I was showing a couple of people around our various buildings recently because they had been asked to look into whether hot-desking could work in their massive company. I showed them the lockers, the desk areas, the hanging out spaces and the mess – ooh yes, that lovely mess. It’s a constant battle to keep it to the minimum and negotiate with people about what needs to go off site and what can stay.
They loved looking around and I loved listening to their concerns. What do you do with photos of your family? What about people’s plants? What if someone won’t hot desk? The best thing about showing people around is their interesting questions. They always notice things you have just taken for granted. These visitors asked me “How do you get everyone to clear up their cups and plates? Is that policy?”
We tell new joiners this is what we do – we treat the place as if it is our own home. We remind people who forget. And there was one time when someone in my team left their lunch stuff on the kitchen drainer and came back to find it all balanced on their laptop.
People just do it – it’s our culture and it’s totally ingrained. You go to New York or Shanghai and you’ll see the same thing. Nobody in the UK ever asked them to do that – they just exported the behaviour!
About ?What If!
?What If! is the world’s largest independent innovation company. It was set up in 1992 and made up of 300 people worldwide, with offices in London, Manchester, New York and Shanghai.
www.whatifinnovation.com