A new national survey suggests offices are extremely bad places where only bad things can happen; but then these offices may have been designed without taking account of our Myers-Briggs personality traits. Adam McCulloch continues his series light hearted takes on the world of HR
Apparently all our office gripes will come to an end if we cease all human interaction.
This is the dramatic finding of a national employee survey by job site RemoteWorker highlighting “how millions of workers in the UK are unhappy working in offices or workplaces”.
It seems odd to bring this up as so many office workers are actually working at home for part of the week – one of the more attractive lingering qualities of Covid.
“Bullying behaviour” (42%) and “pointless meetings” (29%) top the list of gripes, with “team bonding”, “seeing managers” and “work colleagues” also featuring. Other human beings then, are basically the problem.
A lighthearted take on HR
The survey showed that nearly a fifth (19%) of UK employees admit to disliking their colleagues and 23% hate having to see their line manager. A quarter of employees said that working in an office was impacting their mental health. Nearly all surveyed (96%) said that working from home full or part-time was one of the most positive parts of their job.
So where does this survey take us; how does it advance the world of work? At some point most human activity involves interaction with other human entities. Surely this can occur without “impacting our mental health”? At Personnel Today we wondered how mental health would be impacted without human interaction. But we have limited experience of such matters; although we sometimes see managers at Personnel Today, they generally resemble other humans and our mental health has largely survived exposure to them.
Joe Boll, CEO at RemoteWorker, seems to suggest we should give up trying to work together in physical proximity. He said the survey “highlights how many employees are disillusioned with office environments and should hopefully make employers take notice and hopefully seriously consider offering more remote working opportunities where available.”
Myers-Briggs to the rescue
The great news is, a solution is at hand to the office malaise in the form of spaces designed according to Myers-Briggs personality tests! Humans can start sharing spaces again! This is because ebuyer.com has teamed up with Myers-Briggs personality type indicator practitioner Shauna Skinner to consult on the best office set-up for each personality type.
Eight office set-ups based on each dominant personality type have been visualised. For example, for those “sensor introverted” personality types (people who look inwards, guided by current realities and circumstances) keeping a clean desk with minimal objects is key to minimising distractions, Skinner advises. Colours should also be kept muted and earthy, to allow these nuanced souls “to really be at one with their inner selves”.
In contrast, “feeler extroverted” people, thrive in social environments and are “spurred by the buzz of the office”. Workspaces should be organised, decorated with plants, storage supplies, and inspirational quotes to “bring the #postitivevibes”. Vibrant colours, natural light, upbeat music, and hanging plants are a must for boosting creativity, Skinner reveals.
Plenty of chill space
She advises: “Make use of that extra corner space and create a lounge area with comfy seating and plenty of chill space. Use it to grab a cuppa’ with your housemate or partner, or even to catch up with four-legged friends!”
Meanwhile, “quirky ornaments, vibrant colours, funky print and lamps and light which shine through with personality – this could be a Victorian chandelier or a modern tripod lamp” are advised for those fun “intuitive extroverts” in your office.
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Courtney Williamson, Ebuyer marketing manager, says: “As many industries have moved to hybrid working if you’re struggling with motivation altering your desk type to complement your personality type can be great for that extra boost. Even if you work from the company office, you can incorporate features such as house plants into your desk in-house.”
So the office is not dead! Human interaction is not necessarily damaging to mental health and we are not condemned to life on Zoom! We will survive this, with a little Myers-Briggs Feng Shui. Hooray.
