Workspace

[susans]

If you could change your desk or workspace, what would you change?

[gee4]

1)  I would move away from the loud banging door that everyone swipes into to come onto this floor.
2)  I would move away from the duct, ie the doorway to the inside of the building, probably leads to hell for all I know.
3)  Get rid of the damn air vents on the floor which continue to throw up icy cold air around my desk, which no-one believes actually happens.
4) Shut myself away in a nice warm office where I don't have to listen to people moan.

[queenbean]

I'm lucky enough to have my own office, but it's the first door through reception and automatically the first place people will try when they have a question - do I know where X is? / can I sign for something in reception because the receptionist has gone awol? / can I borrow a marker pen ... blah blah.  I don't believe in having my door closed unless I'm working on something confidential or I'm really under pressure, but sometimes the interruptions drive me nuts.

What is it they say about buying a house - location, location, location?.  My office is so in the wrong location!

QB

[raindance]

Nothing.  

I have my own office (a corner office if you please, and it's absolutely splendid.  It's all nicely kitted out with nice furniture - nothing "flash", just well-made items that look good and do the job properly - lovely plants to decorate, and all the technology a woman might wish for.

Bossie is next door, so I may keep an eye on her to make sure she is working hard , and we are near enough to be able to talk.  Assistants are next door in the other office.

I'm very grateful.

[itsme_calista]

Nothing

I too have my own office, small but just right for me, boss's office is next door (although he is rarely in), a few steps away from the copier and the kitchen in the other direction.

[Cathy S]

Ideally relocate it to home.

But assuming it has to stay put - have my own office with softer lighting and decor, and not the desk right next to the kitchen sink at the corner of the big open plan harshly lit office; not have  a'hutch' on my desk which makes it impossible to see visitors as they arrive and not have a flexible floor which means my monitor bounces every time someone passes my desk.

Needless to say our new space was designed by a man!

Cathy

[iqps210510]

I share the Admin Office with two colleagues, we have worked in the same building for something like 14 years but due to the regular re-organisations we have moved around departments and divisions, this past year is the first time we have shared an office.  

I changed a few things when I first moved in - getting rid of a large whiteboard, moving a wall mounted bookshelf and adding a small noticeboard and some more drawers next to the desk.

There are no more changes that need to be made now, but I'm off sailing for a year, so I have to remove all my personal stuff and store it somewhere so the temp has a clear desk when s/he arrives.

A

[laurafmcdermott]

As someone else said, move it to home....

Other than that, nothing.  I am in a cube, but it is removed from the masses in a quiet section of the office that has only my boss and ops directors offices and one other cube (that has a quiet gentleman in residence).  Far from most distractions, plenty of space, and quiet.

[misslynn]

I'm about 50/50 with how much time I spend working from home and working from the office.  Boss only requires I'm in the office when he is or when we have meetings (or when I need to use a fax machine, the only thing I don't have at home).

At the office, I'm fairly secluded in the very back next to my boss's office so it's quiet. I do have a cubicle near me with a copier, fax machine, supply area and a mini refrigerator (which I just added). My work area has two full walls and one half wall, the space in front of me is open. It's perfect, enough to give me my own private space but open enough to let me feel like a part of things when people do wander all the way back to my desk.

To top it off, we have our own private entrance.  I think it used to be an emergency exit but there's no alarm on the door so it's great when I want to step outside and enjoy the beautiful California sun.

[adminkate]

We just set up an entire cubicle system to section off our previously open floor plan, so I now have my own "space".  I now stare at a cubilce wall, rather than every single person who walks by, which I am hoping will curb the constant interruptions--though, without a door, certain people still come by with every little question...

Also, it would be nice to have a more stable floor so I wouldn't hear/feel every time a person walked by.

[jodith]

I would primarily have more workspace.  I'm usually working on several big projects at once, moving back and forth between them and the constant little daily tasks.  I just do not have enough actual work space for everything I do.

After that would be a bit more filing and storage space.  Between the HR files I maintain, the Board files, the tech components that I manage, and the donation files, not to mention the working files for in process projects, there just isn't enough room in my very little office.

[peaches2160]

I would have more workspace.  Although I like my office, next to my boss, the desk is old and the computer keyboard on the computer table and the pencil drawer hit when both are open at the same time.  The L was removed from the desk before my time and replaced with a computer table.  Weird set up.  The way the office is configured, there is no room to move either to make more room.

[Atlanta Z3]

Nothing.
Even though I am in the reception area of our office, it's as if I have my own office.  Our offices are on the top floor of a building, looking out over the Atlanta sky line.  We are location near a military airport and aircraft manufacturer, so watching the jets and other misc. aircraft is always entertaining.  The office is decorated with antiques and is very nice.  The pictures are little dry, but still nice.

I always say I would want to work from home, but I think the food source would be too close!  Perfect hours would be 4 days on 3 off - even with the 10 hour work day.

[spitfire78]

My office is a former closet - literally!

The desk is fairly new (about 10 years old or so) and large enough to give me a wonderful work surface.

However... there is no window and no heat/air conditioning.  The concrete block walls are full of small holes from what I would guess were various things that at one time or other hung in there.  The only part of the office that is truly mine is the desk.  In addition to the desk I also have a refrigerator and microwave, an ancient large 2-door storage cabinet and an even larger open bookshelf.  On top of the microwave sits the hole punch, heavy-duty stapler and laminating machine.  Stored on top of the cabinet are boxes and old desk accessories.  Because of all of the "stuff" in the office, I have no place to really set pictures or vases or anything that would make it "homey".  My plants all died the first winter I had them here from the lack of light on weekends and freezing temperatures overnight and on weekends.

I am trying to clean out the storage cabinet (my boss is a bit of a pack-rat - you wouldn't believe what I've found in there!).  I'm hoping that if I can get the inside cleaned out - what is stored on top will be able to go inside.  Then maybe I can get some artificial plants and maybe put some personal pictures up there.  Then, I plan to tackle the open bookshelf, so at least it looks neater.  I did discard the awful-looking magnets that some former occupant collected and were all over the refrigerator and storage cabinet.  

If I could only change 1 thing it would be a window - I would LOVE a window.  Next would be carpeting and painting with a filling in of the holes in the wall.  After that would be some nice storage cabinets that match my furniture (or even better - move out the d storage cabinet/bookshelf and give me more file space and breathing room.  I wouldn't mind having the refrigerator and microwave moved out either - it's not much fun to be trying to work and have big boss come in to heat up his smelly lunch!!!!  I'll never have a window (although my joke with the head of maintenance is for him to install a skylight), and the refrigerator and microwave are here to stay.  Maybe someday I can get the walls done and carpeting installed.  Right now money is an issue, so I wouldn't even ask at this point, but maybe in a couple of years.

Believe it or not, a few months ago big boss wanted to put a fax machine in my office!  We told him there was no room and he suggested putting a shelf on the wall near my desk, which would have precluded me from using 2 drawers of my desk and would have given me this huge thing constantly looming over my head!  Fortunately, his assistant said she had room in her office, so we put it in there - phew!!!

[ozbound]

To have my workspace really the way I want it would have to be moved to a different part of the building. For one thing, it needs some natural light (I tried having a plant on my desk--it died). Also, it's always dirty in here with dust from the adjacent manufacturing plant.  
However, it's probably impossible to move my workspace...so maybe I would rearrange it so my office-mate and I are not back to back--makes it more difficult to communicate.