By Tony Samson
THE NEW BILL on telecommuting, allowing employees to work from home, has more implications than just employment status and traffic. What is its impact on office attire? Will working from home shift office attire towards sleepwear — like boxer shorts and school tee shirts (Back-two-Back)?
Even the most liberal work cultures, like those involved in the creativity business including advertising and media, have office rules on “Casual Friday.” They’ve loosened up on shorts. But this abbreviated outerwear needs to meet certain requirements like being plain colored, having a zipper in front and a belt, as well as extending down to the knees. And the material should not be thin and clingy so as not to attract attention. Working from home does away with such rules.
What about the impact on leases and office rents?
Due to rising occupancy costs (rent, fixtures, and utilities), companies have already done away with the big reception area, big executive rooms, and cubicles with desks. Going too are permanent space assignments. The office worker is assigned whatever space, usually just a counter with plugs, is available. This employs the hoteling approach, where even a regular guest is given any vacant room that fits his requirements (non-smoking floor, king-sized bed, extra towels).
To ensure that spaces are available, employees are obliged to work from home at least one day in the workweek. Thus, at any one time, at least 20% of the employees are not at the office, and usually more than that percentage if one includes workers on field visits, sales calls, vacation leaves, and travel. This hoteling approach reduces rental and utilities overhead and optimizes space utilization on an “as needed” basis. Lockers are provided for the personal effects of the employee, including family photos and coffee mugs which move with him to his current workstation.
This shrinking of the office space will only accelerate with homes becoming free-rent work stations for the company.
The home/office executive does leave his house for breakfast and lunch meetings, organizing these into designated out-of-home days preferably in the same general location, and wearing more traditional business attire, though the same boxer shorts he typically wears around the home/office during work may be used as underwear.
The “always on” digital culture already allows work to follow the workhorse around through phones with e-mail or group chat access. This can happen while on vacation in Madrid, so why not during regular working days as well?
The home executive dispenses with commuting from bed to desk as the latter is just downstairs from the bedroom with no need to even dress up. The impact on traffic (that’s another topic) as well as savings on clothes, gasoline, and stress levels argue for working from home.
Some unforeseen corporate-culture issues, however, arise in the shift from office to home.
When calls are made, there may be unfamiliar background sounds like barking dogs (are you in a park?) and bawling babies. (I’m in the maternity ward of a hospital, checking our billboards.) This can be solved by having a sound-proofed room for making calls. But you still need to run to it when the mobile phone rings. Also, the designated room needs to look presentable in case of a video conference — is that a female guest in the background, hurrying to the bathroom? (What were you saying, again?)
The biggest problem in working from home is keeping up with office politics. How do you read the body language of the coffee server who knows who’s in and who’s out with the boss? If you’re staying at home all the time, won’t they talk about you? (Is he still alive?) The office can get so used to your absence that they may decide to make it permanent.
Also, what about all those corporate clothes? Well, there are still meetings and luncheons, and association meetings. Also, every Friday, the casual day at work, it’s possible to wear more formal clothes to the corner office downstairs, just to stay in practice.
The home office works best for entrepreneurs, wedding gown designers, pastry bakers, event planners, talent managers, consultants, and venture capitalists. Still, they may have some clients who want to check out the office address — isn’t this where you live?
Somehow, the client’s trust and confidence are boosted by a nice office layout…and the sight of busy bees in the cubicle farm. Besides, who do you have coffee gossip with?
A.R. Samson is chairman and CEO, TOUCH xda.
ar.samson@yahoo.com
