What Does Your Office Décor Say About The Culture
Imagine your loved one being wheeled in for surgery. You wait to have a word with the surgeon. A man walks up to you and says hello. He is wearing loud, colored shorts, sandals, his hand is covered with tattoos and he is sporting a punk hairstyle. He says,” Dude, I am the surgeon. It is a simple procedure."Would you worry about the competence of the surgeon? Most people answer this question with a vehement yes. They say that they would never trust a surgeon who dressed like that.
Appearances matter even more professions where the client has to trust his life and property. That probably explains why doctors and lawyers dress more formally – to inspire trust! You never get a second chance to form a first impression. We form our first impressions about people, and make snap judgments about people based on their clothes and accessories, the way they smell, their personal grooming etc. Reality is that we form our initial perceptions about people based on appearances. That may be misleading. As we get to know the person's capabilities or accomplishments, we often revise our initial opinion or at least make an effort to do so.
The same holds true for the first impressions we form about organizations. We draw conclusions about the culture of the organization based on our first interaction with the brand. That could be a chance encounter with an employee or simply when we step in to the office for the first time. Would organizations spend more thought designing the reception area if they knew how the décor gives off cues about the culture? I am sure they would. In reality the decor may actually be a reflection of the taste and aesthetic refinement of the Administration Department that is in charge of painting and décor.
The first impression is what stays – so maybe it is worth looking at what your office décor says about the work environment. The reception of the organization is the first point of contact the visitor has. How is the reception staffed? What perceptions will they create on the visitors? Is that how we wish to be seen? Some organizations focus on the functionality of such role and it is very common to see the reception being managed by the office peon or the security guards. They are usually not trained enough for the role. Some treat such a role as pure relief for sore eyes. There is a pretty face sitting there without the foggiest idea of the way the organization is structured or the latest changes in the organization. I have had my camera, laptop and pen drive temporarily confiscated by the very organization that had invited me. One of them made even made me sign a non-disclosure agreement that ran into five pages.
How does organization keep the visitors entertained while they wait? Some receptions have popular magazines and newspapers made available to visitors, while others put several copies of their house journals or magazines where the company has been favorably portrayed. Some offices have a coffee vending machine that the visitors can operate while others will have beverages served selectively and only to the VIPs. These arrangements reflect the assumptions the organization has about visitors and is a good peek into the culture.The brightly decorated office of a FM radio channel that had invited me had funny cartoons drawn all over. The office was painted in the colours of the company’s logo. There was a cork-board on which they had pinned some funny letters from listeners. I felt distinctly upbeat as I read those appreciative letters from fans. For a fleeting moment I wished they would hire me! The culture seemed to encourage creativity and spontaneity. Talking of hiring, in the days of high attrition in the industry, an ad agency had a poster displayed prominently in the reception that said, "Trespassers will be hired".
When I visit an office, I tend to look for clues about the work-culture. I notice some offices have bare walls but for the odd safety posters or notices about the labor acts that they need to follow. Factories usually display the number of accident free days and put up slogans encouraging employee productivity.I have seen some hospitals post health and nutrition tips on the walls while others have advertisements for medical procedures displayed.Some display photos of the award-winning employees, while others only display pictures of the senior leaders. Government offices often have the pictures of the President, the Prime Minister and other political leaders. Many firms will put up portraits of past CEOs or members of the Board. Many owner driven companies paste pictures of the owner and his family members.I once visited a firm that made food for cats and dogs. The office reception had portraits of every one of their hundred odd employees taken with their pets and displayed tastefully all along the hallway. One organization that I worked for used to put up pictures of sales representatives who were the top performers. In another, the photos of the employees who held patents was displayed in the reception while in another R&D organization, I noticed that the photos were on display inside the labs. In another firm, the photos of all the employees who had been nominated to attend an Executive MBA at a prestigious Business School were displayed. In one company the photos you could find were of visitors from the headquarters overseas.
The photos, the posters, and the decorations all give us a glimpse of the underlying culture. Are they informal or are they formal and conservative? The photos tell us about the heroes of the organization. They tell us about what achievements are celebrated. While culture is much deeper than just the office decor, yet it can provide a great glimpse into the culture of the company. It tells us about what is expected and what is frowned upon. Behavior of the employees is the result of such frowning and appreciation. There are sites like glassdoor.com or vault.com where people can seek feedback about the company culture and its policies from employees. Maybe they should introduce a section where people can post photos of the workplace. You can then decide whether you would be happy in such a culture.Have you found such initial impressions to be misleading? Tell me I would love to know.--------
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