Namely, the fact that there are ZERO distractions. Or so close to zero that the difference is insignificant.
The attire isn't strictly shirt-and-tie, but everybody is quietly businesslike and conforming. I felt like a total revolutionary the first time I wore jeans, sneakers and a black t-shirt. And the worst part is, it's rubbing off on me! Just today, when I woke up, I was thinking "yes, my last day at work, maybe I'll be more casual and wear some baggy pants and a shirt with a slogan." And I didn't. Because I felt it wouldn't be proper.
Then the decor: every single poster in the building, for example, is a product of this company or one of its affiliates. Every wall and desk calendar seems to be too. Any employees bold enough to mark their territory do it with small photocopies of politically correct comic strips tacked to the corners of their notice boards. Even the vast majority of coffee mugs I've seen bear the company logo; I theorize that if anyone brought one with a humorous slogan the other mugs would frown it to death.
There is nothing but business.
Business business business.
It gives the place such an air of efficiency, someone might think. And they might be right. But in the end, it's just air. Take my current project, for example: nobody gives a fuck about it. I sit here, I have a ton of things still to do -- that I can't do, because people are withholding information I need -- and it's my last day. It's... 14:22 EET so I'm out of this dump in two hours, baby.
Would we be more efficient if we had more distractions, like office toys, pinball machines, games, music, TV? Possibly. At least it would enhance communication. Not to mention prevent people from working themselves to death (hi, dad).
I'm just glad this shit is soon to be over... at least I get one more thing to list on my CV when I try to find another job. Oh, and I gained a good yardstick with which to measure those jobs: if they are anything like this one, I'm out of the door before you can say "intangible benefits."
The attire isn't strictly shirt-and-tie, but everybody is quietly businesslike and conforming. I felt like a total revolutionary the first time I wore jeans, sneakers and a black t-shirt. And the worst part is, it's rubbing off on me! Just today, when I woke up, I was thinking "yes, my last day at work, maybe I'll be more casual and wear some baggy pants and a shirt with a slogan." And I didn't. Because I felt it wouldn't be proper.
Then the decor: every single poster in the building, for example, is a product of this company or one of its affiliates. Every wall and desk calendar seems to be too. Any employees bold enough to mark their territory do it with small photocopies of politically correct comic strips tacked to the corners of their notice boards. Even the vast majority of coffee mugs I've seen bear the company logo; I theorize that if anyone brought one with a humorous slogan the other mugs would frown it to death.
There is nothing but business.
Business business business.
It gives the place such an air of efficiency, someone might think. And they might be right. But in the end, it's just air. Take my current project, for example: nobody gives a fuck about it. I sit here, I have a ton of things still to do -- that I can't do, because people are withholding information I need -- and it's my last day. It's... 14:22 EET so I'm out of this dump in two hours, baby.
Would we be more efficient if we had more distractions, like office toys, pinball machines, games, music, TV? Possibly. At least it would enhance communication. Not to mention prevent people from working themselves to death (hi, dad).
I'm just glad this shit is soon to be over... at least I get one more thing to list on my CV when I try to find another job. Oh, and I gained a good yardstick with which to measure those jobs: if they are anything like this one, I'm out of the door before you can say "intangible benefits."
