I enjoyed
listening to Jason Fried talking about why work doesn’t happen at work. I
haven’t worked in an office but I guess it’s almost comparable with studying in
the library at the university with some classmates. I lose focus immediately if
they talk to me. And if I sit at home, like I am doing right now, I can
work for as long as I want to and then take breaks when I need to. But the
thing that is kind of paradoxical is that I tend to study much better in
school. Therefor Jason’s theory isn’t entirely applicable, at least not on me.
But still,
I think that it’s sort of insane that people have to go to work every weekday
from eight to five! Who finds it optimal to live their life that way? Anyone? You lose so much time from your family and
friends who are the ones, sorry for the cliché, who really matters. I’m very
pro giving the employees flexible time and freedom in how to get the work done.
Of course I understand that you can’t let everyone decide entirely for
themselves, and that on several workplaces this is not possible at all. But if
I were a manager, I would let people work at home if they wanted to. Since I’m
studying economics, I get why people have to work a lot and understand the
problematization between the profitability and work time. Everything has to be
done in time. But in my dream-office, everyone
would be able to decide where they wish to spend their working hours themselves.
Jason Fried
also talks about facebook and that it is banned on some workplaces, because it
steels too much attention. Seriously, that is kind of strange. He compares it
with taking a break for a smoke and that no one would have banned that 15 years ago. Thus, in my dream-office you would definitely be able to visit facebook and
other social media on work time.
Also, in my
dream-office there would be cake on Fridays.
An interesting point on Jason Fried´s speech, that even though you can get interrupted while at work it does not mean that you will get more work done if you do it at home. At work you have phones ringing, colleagues trying to ask you questions and other types of loud noise around you. But at least most of these things has to do with your work, which makes it easier for you to continue to concentrate on your work. However, while at home you have another type of interrupting environment; you have a TV, internet sites, friends who wants to hang out and maybe even children. If you get interrupted by these, then you can lose focus totally on your actual work, and that might be why it is actually more productively to do your work at your actual work area. But if you have a good self discipline than more flexible hours will be the way to make a better balance between work and social time.
SvaraRadera//Robin Westlund
Good reflection! Don’t you think that the organizations team spirit will disappear? I think that some work need to be done at the work office and that communication is best in interaction between people. But of course these kind of work doesn´t has to be done every day and the everyday routine isn’t exactly something that has to be done in a specific place. Me myself like to go to the work and meet people for motivation and fast communication.
SvaraRaderaI also think that eight to five workdays are not optimal. I like to be flexible and plan my own way of working. I am a student and can plan my studies just how I like and it suite me perfect. I usually get most studies done when staying up late and working all night.
SvaraRaderaI read an article the other day about a company that had six-hour days. It went very well for them and they had time to do everything the easily did in a eight hour days. Probably because of that the employees were rested and therefore more effective.
I am a person think that making performance is more important than to be present. More companies should think about that.
Of course, I also think that it should be cake every Friday, perhaps every day!
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SvaraRaderaFairly interesting point of view but I wonder if the regular Joes could handle that kind of responsibility. If you allow to much flexibility I fear that some people (possibly someone like myself) would actually become a bit too comftarable with the working situation and would lose some sense of direction. Then again, we are talking about your dream office and not mine so that point becomes obsolete.
SvaraRaderaBut I am intrigued by your clever use of casual cake fridays at work and I think you might have a patent worthy idea right there, it may quite possibly be the greatest work stimulation strategy of this century!