Changing culture of the workplace.

[legend7]

Working from home a day a week leads to a great improvement in your quality of life in my experience. You can fit jobs around work and in practice I find you tend to start earlier and work a bit later because you can do lots of things in parallel.

I can do that at the place I'm at now and I honestly thought I'd get less done keep looking at the telly or having coffees, but get tonnes more done as no distractions that I get in the office. Don't do it often but it's very productive.

 

[daveydavey]

I can do that at the place I'm at now and I honestly thought I'd get less done keep looking at the telly or having coffees, but get tonnes more done as no distractions that I get in the office. Don't do it often but it's very productive.

It comes down to trusting staff

 

[Kermit]

Has anyone asked for boozing and blarzys at your desk yet

 

[peachy]

There's plenty of research to suggest that having autonomy and a sense of control over how we work, and feeling trusted and supported by management are primary drivers of satisfaction and general wellbeing at work. If a workplace doesn't have at least some of these elements, the best breakout area in the world isn't going to help matters.

I agree.

Public sector office worker here

- set holidays
- no reduction in working hours
- no perks like memberships or discounts

We do have flexible hours and sofas as breakout spaces though. No pool table, ping pong or air hockey. Just sofas.

Private sector... Share a chair. Sofas! You lucky thing.

 

[42]

Public sector office worker here

- no perks like memberships or discounts

Not true
CSSC

 

[Uncle D]

It’s the opposite in education.

Fuckers try to work you harder and harder with less time and resources to do it.

Or welcome to the real world.

 

[Frijj]

Not true
CSSC

I meant in my organisation specifically

 

[42]

I meant in my organisation specifically

Why does it have to be specifically to your organisation rather than a across the board civil service/local government etc?

Theyre still perks that you're entitled to because of where you work.

 

[Frijj]

Why does it have to be specifically to your organisation rather than a across the board civil service/local government etc?

Theyre still perks that you're entitled to because of where you work.

Because we’re comparing specific workplaces.

I have never heard of the CSSC mind. I am not civil service no not sure if I’m eligible but it doesn’t look like the kind of thing I’m interested in.

 

[bu-bu-buchanon]

I agree with most of the things the OP is trying to do. Anything that empowers the employee will benefit the employer and make the workplace a more enjoyable place to be.
The one thing I’m wary of is ‘unlimited holiday’. I’ve never had that myself, but from friends I know who do have it , it seems the opposite is the reality and it becomes a bit of a race to see who uses the least . Or it’s frowned upon to take holiday when your work isn’t done. Maybe in the right environment and everyone is totally onboard with it, it will work ....but it’s the one thing I’m not convinced about.

 

[stephen cartwright]

In my experience many companies are making ,or considering making, changes to the way they employ staff. None of the ideas below are new but I am seeing a big trend in companies looking at stuff like this. (I work in engineering recruitment, so speak with employers trying to attract talent almost everyday)

Some of the positive initiatives I have seen an upward trend in recently are:

• Unlimited holidays
• Reduced working hours
• Work from home
• Greater recognition & support of mental health issues*
• Office dogs
• Better breakout areas (pool tables, table tennis etc.) - Summed up by the WeWork offices I guess
• Improved benefits packages around private healthcare, gym memberships, social clubs etc.

*I think all of these things relate back to this point.

These are all initiatives I like, and I'd like to adopt them across the board in my current company if possible. We've recently reduced our working hours and made them more flexible. I think the unlimited holidays idea is really good & that an office dog would be class too, but we work in serviced offices that don't allow it.

I wondered what experiences people have had good or bad with their employers introducing initiatives like this - what has worked well? what would you like to see?

Gizza job

 

[42]

Because we’re comparing specific workplaces.

I have never heard of the CSSC mind. I am not civil service no not sure if I’m eligible but it doesn’t look like the kind of thing I’m interested in.

But thats a bit like saying that if you work at Tesco & get 10% discount from your shopping it doesnt count as a perk as its not specific to the particular branch you work in.

BTW it's local government & NHS as well as civil service that are eligible. It doesnt matter if you'd be interested or not, its still a perk you're entitled to because of where you work.

 

[Frijj]

But thats a bit like saying that if you work at Tesco & get 10% discount from your shopping it doesnt count as a perk as its not specific to the particular branch you work in.

BTW it's local government & NHS as well as civil service that are eligible. It doesnt matter if you'd be interested or not, its still a perk you're entitled to because of where you work.

Okay well thank you for letting me know.

Whatever the benefits are supposed to be, it looks absolute shite.

Do you run that service or something?

 

[redgauntlet]

I change election to election but certainly not trenched to the left

Nor am I, centre left is more my style. I hate strong food and drink, extremes are not for me.

