Why should I Move? 3

[MeGustaXL]

Picture a nice new refurbished office. No cubes, but a low 'pin wall' around a square of 4 new desks.

Aircon set to the perfect level, whatever the weather outside. Window seat. with blinds controlled by me, to get the perfect balance of natural/artificial light.

Chair adjusted to just the right angle and height to avoid RSI etc. Carte Blanche (almost) to pin up photos, diplomas, Dilbert cartoons, etc.

This project is coming to a close for my discipline, so I'm being employed on another upcoming programme, based in another building.

The other building is mid-70's with no aircon and completely open plan; no dividers or cubes at all. Old desks and chairs, fluorescent strip lighting and frosted out windows.

Programme Management insist on moving me into this office "to be with the Team", even though my work is such that I do most of it in isolation, anywhere.

Please help me find a reasoned argument for not moving. one that doesn't sound like emotional whining of the "But I LIKE it here!!" variety. Even though I DO like it here.


Chris

So you ride yourselves over the fields,
and you make all your animal deals,
and your wise men don't know how it feels...

Ian Anderson

 

[Trevoke]

That's gonna be tricky.

You could start by saying "I like it there"
After all.. A happy person is a productive person.

Tao Te Ching Discussions : Chapter 9 (includes links to previous chapters)
What is the nature of conflict?

 

[MeGustaXL]

That's exactly my point; I am happy and productive where I am in the nice office. I don't want to move to the grotty dark old office.

Reading my OP I realise I didn't make it clear I'm in the nice place now, and they want me to downgrade.

Chris

So you ride yourselves over the fields,
and you make all your animal deals,
and your wise men don't know how it feels...

Ian Anderson

 

[Andrzejek]

Aren’t you allergic to old, dusty, no A/C places?
And some people go blind where there are frosted out windows.
Fluorescent light can cause your brain to swell and explode – which can cause you to die.
And that’s no good.

Have fun.

---- Andy

 

[Trevoke]

Right, so you like it where you are. A happy person is a productive person. (Darn my love of terse posts! I should have written 'here' and not 'there' !)

Explain that most of what you need to do involves looking at a computer screen (it does, right?) - and sharing screenshots or code is easily done via email or IM ;-)

Besides which, you're allergic to places that suck, like Andrzejek said.

Tao Te Ching Discussions : Chapter 9 (includes links to previous chapters)
What is the nature of conflict?

 

[MDXer]

I don't think you will find a way to make an arguement for staying where you are that is anything other than "I Like it here".

There is a lot to be said for a team being located together. I have worked with and been a member of teams that were not located with the rest of the project and something always seemed to be missing in those situations.

Having been the person telling people they had to move locations, not just offices but states, I can say these decisions aren't so much to inconvience people but rather for the better of the team and the project.

 

[tcsbiz]

Somebody has to be in that old building. Why NOT you?
If the old building would make you less productive wouldn't it make the entire team less productive?

That's the argument you need to make... it's about the whole team being less productive. Don't make it about you.

 

[MeGustaXL]

... it's about the whole team being less productive.

You are so right! And don't they know it. The guys who are already there spend maybe 5% of their time trying to get stuff working properly, or fighting Lighting and Heating wars. Yuurgh!

I almost had a similar problem on my present project, in that the designers are on the ground floor and I'm on the 2nd, so we didn't have that ad hoc "get together at a desk and chinwag" kind of relationship. At least we didn't until I made a point of visiting them regularly, and getting them to give me a ping when they changed anything, so I could go see them. That works just fine here, but management seem to see it as a lesson to be learned, and are keen to co-locate all elements and specialists. Grrr!

Chris

So you ride yourselves over the fields,
and you make all your animal deals,
and your wise men don't know how it feels...

Ian Anderson

 

[lionelhill]

To be honest, I think people get a bit too hung-up on air-con, the colour of the walls, and suchlike. I've worked in loads of places ranging from beautiful to truly dismal, but there's a poor correlation between my happiness and the colour of the walls. The atmosphere, the tasks (realistic/unachievable/pointless/useful), and the people (rude/nice/supportive/unhelpful) with whom I work are far more important. Yes, you need an environment that isn't going to give you RSI or back problems, but otherwise, make of it what you will.

If you refuse to move, you may end up looking like someone who (a) doesn't want to be with the other people working on the same job, and (b) cares over-much about the shape of his wastepaper basket rather than the job, and (c) inflexibly expects special treatment. Of course probably none of this is true, but be careful before going that way!

 

[MeGustaXL]

Lionel, you are right.

They've all got to make the most of what they've been dealt, so why shouldn't I?

It's not having what you want, it's wanting what you've got...

have a star for helping me see beyond my own cosy world and into the Group that awaits me

 

[lionelhill]

that's a really generous viewpoint (and thanks for the sparkly thing). Good luck in your new place, and I hope the people do make up for the surroundings. Who knows, you may find some way to improve it?

 

[Diancecht]

I totally agree with Lionell.

Maybe the OP can try to get the rest of the team moving to your shiny office.

Cheers,
Dian

 

[MeGustaXL]

Dian,
I'd love to get the team to move into the office where I am now, but it's not possible, for 4 reasons;

1. I'm only 1 of 48 team members on the project in the Good Office (GO).

2. My work with this team is done, so I'm being reassigned to another project, whose team members are in the Bad Office (BO).

3. I have less clout than the guy who mops the floors.

4. The Managment like Teams to live, work and play together, so I have to move from GO to BO.

As Lionel helped me see, it's not so bad, more of a Not So Nice Office, and anyway, it's the people, not the place, that makes a pleasant working environment

 

[LFCfan]

Another plus point (coming from someone who works in a somewhat horrible office) is that sharing a dreadful office space builds camaraderie with those who share it with you.

There's nothing like everyone jumping together to save a colleague's PC when the air conditioning unit starts leaking over it...


~LFCfan

 

[bigchiefdan]

did any of the team work where you are right now?
I have been in situations where there is an issue, but no one listens because of who is complaining (ie. lighting, temp., equipment). When a new person comes on or is transferred in and mentions issues (not complain but ask why it is the way it is) mgt listend and responded.

What Im getting at is you may be able to get improvments made to the new office, once you start calling it home. You can call mgt and inquire simple things like "is there a reason the lighting here is poor".

You may be able to get changes made that could not be made before you arrived.

Good Luck.