The workplace is the greatest of all social institutions today. We spend more time at the workplace (over one-third of a day---roughly eight hours productivity, one hour lunch and one to two hours commuting), than anywhere else. Most of us see our co-workers more than our family and friends. We see and learn a side of each other that most of our family and friends really don’t see. It is, therefore, important that one finds a positive and healthy place to work. I think about this daily while at work and what we can do to improve it. So, I decided to breakdown into a list of components the ideal workplace to better study each part of what and where we spend our lives full time.
- Intellectual Stimulation or Challenge A work environment must challenge us. Our higher intellectual capacity should be sparked occasionally by tasks which makes us think deeper or further about what we are doing and how it benefits the organization and the people in it. This involves the ethical side of work. I found it common in the private industry that the primary focus be profit, and in some places it would seem that there would be little secondary focus whatever. We have to make money, yes; but the workplace is where we spend most of our time and in the best years of our life---why not make it great? Why not make it a place to learn as we work and enjoyable for all?
- Integrity If a tree falls in a forest, does it make a sound? If an employee finds extra time, do they work? I’ve found that after a few months on the job many employees find the time to do things more enjoyable to them than work, such as surfing the internet, walking around the office talking and taking extra smoke breaks. I’ve also found that when and if this behavior is corrected by management, employees usually revert to their old ways and repeat old habits within a few weeks. And this behavior is infectious. It is critical that we stay focused and do the right thing when no one is looking.
- Discipline Along with the woman next to you wearing a blouse cut so low that you see more cleavage at work than a Geology lab and with each smoke break the dude opposite you takes, you watch the conduct section of your company’s employee manual grow. Lack of discipline creates a less than fun work environment: Everyone is forced to work because no one wants to work. I say take initiative, less you see more common sense rules and micromanagement. Lack of Discipline is perhaps the most wide-spread problem of all the workplace components listed here.
- Work Ethic Proactively engaging in our work is beneficial and efficient. Taking initiative to do something makes an organized and coherent workplace. Waiting at desk for something to happen usually means that the task is overdue, and it usually causes confusion and hence errors. Lack of Work Ethic is something that I’ve found overwhelmingly common in the workplace, and I strive to make it better by example of motivation or to find a workplace that is.
- Cordiality “Good morning! Nice to see you---again!” Treating each other with respect and addressing one another at the same level is another important part of the ideal workplace. A hierarchy is necessary for most workplaces to operate but it is also important to keep in mind that all are equal in dignity despite any accomplishments inside the office. We may never know the experiences of a co-worker, personally or professionally, that have led them to interacting with us on a daily basis. Plus, being warm and friendly removes most awkwardness from interactions. Be happy and kind.
- Sense of Humor “Hey! How’s it goin’?” “Livin’ a dream, workin’ a nightmare.” A little of joking goes a long way. It is important that we take our work seriously and approach tasks with the best of our abilities. And most everybody does. This creates stress, and we all have our methods of releasing it---mostly after work. But having someone or something to disrupt a long-engaged thought or an overworked mind, even for just a moment, can be very relieving. Stress can be exerted quickly and positively through the laugh---it can be healing.
Defining the ideal workplace is something that I felt compelled to do. After a dozen years of full time employment in the lower ranks of the public and private sector, searching for the perfect job, company and co-workers, I feel that most workplaces are substandard in what they have to offer the current working class. I think that these six components are just a start to defining the ideal workplace; there are several other components, but all are relevant towards one another. If we could focus on these primary six, then most secondary components, I believe, would improve. Things could be and should be better for the workplace. It is, after all, where we spend the most of our time. So, why not make it better, why not make it great?
T.S.
