Do your work surroundings matter?

[Kellioo]

This is a bit of an odd one and I'm probably not wording it very well.

I've always worked in a very corporate world, high end beautiful offices, huge entertaining budgets, yoga at lunch time type of place, lots of staff perks etc I do like that side of it but I'm bored, so bored in my actual role.

I've been offered a new opportunity, completely different, I think it could lead to good things, I will learn lots and will be a great career move. It's in an industrial setting, 99% male. Being blunt it's all a bit grotty and dirty. Couldn't be more different.

Does it matter, will I struggle with the massive change? I feel shallow for even thinking about it.

It’s really impossible to answer this as only you know what motivates you. There are lots of people who are motivated by the gloss and perks of corporate life and this isn’t necessarily shallow. Equally, being genuinely stimulated by work that you care about is deeply satisfying.

If you make the switch you might find it helpful to look for ways to inject a bit of glamour or beauty into your day in other ways. As one example, I work in the public sector and most of my workplaces have been a bit shabby but I have the good fortune to commute through absolutely beautiful countryside and I top up my ‘aesthetic batteries’ at either end of the day.

@MonsterCalling thanks for your reply, it has given me more food for thought. I don't think the gloss does motivate me anymore.

Personally years ago all of that corporate gloss would have lured me in and I personally interviewed for a company three times because it was shiny and enticing. Looking back it would not have suited me at all.
Now I work in a more old fashioned sector that is being dragged into 2023 kicking and screaming, it’s not perfect and I spent my first three years working in a basement but I am happy!

Thanks @slimshadyscousin I'm thinking role is more important than the gloss now

Probably important to say too that the nice-to-have perks of some corporate roles (free food and drink, yoga at lunchtime etc) are often there to give the impression of a healthy work-life balance and encourage you to work longer hours. Might the new role enable you to improve a genuine work-life balance?

I went from an open plan office with huge windows and lots of natural light to a windowless cubicle style setup. Similar job but I hated it and couldn't wait to get out. I was used to being able to look around and grasp what stage people were at, who was in what mood, who was on the phone etc (I was production editor on a magazine), to not being to see anyone. I felt I could be there til midnight/have a heart attack and no one would notice unless they physically got up to find me. It was awful and I lasted about six months.

Over a 30 year career I have mainly worked in fairly dilapidated buildings with very limited "extras". I would say that provided you have the basics of space, quiet, temperature then the only other things that really matter are company culture and how good your colleagues are. I work in a tin box on an industrial estate now but I also get beautiful countryside on my commute and can walk in the park or to the shops at lunchtime, it's all good.

Hi OP

I temped for years after being made redundant and have worked in all sorts of offices - nice ones with a river view, basements, standard office types - and I've done the industrial estate type, too. Things I'd look out for

What are the catering arrangements? ours was a van turning up at lunchtime with basic sandwiches

If you want to get out at lunchtime - is there anywhere nice to walk or is it round and round the industrial estate?

How are you getting there? I don't drive so it was bus and walk to the office, and one of the reasons I left was that I didn't want that walk when it got dark at 4pm

It's in an industrial setting, 99% male. Being blunt it's all a bit grotty and dirty. Couldn't be more different

Is 99% male going to be a problem? what's the culture like? and for me, grotty and dirty would be an instant turn off. You're going to be in this place for hours a day, don't underestimate how your environment can affect your mood. What's your space going to be like? The job I did in a basement (in a corner, facing the wall) was intended to be permanent but I had no proper desk, the office was cluttered and the kitchen was a horror story. I left once my probation was up because I couldn't face another day in that place.

I work in a male-dominated building and it can be a bit 90s construction site sometimes, they aren't used to a woman working there and I've had to call them out when it's become too misogynistic. Other than that the rough round the edges building is OK, although the heating is touch and go in the winter but is made up by having the most amazing river and countryside views from my office and I often get distracted by the wildlife, some birds that nest nearby are so rare that twitchers wait years to see them and I see them everyday.

So I think no matter how rough and ready your workplace is, as long as it has at least one redeeming feature you'll be fine. If the role ends up being boring and the venue is rubbish then you'll just stick it out for a year and move on.

To some extent, yes.
I turned down a job offer because the kitchen (at the end of the day) was in a horrendous state and the room which would have been my office had no window at all.
I could perhaps have coped with the kitchen, by keeping it tidy myself, but not having any natural light, or a window that opens is a deal breaker.
Shame really as the job was perfect for me.

I’m facing a job offer dilemma right now too. I was desperately hoping to land it, but now that I have the offer I find myself bothered by having to give up certain perks that I thought were minor. In my situation it’s because the overall offer financially is not as good as I’d hoped for and things I hadn’t bothered about previously have become much more important as I weigh everything up in the round.

