Senses of Living® Décor
April 2005
© 2005 by Bret S. Beall

OFFICE AMBIENCE

In the movie "Steel Magnolias," Olympia Dukakis' character, Clairee Belcher, announced, "The only thing that separates us from the animals is our ability to accessorize." From both a scientific and spiritual perspective (the two s's in GOD-DESS), I could quibble. However, I'm citing this quote because it has come to my attention that those humans who do not accessorize well in many cases display some of the worst traits of animals. What am I talking about? Read on, please.

First, I want to make it clear that in this context, I am discussing accessorizing office décor, NOT wardrobes. THAT is a whole 'nuther issue. Also, I'm not talking about homes. The demands of office décor are vastly different from the requirements of home décor. And the beastly behavior I've been observing is from management, not front line staffers.

Over the past several months, I have had the opportunity to work in a variety of capacities in several offices in downtown Chicago. Most of this work was project management or general organizational consulting. Of course, as a designer and lifestyle advisor, I cannot keep myself from analyzing the décor and the ambient environment of any place that I visit. In doing so, I eventually synthesized my observations into a pattern, particularly after I had spent some time working and conversing with various staffers within their "natural" environments. I'm now going to discuss the variables I used that led to my observations, analyses and recommendations cited at the end.

Common Areas

"Common Areas" are those parts of the company used by all, most or many of the employees (contrasting with private space, like personal cubicles [see the next topic]). We can actually break "common areas" into subtopics:

• Foyer: How do you feel when you walk into the company's public spaces? Is it clear that an attempt has been made to make you feel comfortable? Or is the foyer/entry clearly viewed as a waste of space that could have more productive use? I have seen foyers that are bedecked with fine art and excellent design. I have seen others used as storage areas for overflow. It doesn't take much to identify which extreme was more pleasant to visit.
  
  
• Kitchens: You can learn a lot by visiting a corporation's kitchen. How clean is it? What accoutrements are provided by the company (such as utensils, dishes, coffee, tea, creamer, etc.). How does the coffee taste? Is there a common area for employees to eat? Is it grand and spacious like I found at one company, with stools and tables and a full kitchen right in the lunchroom, or is it a dark, dank, dismal cubbyhole that seems more of an afterthought than an original goal? How are communal dishes handled?
  
  
• Windows and lighting: I may be a bit more sensitive to light levels than most, but I NEED light. I prefer natural light, but if it is artificial, I want it to be bright. And let's make sure there aren't any flickering fluorescent tubes; flickering lights are a sign of companies either too cheap, too lazy or too unconcerned to fix the ballast problem. Certainly not everyone can have windows, but it is nice when windows are incorporated into common areas (like lunchrooms).
  
  
• Walls: Are the walls painted nicely? Or are they scuffed and scratched? Are they beautiful, or merely functional? How do you feel when you look at them? Is art decorating the walls? And is the art good, or is it crap? [Sure, that's subjective, but there are ways to lessen the subjectivity.]
  
  
• Floor covering: Carpeting? Linoleum? Wood? Tile? If tile, is it ceramic, vinyl, stone or some other material? Is the flooring in good shape, or is it scratched, stained, scuffed or otherwise sub par? Do you feel good walking on the floor, or do you feel like you have just walked into the "before" of a design makeover?
  
  
• Foliage: Has the company invested in real plants, and are they well taken care of? "Rent-a-plant" companies are great services for business, and I can always tell who invests in these services, and who tries to do it themselves, and who doesn't do it at all. Are public areas festooned with dusty artificial plants? Or are plants dying in corners due to neglect? Because of the health benefits of indoor plants (increasing humidity, cleansing the air of lots of out-gassing products, softening the view and calming the viewer … all of which reduce illness and increase productivity), I am a major proponent of incorporating greenery into every décor situation. Of course, not all plants offer the same health benefits, which is why some companies hire me to clarify.
  
