By : David Hinde
Whilst having lunch in the financial district of London yesterday I overheard a conversation between two male office workers. They sat on the table next to me in their suits and ties discussing how tough their respective work environments were. There were tales of late nights and aggressive meetings. Running through the conversation was a strong misogynistic streak describing, in unflattering terms, the office "birds" It made me feel pretty depressed. For them I guess work means macho, traditional, aggressive and power. It's a world away from what work means to me.
Afterward I walked from the City district with its imposing offices, traditional Roman-esque facades and almost phallic skyscrapers, to Clerkenwell, where I had a meeting with a very different client. Here there are many creative businesses such as designers, digital agencies and architects. The offices are on a smaller scale and are modernistic and funky. Many are built in converted warehouses. The people walk around with open necked shirts, jeans and trainers. In the space of half a mile how people translate the word "work" changes quite dramatically.
What do you visualise when you think of that word "work". Are you wearing a suit or an Hawaiian shirt? Are you in a cubicle in an office or in a converted barn with a colourful desk and big sofas? Are you bored or are you lost in doing something you love? Are you laughing with colleagues or competing against them?
How I lived my work life is something I started thinking a lot about in my early 30's. At the time I was very unhappy with my job and I began to examine why that was. I think, like many people, I had taken my ideas of what work should be from my father. He had a very traditional suit-wearing office job. He left the home at 7.30am and arrived back around 7pm each night looking bedraggled and tired. It said to me that work was routine, traditional, tiring and something to be endured. And that was certainly what I had created for myself by the time I was 32.
I realised that things needed to change and a friend of mine recommended that I read a career-coaching book called "What Colour is Your Parachute." I am personally very cynical when someone tells me a book has "changed their life", but...for me...this one did. Through a series of self-analysis exercises the book helps you to become aware of what work you would like to do. It gets you to examine what are your favourite places to work, what are your interests and field of fascination, what sort of people do you like working with, what are your values and goals, what are your favourite working conditions, what sort of salary do you want to earn and what sort of skills you like to use.
Doing the exercises took me several weeks, but the results were enlightening. It helped to reveal many career blind spots - for example I had never considered how important the actual work environment was to my happiness. The exercises revealed that I preferred a quiet environment, working with people I liked and variety in my work location. At the time I was working in a noisy open plan office, with lots of pretty unpleasant people and I went to the same place each day. No wonder I hated it!
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Whilst having lunch in the financial district of London yesterday I overheard a conversation between two male office workers. They sat on the table next to me in their suits and ties discussing how tough their respective work environments were. There were tales of late nights and aggressive meetings. Running through the conversation was a strong misogynistic streak describing, in unflattering terms, the office "birds" It made me feel pretty depressed. For them I guess work means macho, traditional, aggressive and power. It's a world away from what work means to me.
Afterward I walked from the City district with its imposing offices, traditional Roman-esque facades and almost phallic skyscrapers, to Clerkenwell, where I had a meeting with a very different client. Here there are many creative businesses such as designers, digital agencies and architects. The offices are on a smaller scale and are modernistic and funky. Many are built in converted warehouses. The people walk around with open necked shirts, jeans and trainers. In the space of half a mile how people translate the word "work" changes quite dramatically.
What do you visualise when you think of that word "work". Are you wearing a suit or an Hawaiian shirt? Are you in a cubicle in an office or in a converted barn with a colourful desk and big sofas? Are you bored or are you lost in doing something you love? Are you laughing with colleagues or competing against them?
How I lived my work life is something I started thinking a lot about in my early 30's. At the time I was very unhappy with my job and I began to examine why that was. I think, like many people, I had taken my ideas of what work should be from my father. He had a very traditional suit-wearing office job. He left the home at 7.30am and arrived back around 7pm each night looking bedraggled and tired. It said to me that work was routine, traditional, tiring and something to be endured. And that was certainly what I had created for myself by the time I was 32.
I realised that things needed to change and a friend of mine recommended that I read a career-coaching book called "What Colour is Your Parachute." I am personally very cynical when someone tells me a book has "changed their life", but...for me...this one did. Through a series of self-analysis exercises the book helps you to become aware of what work you would like to do. It gets you to examine what are your favourite places to work, what are your interests and field of fascination, what sort of people do you like working with, what are your values and goals, what are your favourite working conditions, what sort of salary do you want to earn and what sort of skills you like to use.
Doing the exercises took me several weeks, but the results were enlightening. It helped to reveal many career blind spots - for example I had never considered how important the actual work environment was to my happiness. The exercises revealed that I preferred a quiet environment, working with people I liked and variety in my work location. At the time I was working in a noisy open plan office, with lots of pretty unpleasant people and I went to the same place each day. No wonder I hated it!
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