Seth Godin’s Thoughts on ‘the Office’
Seth Godin’s post today on saying goodbye to the office is worth a read if you’re unhappy with your current job.
- If you have a laptop, you probably have the machine already, in your house.
- If you do work with a keyboard and a mouse, the items you need to work on are on your laptop, not in the office.
- The boss can easily keep tabs on productivity digitally.
- How many meetings are important? If you didn’t go, what would happen?
- You can get energy from people other than those in the same company.
- Of the 100 people in your office, how many do you collaborate with daily?
- So go someplace. But it doesn’t have to be to your office.
If we were starting this whole office thing today, it’s inconceivable we’d pay the rent/time/commuting cost to get what we get. I think in ten years the TV show ‘the Office’ will be seen as a quaint antique.
When you need to have a meeting, have a meeting. When you need to collaborate, collaborate. The rest of the time, do the work, wherever you like.
The gain in speed, productivity and happiness is massive. What’s missing is #7… someplace to go. Once someone figures that part out, the office is dead.
If you have the type of job that requires more than just a laptop and you’re not happy you may want to reconsider that role. If you do work from a laptop 99% of the time then I suggest meeting with your boss this afternoon. You won’t regret it.
