Flavour of the Month: Workplace Trends That Flopped

With all the fervour that the return to office mandate has caused, It caused me to reflect on all the cherry fads that have taken the office by storm, but end up pear shaped.

Workplace trends come and go. Over the past ten years, we’ve seen some workplace innovations that worked and others, like forcing the whole office to participate in Planking , that aged like milk.

Here are five of the worst workplace trends that were bucked almost as fast as they were introduced.

1. Open Offices (Listen to your coworkers munch granola bars in STEREO)

Move over, cubicles—open offices are the new workplace design trend that people love to hate. At the beginning of the decade, many businesses adopted open office plans inspired by tech companies, thinking it would create a more collaborative environment. For companies, it also meant saving money on cubicles and closed offices.

However, research shows that open offices are far from the ideal workplaces they were promised to be. A comprehensive study found that when companies switched to open office layouts, face-to-face interactions dropped by 70%, while digital communication skyrocketed. Workers in open offices experienced more interpersonal conflict and took 62% more sick days than those in traditional office spaces. Nearly 90% of employees in open offices reported higher levels of stress, conflict, and turnover.

Ten years later, many workers are missing the privacy and productivity of cubicle walls. Turns out, overhearing your coworker’s loud phone calls and questionable music choices isn’t the productivity booster we thought it would be.

2. Crazy Perks

From office kegs and video games to dogs in the workplace, companies have gone overboard with employee perks. In an effort to attract talent during periods of low unemployment, businesses offered everything from free snacks to in-office baristas, massages, and ping pong tables.

But here’s the problem: these perks don’t necessarily attract or retain employees. A LinkedIn survey found that strong workplace benefits like paid time off (PTO), parental leave, and health insurance are more likely to keep employees for more than five years. Meanwhile, perks like game rooms and free food had little impact.

Additionally, many of these perks are designed to keep employees at the office longer, blurring the lines between work and personal life. Some studies even suggest that workers at companies with unlimited PTO take fewer days off than those with traditional leave policies. So, while your office might have a slide and a ball pit, it’s not exactly the playground employees are looking for.

3. Lean Six Sigma: The Management Fad That Fizzled

Lean Six Sigma, a methodology for improving operational efficiency and reducing waste, promised to revolutionise business practices when it gained popularity. However, its effectiveness in many industries has been increasingly questioned.

While Lean Six Sigma can help streamline processes, research suggests that it often focuses too much on cutting costs at the expense of innovation. A study published in the Harvard Business Review pointed out that businesses that aggressively implemented Lean Six Sigma experienced a decline in creative thinking and innovation, which are crucial for long-term success. The methodology’s rigid adherence to processes and metrics can stifle employees’ ability to take risks, which ultimately hampers creativity.

Furthermore, a report from The Economist indicated that the complex jargon and overemphasis on data can make the methodology inaccessible and frustrating for employees, leading to disengagement. Rather than fostering a culture of continuous improvement, Lean Six Sigma can create a bureaucratic environment where workers feel restricted by procedures.

While it may have value in certain sectors, Lean Six Sigma has shown limited effectiveness in industries where flexibility, creativity, and rapid adaptation are essential. In other words, it’s great if you’re running a factory, but not so much if you’re trying to innovate the next big thing.

4. Stretch Goals: A bit of a reach

Ah, stretch goals—the corporate equivalent of aiming for the moon and hoping you don’t end up lost in space. These ambitious targets are designed to push boundaries and inspire greatness, but they often cause more headaches than high-fives.

Stretch goals can spark innovation and drive performance, especially for employees with high cognitive flexibility. Think of it as a mental workout that builds your creative muscles—if you’re up for the challenge.

But here’s where things get dicey. The Stretch Goal Paradox shows that these goals typically backfire, especially for companies in trouble. Yahoo’s ambitious targets under Marissa Mayer, for example, fell flat and left the company in shambles.

So, what’s the takeaway? Stretch goals aren’t inherently bad, but they need to be handled with care. They’re like hot sauce—great in moderation, but too much can leave you in tears. It’s better to hit a modest target than to miss an impossible one and end up with a demoralised team.

In conclusion, while stretch goals can drive innovation and performance, they often come with significant risks. Companies should weigh these risks carefully and ensure they have the right culture and support systems in place before shooting for the stars.

5. Managing by Metrics

As our lives became more quantified, so did the workplace. Many companies began to measure employee performance down to the smallest detail, hoping that if they could measure it, they could manage it better. However, this trend of “managing by metrics” may have gone too far.

A Gallup study revealed that instead of motivating employees, constant monitoring of metrics induces fear and anxiety. Workers dread being reduced to a single number, especially when that number doesn’t fully reflect their contributions.

The excessive focus on key performance indicators (KPIs) also erodes psychological safety—a crucial element for fostering innovation. Google’s two-year study of its teams found that psychological safety was the most important factor in team success. When employees are focused solely on hitting numbers, innovation takes a back seat. So, while you might be hitting your KPIs, your creativity is probably taking a nap.

5. Getting Rid of Managers

Over the past decade, many organisations experimented with getting rid of managers altogether. This trend, which included flattening hierarchies or implementing Holacracy, was adopted by companies like Zappos to create more employee autonomy and reduce management overhead.

While the idea of giving employees more agency seems appealing, it hasn’t always worked in practice. For many organisations, removing managers has led to confusion, inefficiency, and stress. Zappos, a pioneer of Holacracy, struggled with its implementation, and other companies have faced similar challenges.

The lesson here? Instead of eliminating managers, companies should focus on developing better leaders who can create positive, supportive environments for their teams. Because let’s face it, a good manager is worth their weight in gold—or at least in coffee runs and team morale.

In conclusion, the last decade has brought some workplace trends that seemed promising but ultimately caused more harm than good. As we move forward, it’s essential to learn from these mistakes and adopt strategies that truly benefit employees and organisations alike. And maybe, just maybe, we can leave Planking in the past where it belongs.