If the bedroom is considered the private, nocturnal realm of the home then the workplace, wherever it may be, is its public, diurnal opposite. It is where we spend the bulk of our waking hours. There is a liveliness to the workplace and it is a dynamic environment. Collaboration is a major theme in the workplace. Teamwork enables us to stretch beyond each individual’s capacity and capability, resulting in something fresh, new, and different. Everyone has a specialty, a role they play in the dance of commerce. Through collaboration, we become greater than the sum of our parts.
In the workplace, there is always an element of exchange. We all need money to live. It is, after all, the fuel of our lives. We trade goods and services in the marketplace in exchange for money. In the kitchen we circulate our resources, stepping out into the world to acquire what we need. In the workplace, we fill up our coffers, offering our skills or wares in exchange for money.
There is an obligatory nature to the workplace because money is tied to survival. Like it or not, we are there because we have to be. The workplace demands direct engagement and active participation. If we don’t put in the work we are unable to maintain our positions or retain our clients, customers, or patients.
The current nature of work and, by extension, the workplace itself, is changing and has been for a while. We have begun to transition away from desks and offices located in centralized work zones. These days, work-from-home and hybrid work setups are the norm. Almost any task can be completed in the palm of our hands at the touch of a button. Our phones and laptops have transformed from tools within a physical workplace to the workplace itself.
For the majority of us, the digital realm has either become our dedicated workplace or plays a starring role within a larger, physical one. At this point is nearly impossible to separate our working lives from the digital ethers. Our phones and laptops allow us to manage our professional email accounts, maintain our digital resumes, and update our personal websites and social media accounts.
The workplace has evolved from a singular, dedicated physical environment to a cerebral, conceptual one. A once solely physical environment has been brought online. With the ability to work from anywhere in the world, anyone can be a digital nomad. For better or worse, the constraints of geography have faded away.
If the kitchen and bathroom are fixed spaces, the modern workplace is anything but. The expectation of constant accessibility has reached cacophonous levels. We can be reached anywhere, anytime. Time off is interrupted by emails and phone calls, and working hours are interspersed with text messages and social media notifications. We close our laptops at the end of the day and immediately pick up our phones, where an endless stream of notifications loom over our heads.
Adapting to this shift requires our technology to take center stage. Keeping our computers, phones, and tablets in good working order is paramount as they are our primary tools in this modern age. The workplace has become less about where we work and more about how we work. Systems, structures, and processes become imperative when designing a workplace, perhaps even more so than the physical environment itself. After all, processes determine culture.
For better or worse, the once-strict boundaries of our professional lives have become blurred and hazy. Home and work have cross-pollinated, and our work and leisure hours have shifted too. The workplace is simultaneously everywhere and nowhere. With the endless onslaught of notifications and endless information streams available to us, it is on us to discern what is our business and what is not, when we are working and when we are off. Remember we work to live, not the other way around.
TO CONTEMPLATE:
What are your standard operating procedures for work? Do you have any particular rituals or routines surrounding your workday?
What are your main physical touch points throughout the day? Are they in good working order? If you work in an office, consider the state of your desk. If you work on your feet, consider the state of your shoes. If you travel frequently for work, consider the state of your car or luggage.
What is being communicated through your workspace? Be sure to consider your main lines of sight. If you have an office or desk, what is in your line of vision when you sit at your workstation? What is your backdrop (i.e. what another sees when they join you for a meeting or Zoom)?
-MRD