Is something similar going on with you? Maybe there are other things that aren’t ideal and you’re focusing in on this?

Another factor is cold feet, which I also suffer from, meaning it’s quite hard to get all of this into perspective.

I also agree with the posts above that environment is not unimportant. I was gutted not to get a job last year that was located in the city centre. I consider that a huge positive over working in business parks. My current place is in the middle of nowhere with the one visiting butty van as per pp!

In short, don’t dismiss this as trivial if you enjoy your current working environment. Compare all aspects of the two roles.

Thank you, I really appreciate all the replies, it's given me lots to ponder.

To answer a few points, my office space would be ok , basic but ok and it has windows, I actually don't have a window now! There is a canteen area, I'm not sure I'd use it, possibly. I'd be able to walk to a retail park. Package is 30% better. However the commute would be double at 45 mins in the car and there would be some further travel required.

Long term I think it would have better prospects and they would pay for further qualifications. I have cold feet, it would be a massive jump/change but the role excites me.

Culture wise, they are trying to change and I would be a part of that.

What are the toilets like? That would be my main concern. I worked similar once and the toilets were absolutely disgusting so I spent most of the day feeling like shit because I didn't drink anything so I didn't have to use them.

I have worked both, big plush offices, and now a small portacabin on an industrial estate that is dirty, dusty and only has a kitchen and a toilet! I work at home 1 day. Nothing bothers me, I like both. I can't see why either option would make you refuse a job.

How difficult do you think that would be, is there likely to be pushback and do you have management support? my gut reaction is 'token woman brought in to clean the place up, we can blame her if it doesn't work.' Are they going to be recruiting more women?

Sorry, loads of questions!

I can't see why either option would make you refuse a job

Correct. You can't see why. Other people can.

I absolutely love my job, but I’m teaching in a really grotty 1970s building with filthy windows and no soundproofing and it does make me feel really grumpy and undervalued at times. But before this I worked in a lovely building in a new school but with awful management and I’m much happier in my current environment overall.

I went from big corporate to academia. No perks like parking, BUPA, exotic all expenses paid, first class ‘training’ trips, expensed lunches, high end buildings, or anything like that. I got a single glazed corner office that was initially a minor thrill until I found out nobody wanted it because it was boiling in the summer and freezing in the winter, and sat above a gravel track shortcut so all you could hear was the terminal crunch crunch crunch of people walking by. The building itself is 1960s breezblock on a mainly concrete campus that they have tried their best to pretty up with plants and flowers. The pay is a lot less and I don’t have a secretary or a company top end Audi any more. I absolutely love it. The freedom to pursue your interests, manage your own time, and make a difference to the lives of those young people is much more exciting than free tickets to Ascot.

I used to work for a large telecoms co. We had all the facilities but they were mostly there to allow people to destress from overly political, back stabbing, miserable jobs.

Now I work for a company with 14 people in the U.K., we like each other and work as a team, get far more done, and much happier. I know which I prefer!

Not so much the corporate perks and shiny new offices, but I work in a beautiful Victorian building, parts of which are a tourist draw. Our offices are dingy, municipal carpet and paint job, vertical blinds which are permanently closed due to screen reflection issues, high ceilings with dim ceiling lights. Just generally depressing. There's no money for redecoration.

I've tried to make it a little less depressing by getting rid of the old broken furniture, keeping open shelving reasonably tidy, remembering to water the plants and asking people to wash mugs and dishes occasionally but it doesn't help much.

But, as pp have said, I like my job, my workmates are a cracking bunch and at 5pm everyone logs off and goes home.

Trying to answer the other questions, they are trying to recruit more women. I think although I would tick that box for them, that's not the reason why they're keen.

Top level management are absolutely all for change and striving for it, with budgets and initiatives etc.

I think my line manager is genuinely nice and would really help me and be supportive.

I'm sure the role would be great, my only reservations are the site and location.

It's good to read most haven't minded the change.

It’s very important to me. Things like a nice view from my desk, plenty of options for lunch, and interesting/attractive location that makes a little walk at lunchtime appealing all make daily life less of a grind. I also think working in buildings so dilapidated and uncared-for that you don’t feel you can wear nice clothes or eat there comfortably really grinds you down and demotivates you over time. I have turned down jobs, or decided not to apply, because they were in locations that depressed me. But I’m very much a work-to-live person and would always choose the comfortable option. It’s probably cost me a few opportunities that would have put me on more money by this point. To me, you may not LOVE your job, but it’s better if it’s no more than a mild inconvenience. Dreading going in is no way to live.