While the office clearly needs to be an environment where workers can be productive, UK offices are in danger of becoming graveyards, lacking in buzz and social interaction. Only 11% of British workers find their office a ìcreative environmentî, whilst a third have labelled their workplace uninspiring.
The research conducted by Microsoft and the Work Foundation uncovered that nearly two thirds of workers cited friendly colleagues as the top thing they looked for in a job, confirming the social pull of the office environment. If personal relationships are considered so important, why do we spend so much of our time staring at a PC, passing up valuable opportunities to interact with fellow workers? David Brent may not have been the worldís best manager but at least his crazy dancing bought some much needed life to the office!
Clearly we need to rethink how we spend our time during working hours. James McCarthy, mobile working expert at Microsoft and the man behind moof.mobi believes ìWe need to redefine the term ëoffice workí. He argues that the workplace should be enjoyable and productive, but first we need to change our attitude towards office work.
Whilst in the office, workers need to interact with their colleagues. ìUse office time for face-to-face meetings and other interpersonal activities saving the reports, presentations and other more cerebral stuff for a location better suited to total concentrationî. This new approach is at the forefront of moofing; a new way of working that is set to be the future of the workplace.
Moofer (from the acronym; Mobile Out of Office) is a term used to describe the new breed of worker that sees the office as just one location thatís key to their job rather than the only location. Moofers understand that work is something you do - not somewhere you go. They work smarter not harder and have a better work-life balance.
Microsoft and The Work Foundation are encouraging employees and employers to have their say about the future of he workplace at www.moof.mobi. As well as the full results of the survey (including regional and industry splits) people can blog about their moofing experiences ñ good and bad ñ and share best practice on how to work with more mobility.
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David Brentís dance good for the workplace
Research suggest we could benefit from a more interactive work environment
