5 Unpopular workplace practices that are on the way out
With technology playing an increasing role in our everyday lives, and generational shifts on the horizon, there’s no question that the workplace has been evolving to accommodate these new working habits, individuals and their lifestyles. However, there are still some lingering practices that aren’t so popular, and a large part of the employee population will not be sad to see these go.
Here are the Top 5 Unpopular Workplace Practices
1. The “9-to-5” Also known as fixed working hours, this policy requiring employees to be in the office working 8 hours (or more) between a specified timeframe has been pressured out of the system and replaced with flexible working hours. Flex hours allow individuals to work when they are able as long as they are getting the job done. Employees taking advantage of flex hours are often location independent and rely heavily on technology to achieve their tasks.
2. The Office Being Solely for Work-Related Tasks. We have previously discussed the importance of the phrase “work-life-integration” among Millennials. This integration also applies directly to the office, as it is no longer designed solely for work, but for life to happen as well. Companies have started incorporating coffee shops, workout studios, community lounges and co-working spaces into their floor plans to turn the office from a traditional work-only dwelling, into a place for employees to build communities and willingly spend their time in the office before, after or between working hours.
3. Decision Making is Done by Leadership. Employees are searching for more responsibility and autonomy in their work, and trust is being granted from managers and executives as they shift the decision making processes down the totem pole. Just as micromanaging is not an effective technique, neither is making every decision up top and expecting motivated and driven workers to stick around just to be told exactly what to do without the opportunity to learn and grow.
4. Annual Employee Reviews. A long-standing practice in the workplace recently being challenged and disrupted. Technology has brought us to a point where almost immediate feedback is given once we put something out for the world to see. You can assess the performance of your social media profile weekly, daily, or even hourly, but in order to find out how you are performing in a position that you get paid for will require you to wait until your yearly performance review. Companies like Adobe are beginning to see the light and have turned to frequent check-ins where managers provide coaching and advice.
5. Attendance and Time-Off Policy. Similarly to how decision making is being entrusted upon the company workers, so should their ability to take time off responsibly without feeling that they must ask for permission and meticulously arrange their schedule so they may leave for vacation a couple hours early to beat rush hour traffic. “We only need to know where you’re going to be, and of course to know that you’re going to meet your goals and keep everybody in the loop who needs to be,” said Liz Ryan, who led HR for U.S. Robotics, in Forbes. “Trust people to rise to the occasion, and the vast majority of them will do it.”
For more information on workplace practices and how to make your office space one with the times, please contact us for more information.
About Rightsize: Rightsize Facility Performance, headquartered in Chicago, IL, is a nationwide office interiors and facilities services firm serving corporate clients in transition. Founded in 2004, Rightsize employs an industry leading “Design/Furnish” approach to ensure seamless workplace transitions and is a single source for interior design, furniture procurement, delivery and installation, asset disposition, facility decommissioning and ancillary project services. Through its Office Furniture Center brand, which includes OfficeFurnitureCenter.com and a 200,000-square-foot showroom, Rightsize also provides a single source for quality workstations, desks, seating, filing, conference and reception furniture. For more information please visit www.rightsizefacility.com.
