CCR2 Technology
Is a clean desk still the sign of a tidy mind?
In the technology age, have we moved beyond the time when a clean-desk policy is relevant?
Robert Hutson Global business consultant, HP Inc. Credit & Collections
robert.hutson@
hp.com
I was interested in Gareth Jones’ article in April’s edition of CCRMagazine (‘Abolish the clean-desk policy in your office’ p10 April 2018) and am sure it will have provoked many different views, even if we do not all agree with Albert Einstein’s theory on the topic of office desks. I can but think that his theory, perhaps
perpetuated in Gareth’s reference to “getting rid of the archaic clean-desk policy”, assumes that everyone sits at a fixed desk.
Increasingly mobile However, our workforces are increasingly mobile, depending primarily on having always-on access to their ‘work’, whether by laptop, tablet, or smartphone, and whether at a hot-desk, home-office, or on the move. While agreeing that there is a necessity
for everyone to be creative in their job role, this flexibility applies particularly to our thought leaders whose extensive interpersonal interaction, which itself is the hot-bed of creativity, depends on mobility across multiple working environments, rather than the state of a fixed desk.
Back then Back in the day, 40 years ago when I did work in an overnight clean-desk office environment, I recall a colleague making sure he got his ‘busy-kit’ out on arrival in the office before heading for a coffee and catch-up with colleagues, so that the boss knew he was in. That kit included a couple of lever-arch files, a notepad, pens, stapler, and so on.
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Apart from such personal effects, my virtual working environment and resources are with me wherever I am physically working
The modern age Today, my boss and colleagues around the world can identify my availability by my Skype status. For the past 10 years I have communicated with them in multiple locations from my
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home-office or office hot-desk through Skype or Zoom video links, from a clear desk with the only work tools being a screen, keyboard, and wireless headset. My creativity depends on the personal
interaction and instant access to always- available online files and screen-sharing, plus some inspiration when in the home- office from the clutter of a couple of family photos and some favourite car models. Apart from such personal effects, my virtual
working environment and resources are with me wherever I am physically working.
A final thought Should those of us that work in the virtual world create some clutter to take around with us in order to fuel increased levels of creativity, or should we just recognise that we do not live in Albert Einstein’s day? CCR2
May 2018
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