Friday, May 30, 2008

Accountability (Part 2)

Welcome to the second installment of my series in the subject of accountability. Last week I spoke about office hours. This time I want to focus on office perks.

I don’t think it’s any secret that when you feel good, you do good work and when your employer provides the resources for you to enjoy your working environment as well as take care of some of your personal issues, it is more likely that it’ll be easier for you to focus, and to render your best results.

Remember the Swedish company I worked for? That company was an example of good working environment, awesome offices and office furniture and great culture, so I’ve experienced some of this.

There was another company I worked for where my boss used to say “We like people to not be worried about their financial situation, so that they can come here and be more productive” and their salaries were higher than the industry standard.

The other day I saw some blogs (See resources at the end) which posted pictures of Google offices and I was astonished at how cool they were and the kind of perks they enjoy!
(Pictures taken from Andrey Drozdov, Nice workplace looks like it.. Google offices in Zurich)


I’m a designer, so the actual office space is critical for my productivity and I really appreciate it when those details have been taken care of and if you look at the pictures of Google offices, you’ll see what I mean. It’s not only that they’re really cool, but they enjoy some additional perks such as day care for your children or beauty parlors.

So what am I actually saying here?

If you employ people (especially designers) take into consideration their working conditions and the balance you can help them achieve between their careers and their personal lives. Why? Because these factors deeply impact retention, commitment and productivity, that’s why. Ask the guys at Google!

See you next time for part 3!


Resources:
Andrey Drozdov, Nice workplace looks like it.. Google offices in Zurich
Metropolismag.com
Fresh Pics

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

ahh i would love to work at google! especially after seeing their office space Your office design and decor matter - A LOT. Even a small investment in updating for visual effect and efficiency can make a huge difference, especially in these times of talent wars. Plus, people will actually work longer hours. According to a study by Gensler, a San Francisco design and consulting firm, 48% of employees surveyed said they would work an hour longer each day if they had a better office. Think of the positive impact this could make on team members who have to work 3 extra hours per day in busy season.


Cheers,
KEndra

Carolina Ayerbe said...

Thanks so much for the comment, Kendra! It's great to actually have some data to support the theory, huh? Another thing, clutter and disorganization can also impact productivity in a negative way. I did a series of articles about 5S (A japanese organization methodology) in the office, which can greatly improve results. Cheers!