Every place I’ve ever worked had at least one person who refused to decorate. Walking into their space was like entering a sensory deprivation office, with nothing but white walls, a computer and a pen.
I didn’t understand these people. I was someone who needed to feel comfortable at work. Pictures of my kids (never knew when I wouldn’t be home for dinner), a cushy couch (never knew when I wouldn’t be home), and a framed Chagall print on my wall gave my office a sense individuality.
But really, I was just giving myself the illusion of permanence.
It’s no coincidence that most of the white-wallers had been in the business a while. In hindsight, all of the people I’m remembering were in their 40s and had seen their share of layoffs. At the time I thought it was sad. Poor guy. He’s just expecting to lose this job.
But now, I look at it as pragmatic. Unless you work for yourself, there’s a fairly high likelihood that someone is going to call you into their office one day to tell you your services are no longer necessary. We are bolts in a machine. Workers in a factory. Each with a finite life expectancy.
I don’t look at that as negative or doomesdayish. Quite the opposite. Having the understanding of my role in the bigger system has liberated me to find another system. That’s what I love about freelancing so much. I can visit an agency, get my hands dirty, and never expect to be treated as anything but a service for hire.
Not to mention, I’ll never have to pack another box again.
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Some people just like working in “tabula rasa” type of environment.
enjoyable blurb…as i worked 3 years at the place i was laid off from (last year) and was often chided for never decorating. oddly i was not particularly seasoned or jaded; however i didn’t really see the point in investing and/or sharing my emotions, displaying my life for people to peruse. Perhaps in lieu of being jaded over past negative work experiences I have just opted to fiercely protect my privacy and be very select about whom I invite / allow through the gates of my personal world. I have been at times been ribbed for this (and probably even more behind my back than to my face) however erring on the safe side has definitely paid off more I believe.
After being laid off from a small agency after 3.5 years, I swore I would never allow myself to accumulate too much personal stuff at work. (There’s something quite unsettling to need over an hour to pack up my belongings after being “released of my responsibilities.”) My rule became “whatever didn’t fit in one box was too much.” But then I went to work for an agency that lasted nearly 7 years. And despite leaving on my own terms for this one, I still had to go in on a weekend to pack up so I didn’t have to fight through too many people.
But I like making my workspace my own. And with my last job, I had a sweet window office that just begged to be dressed up. Which was great, considering how much time I was having to spend in it. But then, when the hammer dropped there, again it was a mad, feverish dash to pack up and get out. There was no “walk of shame” through a crowded typing pool, but still. Now that I’ve been freelancing, I’m with you on just coming in, doing my thang, and then leaving.
I had done enough favors for the right people that I knew a few days in advance that I was getting axed. I just started bringing my stuff home.
When the day came what was left fit in one box and took five minutes to pack.
Now I’m working out of a home office and most of that stuff is still in the boxes. I don’t think I will ever be making another home away from home in an office again. I’ve done a few in-house freelance jobs and I resist the urge to change preferences on their computer.
I currently work at a small agency. It’s been my first foray into the ad agency world and I’ve been at my position close to three years. I too have never “personalized” my space. Interestingly enough, I’ve never been laid off or had any past experiences that would influence my decision to stay sparse. I just never really saw the point in it, possibly because it’s hard to think of any employment as permanent these days. I guess I came into the ad agency world with the assumption that we were all gears, so it’s really no surprise. I wonder if this sweeping recession has left us all jaded, always envisioning how we’ll pack up our boxes when the day comes. It seems the point is, don’t make your job your life, it’s your job, leave your home at home.
I don’t feel like this is something unique to ad agencies in particular.
It doesn’t matter what industry you’re in. As long as we’re cog-like and measurable, we’ll be replaced.
I’ve seen folks with really “lived in” cubes get let go without even enough time to pack all of their things. They just get walked out by security and their stuff gets shipped to them later.
As nice as it is to have a comfortable work environment, it’s just no fun to have to worry getting all your stuff back.
As a freelancer I adopted a “mobile” work-style so the only things that speak of my individuality would be my messenger bag, coffee travel mug and my laptop.
[The latter of which I have had to resist the urge to pepper with colorful trendy stickers.]
This way I can pack what I need for when I need it – and can leave Godzilla and the Sock Monkey Puppet Slippers at home. Clients are happy and I only require net access, a coffee maker and a clear workspace.
It’s a beginning for this new high tech transient lifestyle of mine.
The last company I worked for was a small company where we all had huge desks in a big loft type office. We were only allowed 1 personal item on the desk, 1 pen, 1 neat stack of papers on the current project and our computers.
It took me 5 min to get out of there after getting laid off. =)
Great post. One solution to the decorating conundrum is to deliver work that is worthy of wall art. Great work is beautiful to look at and serves as a wonderful conversation starter. And, when it’s time to move on, these decorations can (and should) be left behind.
never forget taking a job @ MVBMS Euro rscg… i never even bothered to fill out the form for my business cards though i did decorate my office. when i left that job i had my stuff outta’ there in a day. lucky (i guess) they had my stuff moved to my new office.
funny though…
i rem. @ my first job out of school a talented copywriter told me to get a little box that all my shit would fit in & to put that box under my desk. oh, another thing… i once painted my office walls pink before i left. that was funny to leave behind.
I’ve always struggled to decorate my cubicle, and I know it was a concious decision NOT to vette myself in a workplace. Despite this, I find myself at the ripe “old” age of 36 struggling to define myself beyond my work.
When I left HHCC about 12 years ago. I just got up and left. Didn’t pack a thing. Left all my annuals, all my toys, all my posters exactly as they were and just walked out.
Why, cause i thought it was funny. Miss some of that stuff.
I got laid off from my first job outta ad school last year by phone two days before New Years while I was outta town on holiday. The first week of the new year I got sick and didn’t make it into the office to retrieve my things. When I came in the next week I discovered my cubicle had been completely emptied. They threw out everything, including a notebook I had been using for over five years to write ideas, lines and nuggets I thought might be useful later. To add insult to injury they called me the day before to make sure I intended to return my laptop. It seemed like appropriate end.