Office shake up? Where do you start? Virtually Smart Ltd have the solution.

When was the last time you had an office shake up? Virtually Smart Ltd’s Anti-chaos Warrior Helena Solomon can help.

When was the last time you had an office shake up? When was the last time you gathered team members together to ponder over policies & procedures? Not just managers & team leaders, but employees from all areas of the business. Employees on the ground, working in the environment controlled by the managing bodies. When was the last time you made any fundamental changes to your business working practices?

The office as we know it has changed beyond recognition in the past twenty years. Where once vast soulless office spaces, with lifeless private cubicles & overhead lighting burning off vital vitamins; now stands airy open plan ‘hot desking’ places, where staff can always feel they are on the move. Although some still prefer the feel of their own desk, their own space, modern thinking processes encourage fluidity in the workspace & avoiding getting tied to one space.

Creating an emotional bond with a workspace used to mean it sometimes became more of a home away from home. Family photo’s -the baby, the dog, the house at Christmas, the office party…the list goes on. Trolls, dolls, nodding dogs, pots with Daisy & lightsabre pens, littered across desks, children’s paintings & pot plants, all element of a life beyond the workspace, helping to remind those 9-5’ers that there was life beyond the wall.

However, why have historically employees felt the need to nest at their desks? Like proverbial Magpie’s employees have spent decades adding shiny objects to a metaphorical nesting site they work from. Where does this stem from? Is it really about the need for connections to home, to the life beyond the wall? Or does it run deeper? Does it have more to do with the environment & the procedures set in place by the owners & management teams?

Established companies across the globe set their procedures in motion & endeavour to review them as often as time allows. Some companies make a point of ensuring this is done annually, or sometimes every six months. Keeping up with global trends from other market leaders is for some corporate giants the only way they remain competitive. But how do the other levels of the economy fair, when maybe they don’t have the relevant financial budgeting to facilitate change? Medium sized enterprises & industry who play an intrinsic role in the everchanging economy, often find themselves too reliant on the ‘if it isn’t broken, don’t fix it’ rule. Then there are those family based & small businesses, who carry with them generations of skills & expertise, but all too often struggle to embrace change. Amongst all these there are others who remain metaphorically stuck in the dark ages of office & employment space history; regurgitating tired & outmoded practices & procedures in their workspaces. How could this change?

There are many vastly successful companies who have transformed the face of the office workspace & yet remained at the top of their game. Google is one prime example of this.

‘Google has over 70 offices in more than 40 countries around the world. Mayra Felix, a strategic program manager for the Americas with Google’s Global Account Management team, works in the company’s California headquarters.’

‘Laszlo Bock, Google’s HR boss, explains in his book, “Work Rules!” that the key to a successful workplace is constantly innovating, experimenting, and keeping things fun.’

“What’s beautiful about this approach is that a great environment is a self-reinforcing one: All of these efforts support one another, and together create an organization that is creative, fun, hardworking, and highly productive,” he writes.

“As a Googler, I start my day by taking the shuttle from San Francisco to Mountain View (which has Wi-Fi, so I can work if I’m awake enough!). Once at the office, I get freshly made breakfast and coffee to kick off the day. I then go to my desk, reply to urgent emails, and attend meetings.”

“I get lunch at one of the three cafés on my side of the campus and will venture to new ones across campus if I have time. I try to take breaks by walking my coworker’s dog, getting a snack in the micro kitchen, or working out at the gym if I’m feeling energetic.”

“We have great perks most people have heard about like free food, gym, onsite doctors, discounts, and free massages! Those come in handy.”

“But my favorite perks are the ones for professional and personal development. For example, there is a peer-to-peer learning program where Googlers teach other Googlers on topics that can range from yoga to coding — and it’s all completely free!”

Google employee Mayra Felix.

The office environment

“I work at Google headquarters in Mountain View. The office space is unique: beautiful buildings and outdoor areas, arcade games, pool tables, a bowling alley — it’s definitely not a typical workplace.”

“Googlers are very active, so you often see people riding bikes, walking their dogs, or exercising around campus. They’re also just as active with their working style. Since I work with sales people, the environment is fun and fast-paced — they are always hitting the ground running.”

“Plus, we have three official team dogs — Wally, Sabre, and Peaches. They are fun to be around, especially when we need to take a break from work.”

Google employee Mayra Felix. Extracts from uk.businessinsider.com

Another company who have spearheaded vast changes in the running of work environments, is Facebook.

‘Facebook — which has a market cap of $501 billion as of December 2017 — employs almost 23,165 people. About 1,000 of them work in the Frank Gehry-designed Manhattan location, which also houses members of the company’s Instagram team. Facebook occupies four floors of the building, which was once a Wanamaker’s department store.

The Facebook New York office — home to the engineering, sales, and HR teams, among others — features an open layout.

“Though everybody has a desk in the middle of the floor, you’ll also see that there are lots of quiet, tucked away corners where you can go sit on a couch, sit on a chair, and get some work done away from the hustle and bustle of your team,” Jeff Reynar (engineering director)

Another thing Facebook is famous for: the food. We saw several snack bars around the office throughout our tour. All food and drinks are completely free (and unlimited!) for employees.

The perks aren’t limited to the food. Employees can also enjoy board games or virtual reality sessions in the office.

But this office’s defining trait is its art. There are creative works scattered throughout the floors, created by visiting artists and employees alike.

Jeff Reynar (engineering director) says that the Manhattan office’s eclectic, industrial look is meant to both provide employees with a positive, vibrant workspace and reflect the motto, “this journey is 1% finished.” “It’s supposed to look like a work in progress,” Jeff Reynar (engineering director) “We’re only getting started.” Extracts from uk.businessinsider.com

Not everyone has the financial capacity to create such work spaces & or invest in the infrastructure to radically reinvent their office practises & procedures, but there are plenty of ways that changes can be made, helping to create a more content, appreciated & productive workforce. However, where do you start? Do you recognise that productivity isn’t necessarily at its optimum? Can you see there needs to be change, but you simply do not know where to start? Then Virtually Smart Ltd could be your answer.

Virtually Smart Ltd, with over 20 years of business support experience, has Business Support & Office rescue options to help you get on track. These services are offered to companies, big & small, who are finding themselves either caught in the ‘nesting’ office space, or who readily recognise they need some insights into how they could change their procedures & environment; to create a better & more productive working environment.

Business Support

Office coordination

· Office/ process/ policy review – audit – make recommendations/ action recommendations.

· Process/ policy set up.

· Support defining roles and writing job specs.

· Leadership/ Board level support – servicing meetings, producing documents, driving actions

· Culture review.

· Reviewing facilities – buildings/ suppliers – supporting office moves.

Office rescue

· On-site review of your office workings, processes etc and make recommendations for improvements.

· On-site, sleeves rolled up sorting, tidying, getting systems in place.

· After visit monitoring for reviewing and tweaking when necessary.