in reply to On Creating an Effective Work Environment
In the best place i've ever worked ( and was in the running for the best employer award ) we had:
- No cubicles, no offices, not even the MD had an office
- Small meeting rooms with no ceilings (we were in a converted warehouse)
- 1 private room with lockable door and only outward facing windows (ie outward to the street, not the office)
- A dedicated kitchen area with a coffee machine, tea and a fridge
- Open plan, everyone had workstations, and you could standup and look from one end of the office to the other.
- Some bright colours and "nice asthetics"
- People, good people. Everyone in the office got along with each other, and were excited about what we were doing
- Great leadership. The MD was a charismatic and strong leader who knew alot about leading and organising. The fact that he didnt know _that much_ about the technology (IMO) made it even better
- Top Communication. Everyone had at least a small view on the "Big Picture (tm)" and knew how they were _personally_ involved.
The company was also very good to its employees with frequent team building exercises (small things like bowling and bbq's), and offered free softdrinks and a pool table, which was kind of like out water fountain.
IM_O_ probably the single biggest thing in creating a healthy, happy, productive company would have to be the culture. Sounds strange and even foreign to some, but i actually _enjoyed_ getting out of bed and going into the office to face the next challenge.
Update: If you get it "right", make me an offer.. :-)
In Section
Meditations