You don’t have to fall off a cliff to know what it’s like to hit bottom. You can learn what is an unsupportive physical environment before your discomfort pushes you over the edge. Improve your current situation or reveal in advance the best environment for you to work in.
If your focus is on the work place, will you be staying where you are or transitioning to a new location? Ask yourself these related questions:
Staying Where I Am:
? What do I most like/dislike about my environment?
? What can I change to improve on it?
? Who is the best person to discuss my concerns with who can help me with new options?
? Can I co-share space or work part-time in another office?
? Can I offer to do some company travel and/or work part-time from home?
? If I've tried but failed to make my desired changes here, am I ready to make a job change?
Transitioning to a New Job:
? Where have I worked previously that I liked or disliked and what were the differences?
? Is this new environment's location, lighting and air ventilation healthy?
? What kind of work environment would I feel most comfortable in?
? What do I want my exact working space to be like and what is unacceptable?
? Do I like working around others or prefer as much privacy as possible?
? What would I want to surround myself with that's conducive to relaxed productivity?
If your focus is on a complete geographical change for a new job, this will require you to expand your research. Before accepting a job in another city that requires you to move your household, research costs, your job's proximity to home, gasoline stations, and walking distances from work to local restaurants. (For your home view, consider important conveniences nearby, talk to the neighbors in the new area, contact the local Chamber of Commerce and Visitor's Bureau and get safety reports from the local police department).
Just as you will assess other job specifics e.g., working hours, salary amount, level and type of responsibilities and career values, e.g., self-expression, leadership, recognition and challenge — your working environment is important to weigh in for doing your best.
You can sit in an office with no windows or pictures on the wall, but you'll soon feel the negative impact if you don't customize the space or find alternative work areas that welcome you and invite your creative thinking. You deserve to work where you feel stimulated and productive, so take time to ask yourself the above questions and design or redesign your work area to work for you.
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Laurie A. Sheppard is a master certified Life Coach and Career Strategist to mid-level professional women and women entrepreneurs who want to make quality career and personal changes.
Ready to change your life? Contact Laurie at info@creatingatwill.com or call her at 310-645-2874. Sign up to receive monthly career tips
c. 2007 This article is free to publish in its entirety, with a courtesy email to info@creatingatwill.com