  
• General sensory input: Since I use sensory/environmental psychology in all aspects of my work, I always monitor what goes on with my five main senses (we have a lot more than five, you know!) when I enter a new environment. Most of what I've described is about sight and vision, because it is generally our dominant sense. But what about scent? What is the ambient aroma of the workplace? Is the air "fresh"? The workplace really shouldn't have added scents; like smoking and perfume/cologne, what one person enjoys will irritate another person significantly, so aroma should not permeate a workplace. I've been in some companies with piped in music (or other sounds); even though I'm a fan of listening to music while I'm working, I don't want other people's music choices imposed on me, and generally, I think ambient silence is a better choice, with music selection allocated to individuals' spaces (see below). The sense of touch is affected by choice of furniture, flooring, work surfaces and the like. Are chairs comfortable and ergonomic? Are surfaces clean (you wouldn't believe how many times I've come across filthy surfaces that are actually sticky and tacky … ick!). Does a day of walking on the floor covering leave your feet refreshed or exhausted? Finally, there's taste, which really doesn't impact décor unless the input from sight, sound, scent and touch cause you to lose your appetite!

Individual spaces (cubicles/offices)

Can you believe that some companies have rules against personalizing individual spaces? I can understand having guidelines, because it is important to maintain a professional atmosphere and to not impose one's individual preferences on others. That said, if individual creativity is not encouraged in the décor of personal spaces, individual creativity will also be stifled when it comes to work and project completion. I really enjoy surveying employees' individual spaces in the companies that I visit. If I see personal photos, cartoons, jokes, flowers, low-playing radios/CD players, and other personal accoutrements, I am happy. If I see conformity, I'm saddened!

Conclusions

I can personally vouch that companies that surround their employees with a bleak environment have little or no respect for their employees. I had a client in one of the historic landmark buildings of Chicago who actually inspired me to write this column. My task was to help them complete a project on time. We were making great progress, despite the fact that the overall atmosphere of the place was one of quiet resignation to the depressing environment. From the moment I arrived at their offices, I made décor recommendations to accompany my management consultations. They acknowledged my concerns, and indicated they knew that their décor was less than optimal. I thought I was making inroads on behalf of the employees, most of whom had dismal, oppressive workspaces as bad as the one I was assigned. So, imagine my surprise when they suddenly realized that they had exceeded their budget for this project, and they terminated our verbally-agreed-upon contract with absolutely no notice. I could have fought them in court, but I didn't want this job (or these people in my life) any more. This was a gift from the Universe to cut my ties to these oppressors. I truly felt sorry for the employees who couldn't escape as easily as I did!

This one company was the impetus for my doing the qualitative analysis of all of the companies I had visited, using the checklist of variables listed above. I wasn't surprised when the general correlation pattern emerged. You won't be surprised, either: a pleasant work environment leads to happier employees! This is what comes from pure observation of staff in their environment. And happier employees lead to greater productivity and profitability. It's a win-win-win situation!

However, I also had access to management, and this is where a further conclusion appeared. I am sad to report that an office's ambience is often a direct reflection of upper management's opinion of its workers (it also is often a direct reflection of upper management's bad taste, but that's not the point I'm trying to make here). It turns out that not only does an unpleasant environment depress employees, but so does the demeaning, dispensable attitude that upper management has toward them.

As with any generalizations, there are no absolutes in this correlation of décor and accessorization as a reflection of management's opinion of workers, but the mere fact that I can identify this general trend based on 15 years of personal experiences provides you with a general tool to evaluate your workplace. Survey your own office to see where it falls in the continuum of how décor is a symptom of a company's overall health. Keep in mind that sometimes well-meaning upper management is simply clueless regarding the environment they have fostered. That is the situation where I can help! (Actually, I can also help management respect and reward their employees, but that's a bigger problem with a different solution).

Let me know whether this correlation holds true for your work environment. If you find yourself on the downside of this correlation, why not suggest that your bosses read this column? Remember, our ability to accessorize separates us from the animals, and your bosses don't want to be animals! And happy people mean higher productivity, which means higher profit margins! How's that for motivation? Everything is fixable! And I can offer the fixing. Just put them in touch with me at 773.508.9208 or bret@god-dess.com. You won't regret it! In fact, we spend so much time at work, it may be one of the best decisions you've ever made!