maandag 20 juli 2020

Bring Your Own Office






It was during a meeting last November that one of us asked our manager for his view on Working From Home. It got answered by a chuckle and a short comment that disappointed all those who thrive by more mobility and flexibility. Three months later 98% of all employees was forced to work from home. And see, a disaster stayed out.  

Yes, there is a glimmer of hope at the horizon for those who simply feel and perform better by working in their own ‘habitat’. And no, I am not arguing WFH should be the new standard. There are still many employees who feel more grounded in a structured office environment and prefer a strict distinction between ‘work’ and ‘home’. And then I am not even mentioning those who consider a trip to the office a welcome escape from the daily hustle and bustle at home. That’s perfectly fine! The point I would like to raise is that we shouldn’t consider it a Yes or No discussion, but to finally acknowledge and include that group that simply has other needs to get the best out of themselves.

Telecommuting or teleworking was the promising perspective gaining more attention already since the 70s. Global internet gave a boost to all opportunities to connect over a distance. These days most of us have several digital profiles at the same time on platforms like WhatsApp, Instagram, Facebook and LinkedIn and none of us are surprised to receive holiday pictures, a request to connect or any other messages on a 24/7 basis from relatives, friends, colleagues and clients regardless their residence. We can’t imagine life without our smart phones and a decent wifi-connection and we feel proud to say we are so much more flexible compared to the former generation. But why are we still so reluctant then if it comes to WFH?

I think the answer lies in stepping out of your own comfort zone and letting go any prejudices about WFH and to understand and acknowledge diversity. What works for one person, isn’t automatically the best for the other. For some having the flexibility of mobility simply means a better work/life balance. Research confirms most employees are about 10%-20% more productive and – maybe even more important – are feeling happier in both work and life environment.

Till this point I don’t think there will be any reader arguing against. Especially now the COVID-19 period proved WFH doesn’t mean a collapse of our business. But I would like to bring it even a step further, curious to see if my following plead leads again to a chuckle and a short hesitant reaction. What if we extend the definition Working From Home to Working From Your Preferred Place?

In 2016 an Amsterdam based Marketing Agency called Brandfirm encouraged their employees to move for three months to Bali. Escaping the dark, cold winter in Amsterdam and changing it for a new inspiring work environment led to happier employees, more engagement with the company and the highest revenues ever generated. This proven success made them decide to make it a yearly happening since then.

No, I don’t expect many companies to bridge that gap that quick and to offer their employees a yearly workation in near future. But it definitely made me think. Why should working from home mean working from home? During many ZOOM meetings I have seen kitchen-tables, garden houses, bed-rooms, living rooms with pets or kids crawling around. Why shouldn’t we be allowed to choose the best office space we can think of to spend our working days? Why shouldn’t we be allowed to put a desk on a place with a sea view, wearing flip flops and a simple t-shirt? Would anyone have judged or considered my output different if I would have disclosed to you now that I am working from a nice apartment in CapeTown since the lock-down? 

Elon Musk just launched another bulk of his SpaceX Starlink satellites floating in low earth orbit to provide us the best internet connection everywhere in the world, so the opportunities are absolutely not restricted to our office or home. And leaving behind that dress code of wearing suits and ties isn’t the end of the world either. By the way, who invented that code that we all seem to adhere so strict? Name me a person that inspires you most. I bet amongst all the answers I would get from you, hardly none of your ‘heroes’ is or was wearing a suit.

I hope the above will trigger you to think over the next level of opportunities that lie ahead of us and to challenge yourself with the question “why not?!” Good arguments should be sufficient to make the change rather than waiting for a next event that forces us to be more open-minded on these matters. It has been a smooth process for many companies to implement Bring Your Own Device. I see no constraints to extend it to Bring Your Own Office.




(Officiële publicatie betrof een artikel voor internationaal publiek. Overige blogs blijf ik in het Nederlands schrijven.)