Whiny Workers (part 3)

Hi, I'm back.  Almost forgot about this.  Oops.

3.  Their Work Area.

I've been at my current job for 3.5 years.  In that time, I've had 6 different work spaces.  So many, because my company's previous offices had basically run out of room for growth by the time I got there.  My first work space was an office, something that people in my position don't get.  The only reason I was put in an office, was because there was no where else to put me.  I understood this from day one - I was not getting an office because I was above anyone on the chain of command.  Second was another office.  Numbers 3 and 4 were temporary work stations.  Numbers 5 and 6 were cubicles, finally working in the area of my fellow admin workers.  Did I ever complain about the space, losing an office, being downgraded to a cubicle, etc?  Well, kinda.  Never complained about losing the offices.  When I was in the offices, I was away from the group.  Felt like I missed a lot of the daily goings-on.   What I complained about was in the cubicle area, when certain co-workers also seated in that area, would forget that they had neighbours, and would disrupt my work with constant noise and chatter.  BUT... if I complained, I would always say "One day,  I'll stop complaining because I'll be so used to it."  And that day came.  And I laughed at myself over my past issues.

My issue here is greater.  It's people who complain about their work area, and expect the company to do something about it.  This may include (1) replacing a neighbouring employee (which I NEVER requested, nor got), or (2) finding them a new work area.  People who expect the company to rebuild according to their needs.  It blows me away.  You're given a space, so take some time and learn to work with it.

Your work space is loaned to you, as long as you're an employee.  Keep that in mind. 

You might think that I had troubles adjusting from having the space of an office, downgrading to a measly cubicle.  Actually, I had no trouble at all.  My first office, about half of it was empty, because I kept everything I needed right around me.  I always knew I'd have to reduce one day.... so why get used to the extra space?

We recently moved into new offices.  I love my new work space.  I feel very comfortable.  Rumour has it, not everyone feels the same as I do.  But I don't know why.  Mostly because I won't listen to the whiners.  Our company has put a lot of time and money into building our offices.  All along the way, they were open to thoughts from the employees.  Many of these whiners didn't say anything constructive, just "I want, I want, I want", with no suggestions on how to make their wants happen.

My boss is almost finished putting his office together.  Turns out he has an extra filing cabinet that he doesn't need.  So he asked me if I needed it.  In my old place, I had room for a small filing cabinet; here, I don't.  But when we learned of our new work spaces, we were told we probably wouldn't have this room.  Some people complained.  Me, well, I just said "whatever", and slowly worked away from using that cabinet, so that now, I don't need it.  In fact, I still have room at my desk for more stuff.  And so does my manager.  We actually have an entire 4 drawer cabinet waiting for us to put something in it.  We're funny that way.

The moral of this subject is:  Learn to work with what you've got.  And if you can't, then form your request for more in a constructive way.  It's the same with any problem solving - people are more likely to listen if you provide an idea for a solution.  And that doesn't include relocating you (unless your company allows for that, and even then, you better be prepared with a justification.).  Don't expect your company to tear down and rebuild just to make you happy.  Because in their minds, they're thinking "no matter what we give this person, they will not be happy."  The only 2 valid complaints I can come up with are lighting and air quality.  And most companies will listen to this.  But they may not be able to do much about it.

(I laugh at people who, when they get a new job, will tell you the best thing about their job is "I have an office!"  Really?  That's the best?  What does that have to do with the job itself?  I think of it as a sign that that person will quickly be complaining about something else....)