Dogs at work, office baristas and company trips can have adverse consequences
In recent years, we have bid adieu to the workplace of old. We look back fondly on TV shows and movies such as The Office, Office Space, and Glengarry Glen Ross as relics of our not-so-ancient business ancestors. You remember those old tropes: the sterile, stuffy office environment, the business suits, the cubicles, and the obligatory break room with a coffee machine that spit out watery Folgers.
In some instances, these changes are improvements. Modern company policies are built more from cognitive psychology and economy theory than The Art of War. Many companies run their businesses less like the Marines and more like a ’90s jam band — a scrappy organization complete with meticulously crafted licks, booming percussion, pulsing rhythm sections, and a willingness to make and break rules as you learn what works and what doesn’t.
I recently wrote an article that discussed the massive distraction that is the open office plan. The piece hit a nerve, and it highlights the temptation for human resource leaders and C-suite execs to overstep on culture growth and undercut the things that are truly important to average employees.
These programs and services are meant to project a casual environment, lure in recruits, and keep workers plugging away. While superficially tantalizing, they run the risk of being distracting at best and an HR nightmare at worst.
If you’re mulling over the implementation of one of these programs, consider the following question: “What is the result we’re truly trying to get for our workforce?”
Here are three examples of practices that have the potential to get you the opposite result of what you intend:
Animal house
Offices, big and small, have begun boasting in their recruiting documents about their office pet. Some companies even include profiles of the pet in their online recruiting literature. Other companies will recruit with the adjective “dog-friendly” before “office.” Many cite studies suggesting office dogs reduce stress and increase co-operation.
While the presence of office animals might be a godsend for some, they also perpetuate distractions and attention switches. This “switchtasking” can cause work to take longer, employees to make more mistakes, and increases to stress levels. Distractions are costly, both in terms of productivity and the bottom line.
Let me be clear: Service dogs are not what I’m referring to. Individuals with physical or psychological challenges often rely on these pets to assist with daily tasks. Animals such as these are well-trained to help, not hinder.
Yet everyday house pets are rarely as trained to behave in the office. Few animals calmly sit and look cute. Employees have reported to me that office dogs often wander in search of food and attention.
What’s more, folks with allergies now must deal with sneezing and asthma attacks from fur and pet dander. Those with a deep-seated fear of animals must confront trauma daily.
Animals, when left to their own devices, have the potential to cause disruptions, messes, allergies and a loss of focus by being too darn cute.
Instead of instituting an “everyone bring your pet” policy, the solution to the problem is an ample work-from-home policy. Make it an option, not a mandate. People benefit the most when they find their unique productivity rhythm. Some work best with music or with a fidget spinner. Some simply work better while at home.
Coffee time
“Hey, I’m going on a coffee run, want to join me?” Some companies feel like this very question is enough of a distraction in the modern workplace that they’ve decided to cut out the “run” part by hiring an in-office barista. Employees can order their premium, half-caf coffee in the office and take it back to their work station. Beyond the obvious expense issues, there are a few problems with this system.
Think of the logistics. People get to work at nine in the morning only to see a line of folks clamouring to get that morning pick-me-up. You can imagine how distracting the concentration of ceaseless chatter emanating from that side of the office might be. Nearby employees may find it difficult to focus on a project, take phone calls, or have meetings with clients or shareholders.
A healthy office is a happy office. Instead of installing a state-of-the-art Lavazza espresso machine, adopt a culture that rewards taking regular breaks and getting a good night’s sleep. A daily “work oasis” takes roughly 10 to 20 minutes and is something people can do a few times per day. It might be watching YouTube, tinkering with office toys or, yes, going to grab a cup of coffee with a friend.
Establish a pattern and structure that allow employees the freedom to discover their own fun. It doesn’t really matter what you or your employees choose, as long as they are the ones who choose it. From there, you can build out bigger, more elaborate breaks.
Culture club
Planning the next company offsite outing? Perhaps you can plan a short drive up to wine country followed by an elegant dinner at a nearby chateau? Well, that sounds lovely — if you’re prepared to handle the resentment.
Many people find some of the more silly or grotesque company expenditures difficult to handle when they feel they are underpaid for their work. They ask, “Why would they not spend that money on me?”
“Culture” can mean a lot of things to a lot of people. For smaller companies, culture may be about smaller — yet relatively pricey — gestures, such as an indoor virtual golf range. For larger companies, like Google, for example, entire departments are created simply to offer employees more culture.
There’s a good chance your company culture cost does not meet an employee’s total employee cost, which goes way beyond your monthly salary. Still, as a leader of a company, sending the right message means putting employee happiness above perks.
Company culture does make a difference. However, culture is more metaphysical. It’s about a shared belief about successfully building the company, not just fun things to do or cool things to put in the office.
You need to pay employees a competitive wage before you spend your money on excess. Are the salaries you offer competitive or are you scraping the bottom of the barrel and working with what you can afford? Not every business can afford to pay each employee a minimum of $50,000 per year with benefits. However, if there is money in the budget, you may want to caution on the side of salary rather than culture.
Think about which negatively — or positively — impacts productivity more: Hiring low-tier talent and then potentially cleaning up after their mistakes, or hiring top-tier talent and benefiting from their expertise?
Of course, paying more isn’t a guarantee you’ll hire better employees, but it certainly has an impact on the pool of applicants you’ll receive.
Culture does matter, but only after the essentials are taken care of. What employees need is enough money to pay off their student loans, benefits they can share with their spouses, and job security that will ensure they will be able to send their children off to college with relatively minimal student debt.
Once you’ve taken care of employees, you can then make the efforts to talk about cultural spending.
Dave Crenshaw is a master of building productive leaders. He has written three books and counting, including The Myth of Multitasking. His fourth book, The Power of Having Fun, will be released in September 2017. As an author, speaker and online instructor, Dave has transformed hundreds of thousands of business leaders worldwide. For more information, visit www.davecrenshaw.com.
