I’ve recently taken a new job as a manager at a local council. It’s not the most exciting job, but as someone who has only ever worked in councils for the last forty years, it’s what I am accustomed to. Plus, it’s easy and reliable money. The first thing I’ve noticed since working here is how dated everything looks. All the staff are still using extremely old computers and the office itself just looks so bland and dreary. When speaking to all the members of the team, it seemed like that there was a general lack of morale and enthusiasm among everyone. In my opinion, it’s to do with the boring environment. People need to have a nice atmosphere in order to feel positive and act positively. I’m going to call in a Melbourne-based office design specialist to take a look at the office space and find out what they can do to convert the office into a nicer environment.
I surveyed members of staff to get a better understanding of what they felt the office was lacking. The results showed that they felt that the office lacked a ‘chill out’ space and that our current lunchroom felt very cold and almost clinical. They also thought it would be good to incorporate the council’s colours into the decor to help add more life and flow to the office. For the moment the office was grey and all the furniture was thrown together rather than colour coordinated. I’m looking forward to these new commercial office fitouts. Melbourne has many new offices and I think it’s time we joined the ranks. Many other local councils have really nice modern spaces, I’m surprised this council never thought to give itself a facelift. Oh well, better late than never I guess. These changes will be a stage by stage process, but we are all very excited to see the final outcome.