Decrapify Work or Die (yet again)
The what and where
The conversation about the future of the office continues to develop. I was going to say rage, which would to be appropriate given the emotions that this seems to stir up. It seems to me to get to the very heart of what ‘Decrapify Work’ means to people. Autonomy. Choice. Power.
What makes work crap is being given stuff to do without any say over it, having to do it when and where you are told, and being unable to exercise any control over events. This cultivates a sense of ‘learned helplessness’, where we apathetically endure a crap environment because we don’t think we have any power to change it. The lack of control also triggers our sympathetic nervous system and causes chronic stress, which eventually leads to illness. (Because let’s not forget, crap work really does kill us).
The great COVID ‘Work from Home’ experiment has shown people that there can be other ways. It has given (some) people greater autonomy. They have been trusted to organise themselves, to have some control over their work and to be able to balance it better with the other aspects of their lives. It has tipped the balance of power towards them and they don’t want to give any of it back.
It’s not just that people don’t want to go back to the office full-time, it’s that they want to explore the other ways of organising themselves to get their work done. Having escaped the ‘one size fits all’ bargain basement office approach, they now want to get into some serious bespoke tailoring and maybe even a bit of ‘haute couture’. There are all sorts of possibilities to be played with.
Chris Herd says this is not a revolution in how we work, it’s a revolution in how we live. Vive la Revolution!
The office was always crap
I listened to a ‘Twitter Spaces’ conversation led by Bruce Daisley (very good on making work better) about the Future of the Office and Real Estate consultant Antony Slumbers (also worth a follow) said that a long-ignored truth had now been made painfully apparent - the office was already failing. He pointed out that offices were running at less than 50% occupancy and less than half of employees found that offices helped them to do their jobs.
So if they were falling, why do some leaders want to go back to them? Well, because offices worked for them.
They tend to be white, middle-class, middle-aged males in management roles. The ones with the big office and all the status symbols, with the comfortable to commute and the power to arrange everything to their satisfaction. They are the ones who insist on having all their direct reports in offices next to them, so they can thoughtlessly interrupt them at any time and give them urgent tasks that are only urgent due to their own lack of planning. You know the sort.
On the call, one contributor pointed out that the office is actually a reflection of the patriarchy. It works for them but not for almost everyone else, and especially women, those with caring responsibilities, the disabled, minorities and … well, pretty much everyone except middle-aged white guys.
In a separate report by Pulsar, it seems that whilst the conversation around the future of work is focused very much on flexible working, diversity and inclusion has remained an important topic. Clearly, the office is a significant barrier to greater diversity and inclusion and that is surely another benefit to be grasped but cutting the umbilical cord.
Moving away from an office-centric organisation has many benefits and I don’t think even the male, pale and stale brigade at the top are going to stop it.
We need more pirates!
So how do we take advantage of this period of turmoil and uncertainty and grasp the possibilities it makes available? Be More Pirate!
In a period of similar upheaval, the Golden Age pirates took control of their own destinies and forged their own future based on their value and the principles of freedom, fairness and opportunity for all. Still seemsss pretty appropriate (and not entirely unlike autonomy, power and choice.)
So what does that mean for an individual, sitting in front of the their screen wondering how to make the right changes happen?
That’s what I am going to be focusing on in the near future. It’s about developing a new way of being, as well as connecting with other like-minds to foment a bit of mutiny and create some good trouble. Self-development with attitude and activism with empathy, if you like. With plenty of swash, buckle and fun. And rum (or Caribbean-themed non-alcoholic alternative).
Feeling 'meh' ...
I’m definitely feeling a bit 'meh' today. A bit restless, a bit listless, a bit 'sod it' and a bit 'can't be arsed'. No reason, it's just a bit of COVIDitis, a random slump in mood.
I'm sure you've all experienced this, we've had a year of chronic stress and limited stimulation and activity. If you do get one of these days, be gentle on yourself and kick back a bit. Self-care is so important, we have to be our number one priority at the moment. We're no good to anyone if we're hiding under the duvet.
So I'm off for a glass of something, probably red and alcoholic. Have a good weekend and chill.