Blog
What was your first association with the supposed vacation picture? Most of the people I asked said – well, you’re doing well… I’d like to have that office too… and yes, I can relate to both. Because it’s my current home office in Croatia.
It’s true, I have my legs up several times, the notebook on my lap and – I’m working. More productively than usual, because I’m working on concepts and new ideas. And I come up with them faster, better and more appropriately in the environment I’m in.
There are still companies that say: home office yes, but please in Gifhorn or Unterpremstätten, but not in Sicily or Croatia. Especially not in summer. The unspoken assumption is that people go there on vacation and don’t work.
The boss’s question to the four young employees, who don’t spend their break downstairs in the smokers’ corner or behind the umbrella with a coffee, but have fun playing table football. The “foosball table”, affectionately known in Austria as the “Wutzler”, was only recently installed by this very boss. Obviously not so that it would be used. After the announcement, it degenerated into a fun museum, because nobody wanted to be told that.
This makes it clear: Simply placing bean bags decoratively in the corner and placing a table football table in the entrance area so that the barrier to using them is as high as possible is not effective.
An inspiring environment requires a culture that is also inspiring. That starts with trust. Yes, every mission statement says: We trust each other… an interesting demand if you assume that trust is a feeling. And feelings cannot be imposed by mission statement. Except perhaps in North Korea.
So if those responsible do not trust employees to do what is best for the company, all the “new workplace” concepts are of no use, because command and control does not go so well with enable and support.
If you are planning to make your working environment more attractive in the near future, I therefore recommend that you pay at least the same attention to the culture in your company so that the new workplace is more than just a decorative exercise.
…have therefore decided to work on the foundations, and that is our culture. This means asking for, understanding and accepting feedback, even if it is sometimes unpleasant. It means an open exchange between colleagues and managers. And it means consistent implementation and the awareness that we are never “finished”.
You can find out more under Culture.
Yours, Gunhard Keil – Managing Director of digitalsee GmbH
digitalSee GmbH
Berliner Str. 52 E
38104 Braunschweig