Future of work
New era of employee benefits: Office chair
In the future ability to come to office for work or to have a personal meeting might be listed among job benefits
I was lucky that in every job in past 10 years I could work from home. Sometimes it was more regulated, sometimes where I worked did not matter. Now I have to work from home almost all the time.
I miss several things, mainly the human connection. But also dedicated space for work and the feeling of leaving an office and call it a day. But what I miss the most is brainstorming with others.
Tool or benefit?
In the work relationship employee expects to get tools for work and monetary and non-monetary benefits.
Sometimes you see that border between these two is not strict. Company’s phone is both benefit and tool, usually listed among benefits.
Nice office can be also advertised as a benefit. Why not? But things might change.
Office chair for rent
Let’s think about a company that would have to switch to using your own computers for 3 months. If everything would go smoothly, they would seriously reassess whether they need to provide you a computer. They might even decide that if don’t have your own computer you can purchase one from them with a large discount — it will be a benefit — ” computer for work and personal use with discount”.
But we are on a thin ice with these conditional benefits. Benefits are costly for the company as much as many people using them. Company provides you pension insurance, but only if your contribution is deducted from your salary.
Let’s get back to home office case. When after several month company realized that working from home is business as usual. They might cancel the lease of expensive office space and keep only few chairs and meeting rooms. However, it’s not essential now and not everyone needs the office.
You want to or need to work from an office — you will be charged by your employer.
Sound fair, you might say. You live alone, have good home office. It might be good idea that people who need office will pay for it, not you.
However this approach will disturb two key value s— equity and creativity.
Equity
When you are in the office, you all have the same environment for your work. You have the same internet access, same quality of chairs, same space. When all the work is remote, your ability to work will depend on your environment greatly.
Senior leaders can most likely to afford a private room in the house to set up a proper home office. People without children will have an enormous advantage over people with children.
If you are renting a small expensive apartment with other people with only a small room for sleeping you are in a big trouble.
Why is it a problem? Because work performance is now impacted not only by the employee abilities and motivation but by the environment. Starting by quality of internet connection, ergonomic chair, but also your relationship with your family plays a crucial role in your success at work.
Office gives everyone the equal conditions for work.
Creativity
Stories in our culture cherish individual as a source of ideas and innovations. Our legal system is set up to protect intellectual ownership, which is a pure myth.
It serves some important role in society tough. It might motivate people to develop new things and not being afraid that someone will steal them easily. However, it does not change the fact that it is a story that we as society believe not that it is true.
For this I recommend great book from Walter Issacson — The Innovators. Where you can read how innovations in a computer field influence each other and stealing of ideas was normal both for Steve Jobs and Bill Gates.
For creativity there are two ways where random contact is important. It is so hard to create it on an home office where all meetings are scheduled and have an agenda.
Stealing of ideas
Stealing has a terrible reputation. However, you might hear something useful from a colleague which you can apply to your work.
You can give credit or not, sometimes what they say is not related to your work, but it sparks something in you. This all can emerge from simple “how you doing” chat.
Feedback to you ideas
When I have an idea, I am quite open and speak about it a lot. Yes there is this risk, that the idea is good so people will use it. But I don’t really care, because I might not be able to apply that, being too busy or lazy. But there is one important thing: Colleagues can tell you that it is bullshit. This rarely happens over an e-mail. And this is really great thing, because you can improve it.
So although I am saying this with irony that office will be company’s benefit, I also hope that it will be very common benefit. Company should offer access to collaborative space or simple desk for a deep work without additional costs for employee. Future might show that companies with an office free to use will have competitive advantage over remote workers.
Because without it, company would sacrifice development of their employees and itself trough innovations.
