Pros and Cons of the Office

Sep 29, 2008 | blog

You know the place, the one we all crab about, the one we all supposedly hate to go to every morning? Yeah, the place where the coffee sucks, your desk is too small, and where traffic is always a pain to get through. It’s the office – the one your employer has graciously equipped and staffed for your working pleasure.

I know exactly what many of you are thinking. We all seem to dread heading to work in the morning, knowing that there is a "pile of work" ready and waiting. It seems we associate the negatives of the work we do with the place our employers house there workers and rarely associate the positives of the office itself.

What if you could separate those feelings? What about all the work and preparation that goes into that workplace? The costs involved for employers to provide a workplace for each employee are substantial, and the goal is ultimately make it as easy as possible for you to get your assigned tasks done. Most of the time it works, though our perception is usually clouded by co-workers, outside influences, business climate, workload, and many others.

Many folks talk about working remotely, or from home. It seems that lately we’ve become so enamored with this idea that it’s like the end-all solution to our working woes. As if, just getting out of the office will make all the difference by itself.

This simply isn’t the case. You can change the scenery, but that doesn’t always solve the issue. There are great things about working from home, or being able to set up at a coffee shop for the afternoon. Getting away from drive-bys and the daily routine are highly effective ways to GTD when you need to.

Just don’t forget that on a regular basis, those remote locations, or the home office also have their distractions. Whether it be sick kids home from school, household chores that seem important during the day, or just the noise and music at your favorite coffee shop – they are distractions too. Start taking a look at your employer’s office as a space designed specifically for getting things done. The resources available far outstrip what you can set up at home, or find as a secondary workplace.

From people resources to copiers, take a fresh look and try to separate out the workplace from the work itself. You may be able to discover unused offices or conference rooms to skip off to for an hour. Or find that color printer that does 11×17 landscape that you need for your presentation – you don’t always need to go to Kinkos! Your company is paying for resources to enable you to do your job, finding out what’s available and using the existing space more effectively could make a bit of difference in your productivity and perspective. Give it a try and share your tips if you have them.