7 Reasons Why You Should Hate Your Office

I'm not sure when it became set in stone, that we spend our entire work week at an assigned desk — in the same office. It is yet another example of an antiquated workplace law that needs to be repealed, or at the very least overhauled. We might put the "old school" notion of "offices" on a shelf beside all of the other outdated workplace axioms (such as the brilliant idea that everyone is capable of managing other people).

It appears that the typical "office experience" is driving some of us to the brink, and it could benefit from some serious alteration. People might love their work — but they can begin to hate how they have to carry it out. Many of us could benefit from a different kind of office experience.

Offices are a great place to organize your files and hang your coat. However, as others have expressed (Scroll down for the classic TED Talk), I am not convinced that the lion's share of "thinking productively" consistently happens there. As they are currently configured, I suppose offices suffice as a home address — when people might locate you when necessary. However, how offices function as a tool for enhancing effectiveness and completing our best work, every day of the week, year round, is unclear.

We should overhaul our "office" experience, and apply our best thinking to this challenge.

Some problems to tackle:

• Same old, same old. Spending time in the same office, with the same view (of people and things) day in and day out, isn't the best recipe for success. Valve has actually circumvented assigned offices entirely, an opted for desks on wheels. This may not be possible at your organization, but the ability to park yourself in a more inspiring setting for an afternoon just might be.
• Travel. The amount of time employees spend getting to their designated office is significant — and bears heavily on our well being. (I've heard commuting horror stories of first driving to the train, then upon reaching the city grabbing a bus, then walking the remainder of the way to the office.)
• Uninspiring physical environments. I have visited office spaces that were shockingly depressing. Nothing in these spaces was conducive to either creativity or work for that matter — and that is not going to propel us forward.
• Formal Meetings. The penchant for endless (and often useless) meetings remains a huge offender. We could easily cut the number in half, and I am certain that no one would shed a single tear.
• Lack of control. I hear descriptions of days at the office that sound more like a "fight for time" than a healthy work environment. Having to change gears endlessly isn't optimal, and we shouldn't have to "hide" to be productive. Research tells us that humans are not great multi-taskers, even though we may think we are.
• Traditional office hours. Last time I checked, ideas occur 24/7 — not from 9 to 5. Not everyone has their most productive moments during traditional office hours, and many of us do their best work at odd hours of the day. We all should feel empowered to work when we are most productive. (See this great post by Caterina Fake on this very topic.)
• Office Politics. Need I say more? We could all use a little less of this office element. (I'm rooting for a "no politics" zone.)

I'm optimistic that we can begin to impact some of these concerns. We could improve travel issues by designating local co-working spaces for commuters. (This alternative could be utilized on days when circumstances, such as poor weather occur.) We could cut down time spent in meetings by standing. Some other great ideas to impact the quality of office life, are also discussed here.

What are your best ideas to improve the "office experience"?

Ideas welcome before 9:00 am and after 5:00 pm.