 

[HellsBells]

In my experience many companies are making ,or considering making, changes to the way they employ staff. None of the ideas below are new but I am seeing a big trend in companies looking at stuff like this. (I work in engineering recruitment, so speak with employers trying to attract talent almost everyday)

Some of the positive initiatives I have seen an upward trend in recently are:

• Unlimited holidays
• Reduced working hours
• Work from home
• Greater recognition & support of mental health issues*
• Office dogs
• Better breakout areas (pool tables, table tennis etc.) - Summed up by the WeWork offices I guess
• Improved benefits packages around private healthcare, gym memberships, social clubs etc.

*I think all of these things relate back to this point.

These are all initiatives I like, and I'd like to adopt them across the board in my current company if possible. We've recently reduced our working hours and made them more flexible. I think the unlimited holidays idea is really good & that an office dog would be class too, but we work in serviced offices that don't allow it.

I wondered what experiences people have had good or bad with their employers introducing initiatives like this - what has worked well? what would you like to see?

This thread has been a bit of an eye opener for me; because I work in an industry as @Flared Hicks said that does most of this already.

Me and my wider team work flexibly, from home when we want with variable hours. The company are rolling out “smarter working” which is cynically a way of reducing property costs, but also a benefit to wellbeing and flexibility - it’s fewer desks in an office but more flexible spaces like meeting spaces, hot desks etc.

I think studies show that flexibility is one of the top reason people stay or leave their jobs and is a major contributor to happiness at work. Most big companies will have a flexible working policy now although in many the culture to make it work isn’t quite there yet.

In order to make it work, Managers need to manage by performance, not presenteeism - what you produce not how many hours you are at your desk. I manage a team all over the country, so it’s impossible to manage their hours. And that’s how unlimited leave works - you still have objectives to hit and work to deliver. If you can do what you’re expected to do and still take a million holidays then great. As your manager I’d need to start giving you more work to do in that case.

Younger workers, specifically millennials apparently value flexibility much more than older workers ever did. They expect to work from home, or outside 9-5. So companies at waking up to this and flexing (no pun intended) the way they do things in order to attract talent.

70% of millennials want flexible working options, research finds - Recruitment International

 

[Oli Wagkz]

We have WFH and it’s superb, I normally do 1 or 2 days a week at home. I honestly get more done! Normally up and logged on for 6:30am, rattle a few solid hours off and then the days mine other than when I have calls etc. If I’m in the office I feel like I get less done as I’m chatting and basically fannying on.

That’s coupled with flexi time, which I’ve had my whole working career. Would take a hefty payrise for me to agree to losing it.

The culture in my department is superb, very family orientated and despite it being very ‘top heavy’ there’s not really a hierarchy. People work across grades and it works really well. We had a rough time last month and I was told by work to just forget about the office and take whatever time I needed. No questions or fuss.

 

[Fred Secrets]

Fook me. I have just realised I’m too old. “Break out area” what the actual fuck?

I thought the exact same. I had to Google it. People are fannies. Just go in, do your job & shut up.

I worked in a lot of companies in a business park a couple of weeks ago that had these breakout areas & I never questioned what they were. No one was using them. What I did realise was that people did fuck all. There was one office in particular where not a single person was actually working. There was 3 or 4 in the table tennis room, 2 lads were standing in the middle of the floor chatting shit, 2 women were at their desks but talking about some bloke, possibly a colleague. & there was one fella just wondering around, looking like he was lost.

It was a very strange thing to witness.

 

[Oli Wagkz]

I thought the exact same. I had to Google it. People are fannies. Just go in, do your job & shut up.

I worked in a lot of companies in a business park a couple of weeks ago that had these breakout areas & I never questioned what they were. No one was using them. What I did realise was that people did fuck all. There was one office in particular where not a single person was actually working. There was 3 or 4 in the table tennis room, 2 lads were standing in the middle of the floor chatting shit, 2 women were at their desks but talking about some bloke, possibly a colleague. & there was one fella just wondering around, looking like he was lost.

It was a very strange thing to witness.

Aye we have them, all they get used for is when someone is on a call or is wanting to get away from the team to do some graft. They’re a waste of time in my opinion.

 

[mackem in milan]

The company are rolling out “smarter working” which is cynically a way of reducing property costs, but also a benefit to wellbeing and flexibility - it’s fewer desks in an office but more flexible spaces like meeting spaces, hot desks etc.

I know someone who works for the OU and doesn't have an office anymore, so is either working from home or going to conferences and meetings. She finds it isolating but young people might have a different attitude towards it.

 

[joemcdokes]

Just getting rid of the dickheads would be enough for me, although I’d have no one to slag off during bait times.