Finding the right work environment

Hi Everyone.
Thought you all might find this interesting. I hope you enjoy it and learn something from it.
Cheers. Tom.

By Ron Visconti
Have you ever gone into a new environment and felt the vibrations? Maybe you've gone to a party, or a volunteer project, or your new workplace and either gotten a good feeling, or felt like you wanted to get out of there right away. That is your instinct telling you about what's right or wrong for you.

I recently visited a company and was greeted at the door by the CEO. He handed me a cup of coffee and offered some small talk. It was obvious the message of his company was: "We are friendly; we talk to everyone. There are no barriers here." His company was driven by customer-service. The George Zimmer commercial demonstrates a similar philosophy at the Men's Wearhouse. "You can talk to the CEO."

Work environments are like onions; they are layered. There is the physical atmosphere, and then there are the various components of human interaction—from how the janitors are treated to the "perks" given to the top employees.

Job seekers give little thought to choosing their preferred work environment. Rather, they passively wait for companies to pick them. This is a big mistake. It is like investing in the Lotto, hoping for something good to happen.

Work is perhaps one of the most intense short-term or long-term commitments you can make. You will be putting in thirty, forty, fifty, or perhaps more hours at work. Why not make it satisfying and productive?

Work environments are like unique countries. They all have their unique styles. Every country has its own language, customs, music, food, and history. So it is with companies.

What are the components of the right environment?
The most obvious is the physical part. How does it look? Are there cubicles or an open work environment? Is it pleasant to look at? Is it crowded? Messy or tidy?

The human element is critical. Who you go to work with for forty to sixty hours a week is critical. When you think of it, they are the ones who share your victories, your political battles, your common enemies, the numerous daily tasks
Perhaps, you should ask and then answer the following:

• How would you typify working at XYZ Company?
  
• What best describes the work environment—cooperative or competitive?
  
• Are workers friendly? Do they smile?
  
• Is it a creative environment?
  
• Do they value diversity?
  
• What programs do they have in place to recruit a diverse workplace?

Further, does your workplace give you energy? Work environments can be energy sources. Do you remember working at a job that seemed tedious, boring, draining? Stifling work environments draw energy like a sponge.
Exciting work environments provide stimulation, a sense of purpose, and a mission for both the individual, and the team.

Management is the foundation of a good and purposeful work place. Robert Levering, author and international authority on great workplaces, asserts that a great workplace must include a sense of fairness. In other words:

• Are you treated fairly?
  
• Are you adequately compensated?
  
• Are you recognized and acknowledged for your work?
  
• What specific programs are there to recognize workers?

A critical part of a company's management style is the organizational structure. How do the individual workers fit in the whole system?

• Are there appropriate career ladders?
  
• What is the reporting system like?
  
• Is the overall organization bureaucratic or open and flexible?

And finally, how do you do your work? You can be quite successful in one environment and not in another? Why is that? My guess is that circumstances are different. Your personality and interaction with others and your external environment will either promote a sense of success or on the opposite end of the continuum, a sense of desperation.

How do the workers dress? Are workers formal or not? Do they dress like the high tech industry with jeans, or in the banking industry, with suit and tie?

Perception of your personality is important. I can be placed into two separate environments and be seen in two different lights. Someone who is seen as assertive in one context might be seen as aggressive in another.

When I hear applicants say, "I could have done that job." They are maybe missing the point. Perhaps, they should be asking, "Do I really fit in that workplace?"

The workplace is a blending of personalities, styles, management, and workplace culture.
Remember, it is your job to be the ultimate anthropologist, to find how people really live, otherwise, you will find your experience like that of Bill Murray in "Lost and Translation," disoriented and out of touch. Companies don't know you, or what's best for you – only you can determine that.