Can any of us call our workplaces perfect? We may be able to say honestly that we like our workplace, but can we ever describe it as perfect? There are always going to be those little nitty gritty things that bring it down. For example, I work in the conservatory here at Cullen Scholefield which is lovely. It’s like working in the garden and I can share my work day with the birds and squirrels that visit. It’s very whimsical but I am also subject to the outdoor elements. Even now, while it’s lovely that the sun is out I sometimes have to move to see my laptop screen!
When these little things get us down we might daydream about the perfect workplace and there are some companies who claim to have captured this.
Google is usually the first company that springs to mind when one thinks about innovative workplaces. Google’s new London office is designed to encourage their employees to want to come into work and be productive and looking at the pictures I think they’ve succeeded! It’s combined Google’s quirky style with British tradition for a stunning result. Check out the pictures on the Google website.
This office space may make you sick with envy but whilst being very snazzy can it be called a perfect workspace? Do comfy sofas and large windows equal perfection?
Harvard Business Review has dedicated three years to finding out what criteria make up the perfect workplace and unsurprisingly creative architecture and plentiful break rooms doesn’t factor that much…
As you can guess it’s the people who make the workplace perfect and how those people treat you. Harvard Business Review identifies six virtues that the perfect organisation possesses and all six involve people.
- Let people be themselves
- Be open and honest
- Discover and encourage people’s strengths
- Make people proud to work here
- Make people feel like their work is meaningful
- Don’t confuse people with stupid rules
It is obvious when you think about it. We want to work in a place where we don’t have to change who we are, where we can be comfortable with our colleagues, where there are no confusing office politics and where we can be proud of our work and company.
The classic saying is that ‘the people make the place’ and while it is a cliché, it has remained true. The perfect workplace may still be a daydream but it is not unattainable and we are getting closer.
See how close you are to the perfect workplace with Harvard Business Review’s ‘Dream Company Diagnostic’ checklist. Those of you who are CIPD members have access through online journals at the CIPD website. The article is called ‘creating the best workplace on earth’ and is in the May 2013 issue. For those of you who don’t have access, the ‘Dream Company Diagnostic’ checklist is free to view.