We are seeing two completely opposite trends in the world of work: a return to rigour in some areas and/or an almost unseemly laissez-faire attitude in others. Are companies suffering from a form of collective delirium?
Let’s start with the first form, because the ‘binary’ mode seems to be (re)becoming the norm. The margins of tolerance are becoming tenuous if not non-existent. We have reached the point of “right or wrong” without any margins. This is perfectly understandable in certain areas, although the black-and-white approach hampers efficiency and places common sense and pragmatism on the margins.
Conversely, the participatory model - with all that it implies - is taking over. You must include everyone in the decision-making process, and try to consider all opinions, even the most minority ones, otherwise you risk being accused of acute dirigisme. This fear of making decisions (with arguments, of course) seems to be increasingly lacking among managers.
All this seems astonishing to a ‘boomer’ like me, whereas it doesn’t seem to pose any problem for younger people: does this kind of overall incoherence satisfy everyone, or is it simply the total loss of reference points and a world that is falling apart that is panicking them? The question remains open…
We’re focusing on workspaces, because the field is so vast, and even though it applies to a whole range of other aspects of business.
Many companies in the service sector still opt for a single working model, even though the functions, activities and needs of employees are totally different. How can you compare a wealth manager with a logistics specialist; how can you compare a lawyer with a marketing and communications team; how can you imagine that a call centre has the same needs as a broker? Yet all these professions are represented in a large company…
Yet many companies are still in the “all or none” mode. Is it because they are afraid of the responsibility of explaining? Employees are intelligent enough to understand the approach if it is logical and practicable.
The first step is to have a solid, well thought-out workspace strategy and to include everything, but really everything, in the scope so that it is coherent, efficient and above all intuitive for employees. Implementing a rigid and/or illogical solution leads to reactions and workarounds that can be dangerous for the company and its employees.
The concept must be sufficiently scalable and flexible to open all the options, and this is often where the first challenges arise, because there is bound to come a time when budgetary considerations will come into play. The following questions tend to illustrate the complexity of the subject:
• How can we ensure that the spaces are modular but usable by almost all the staff?
• Why allow some people to telework while excluding others?
• How can the furniture be arranged so that “breathing space” can be created without unnecessarily “sacrificing” floor space?
• How can we avoid having to move every time there’s a change of manager?
As is often pointed out in this section, complementary and combined approaches are certainly the best options for a team that needs to achieve its objectives, but a tactical approach is essential to avoid missteps.
Enjoy the process, happy reading and see you soon.