at your desk you most likely won’t enjoy sitting next to it.
- In a perfect workplace you work with people you like. If you like working with like-minded people of same age, that’s fine. If you want to be working with people from different cultural backgrounds or different age groups, that’s great too. Even if you don’t like working with anyone else than yourself, that’s fine. Just make sure that your workplace meets your preferences. You choose your friends so why wouldn’t you choose your work mates? After all you spend more time with them each day than your spouse.
- In a perfect workplace you feel like you own the place. Or maybe it’s more like it’s your dad’s place - a place almost like your own. That means that you believe in what the company is doing, and want to work 100% towards that goal. Don’t get me wrong: I don’t want you to make yourself believe in your corporate mantra. What I’d want instead would be that you would work in a company you believe in. Another thing is that your dad would certainly give you responsibility over your work - and he’d always tell you how your work is affecting the place in a whole. After all, you’d be inheriting the place at some point anyway. So, no secrets!
To put it short and to the point:
In a perfect workplace people come first.
Now ask yourself the question: “What does my boss put first? Is it the money, the process, his career, or is it really us, the people?” By asking this question you make sure that the people you lend your skills to (your valuable skills that is) are worthy of using them.
This was the short version of my definition of a perfect workplace. In the upcoming weeks I will continue on my quest for defining what a perfect workplace is and isn’t by addressing different questions one by one. But now, if you feel like it, why not share your ideas of a perfect workplace as well? What do you value in a workplace the most?
If you enjoyed this post and don't want to miss any of my new content, subscribe to my RSS feed or have the latest posts delivered straight to your e-mail inbox.
1 mentions in the press
- Rhonda Tipton’s WebLog Links - 07.29.07 «
