In Sweden they go to a disco on their lunch break and dance away their troubles. In Norway they have saunas right there in the office where you can go and steam away that argument you had with Gunilla and Bjork over the state of the microwave.
Man, Australia is so BORING. Our office culture is just going out after work, sometimes, and maybe drinking some beers. I bet Gunilla and Bjork do that anyway; it’s just an accepted part of the day, like faxing and trying to get a good parking space, rather than an extra bit of cultural goodness. Which all explains why the office just across from us is suddenly doing great, with far fewer stressed-out people than there used to be.
Their new manager is from Scandinavia, or so I’ve heard. They might be introducing their European ways, which makes me wonder about the people they’ve got doing their office fitouts. Melbourne companies won’t be used to altering a space so drastically that they have to install a whole sauna, so…how are they doing it? Surely they haven’t converted one of their rooms into a disco room. Oh good grief, their office fitouts included a disco room didn’t it? We can’t compete with that. There’s literally no place in this office where you can go to dance away your worries, and don’t you worry, I’ve tried to find somewhere. Stupid open-plan space with glass walls.
We’re here brewing up trouble and malcontent, and the folks directly opposite are nipping out to the disco room to do the funky chicken whenever the folks from HR get on their nerves. Gemma gets narked at Judy stealing her parking space? No sweat! Actually, loads of it as all the bad vibes melt away in their Scandinavian sauna.
That’s it. We need some really good office design here, right now. There have to be at least a few places that offer office design. Melbourne is well known for it’s style and culture so I have faith. The Scandinavian way is the best, obviously.
-Jay