Offices :(

[Beanbag12]

AIBU to think there are no nice offices to work? Before coming to work at my current job I worked in a few offices that were just awful. Managers on power-trips, sat in silence, no flexibility. I have even been to interviews where to places have horrified me, great big dull grey places where everyone stares. I am now being made redundant ☹ and I’m just dreading having to go to interviews (that’s even if I can find something that fits in around childcare!) and I’m just thinking I’ll never find another place where people are so nice and which has a nice atmosphere.

Hoping to be proved wrong!

We've got quite a few throughout the country, all are really nice.

The Head office is seriously posh!!!

Sorry read this a the actual offices. The people and managers in our company are good people. I've seen very senior managers sacked for being horrible to people.

I have worked in some lovely offices, where people are generally friendly, and supportive, there is a good balance between being chatty and sociable but also making sure people can get their jobs done, and regular things like people bringing in cake or organising a general knowledge quiz or a bring&share lunch event, with real team spirit.

they aren't all awful so I voted yabu but I sympathise with you that this hasn't been your experience to date. the nice jobs do actually exist though.

There's a difference between physical offices and company culture. You describe both though but as I've worked in the charity sector for last 25 years I'd be aghast if an org I worked for had a plush office. The atmosphere has generally been 99% brilliant though. So maybe a change of sector is what you need.

I have an 'office' job and it's brilliant. Bosses very relaxed, trust the staff, unlimited holiday allowance, flexible e.g. you can just get up and leave if you need to pick up kid/go to hospital appt/feel a bit ill and want to finish the day working at home etc.

But - takes a certain type of person to work here, have to be very self disciplined, there's a high expectation for the quality of work out put out and the way you interact with others. But, if you're good enough at your job, you are rewarded with their trust.

It pains me to admit it, but I work at a local authority and one reason I've stayed there 20+ years is it's nothing like that. People are generally supportive of each other, managers are human beings and the wiring environment is reasonable. Not perfect, but reasonable.

And they are also good on flexible working. Loads of people on all sorts of part time arrangements.

Working for a small, rural council ain't glamorous but they do tend to be quite good employers.

"working" environment obvs. Although I also hope the wiring is OK!

there are places out there but I dont think theres any magic formula to knowing which offices they are!!
I was made redundant with no notice as company went bankrupt and took a temping job to tide me over - I was then taken on permanently and I love it here. We are a small company but all get on really well despite being totally different in age and life stages. We go on nights out, have a whatsapp group and half of our team meetings are like group therapy sessions! We all work well together and when under tight deadlines and pressures work well to meet them. The company owners care about all the staff and involve us in decisions that affect us and consult us before making any changes.

I’ve worked in a fantastic office (huge international organisation). Everyone was just lovely! Office itself nice enough (well stocked kitchen, good array of indoor plants). Lots of money spent on staff entertaining, lots of staff centric policies. Offices can be great if the focus is on facilitating staff productivity rather than forcing it.

Thanks for your replies everyone, you're making me feel less anxious. I guess I'm just dwelling on past experiences. I really am trying to be positive, but keep having panic moments.

@2monstermash that sounds amazing!

Ours is fab!

Excellent ICT infrastructure, small rooms for teams but all able to hot desk so if loads are off work we all bunch together somewhere.

Free tea coffee and milk. Flexible working. No issues with phones out on desks. CEO loves hearing her team laughing, so she says. No issues if you need to ring in sick or take an emergency day for kids or boiler broke or whatever.

No one hassles you on your lunchbreak. No one gives you grief if you leave early or start late.

4.30 on a Friday everyone leaves.

@BrieAndChilli That's nice to hear, I am thinking I may need to pick up some temp work if poss, but you do hear about Temps being treated badly, so glad to hear you had a good experience.

My office, though not plush as such, is fairly new and modern. Big glass windows that don't open and air conditioning meaning that it is either boiling hot or freezing cold. But I get free parking and it is a good office.

People: on the whole good, some people annoy me, but that would be expected.

@2monstermash how on earth does " unlimited holiday allowance " work ??
There would never be anyone in ?
That can't be right ?

Could you take this opportunity to try something different than office work Op?

We have dogs in our office. Can’t get better than that.

Actually most companies (often tech companies) that have introduced unlimited holiday allowance have found that most people took less holiday than when they had a limit. It's actually a cultural problem. People have too much work and it's not 9-5 jobs in those sorts of companies so people feel bad about taking time off!

Same with sick leave, in public sector we all got told off for working from home through sickness (our team sickness rate was stupidly low, and people were staggering around exhausted and obviously ill) rather than actually take time off to recover properly.

They have really put a lot of thought into the ladies toilets in my current office and for that reason alone it's the best office I've worked in.

Lots of large cubicles with hooks on the back of the doors and hand-basins inside, toilets offset to one side so a sanitary bin isn't practically sitting on the toilet with you. There's a low humming noise from somewhere which hides the noise of people doing their business and both a small open window and a nice scent from an automatic air freshener (I'm not usually a fan) which means it always smells clean.

Weirdly there must be about 200 women in the building and it's rare to bump into anyone in there.

Physical office building - ok I guess. Not very smart. Enormous building (5000 people in it) and they're renovating it bit by bit so my bit should improve at some point! Same as PP, either boiling or freezing.

Office culture - pretty good. But depends a lot on your manager and their manager and their manager... can WFH, can adjust my work around the DC if needed (and possible),.

Way way better than my last job though!

I love my office. My jobs a bit dull but I'm not leaving because I cannot imagine finding another office as amazing as my current one. We all get on extremely well, my bosses are kind and fair and always have my back. We regularly go out and socialise together.
Its a relaxed, friendly atmosphere.

Can you retrain and do something that isn’t office based?

I have spent years working in every type of office imaginable from a two-man portacabin in a field, 4 miles down a track, overlooking the ocean, to a houseboat moored in a swamp, access by boat only, offices in stations and a caravan on a runway. What makes an office is the people and the type of job. One was for three weeks only in a remote location, access by ferry or plane, unless local and because of what I did was asked to meet Prince Charles and Diana. Another office was a boat with just me and a driver and all have been phenomenally different and contributed to fantastic unusual memories.

I am currently an office manager in a great office. I love my job and all the men i work with (no women) and have been here 2.5 years.

My company is VERY flexible and I take my lunch breaks to collect my daughter from school 3x a week and bring her back to the office and she will spend time here during the holidays or a can work from home if i need too. I leave a little early every Tuesday and Thursday to get DD to dance and gymnastic class.

However, i will take calls outside of working hours and do whatever is required at these times (hardly ever).

Flexible job = flexible employees.

I used to love working in an office, many different ones over the years. I can only think of one that was stuffy but otherwise we had such a laugh and we worked hard when needed.