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Also, things like selecting office location are so deeply political that decisions about them invariably creep to the top.

by NoPiece 13y ago

lsc 13y ago
>Also, things like selecting office location are so deeply political that decisions about them invariably creep to the top. I'd argue that /moving/ an office is almost always going to cause rancor because moving your house is expensive and difficult, and, well, obviously you had an acceptable commute before. Commute times are huge; I'd actually like to see some numbers; my gut would be that when you move the office more than 10 miles, your turnover goes through the roof for the next 6 months or so. (the interesting thing about a commute is that especially for younger workers, it's not always obvious how brutal the commute will be. "Oh yeah, half an hour each way, I can deal with it" - 6 months later? your view is dramatically different, especially if you have been working long hours at the office.) So yeah, moving the office, I mean, more than a few miles, is a huge deal and absolutely needs management involvement. Potentially you could lose some really key people. I'd argue that deciding, you know, about shit like carpet, on the other hand? the only time that should move up the ladder is when it's still a business run by 'some guy' - and even then, it needs to be a recognized bikeshed. (the cube/office decision might also be worth the time. There's a real difference. but picking out carpet? yeah. leave that to someone who doesn't have anything better to do, or outsource it.)
slyall 13y ago
I believe Joel Garreau was the guy who said that a company's new location will be as close as possible to a CEO's house without affecting his property value. A recent article on the topic: http://greatergreaterwashington.org/post/19239/ceos-want-faster-commutes-for-whom/ http://greatergreaterwashington.org/post/19239/ceos-want-fas...

Also, things like selecting office location are so deeply political that decisions about them invariably creep to the top.

by NoPiece 13y ago

Also, things like selecting office location are so deeply political that decisions about them invariably creep to the top.

lsc 13y ago

>Also, things like selecting office location are so deeply political that decisions about them invariably creep to the top. I'd argue that /moving/ an office is almost always going to cause rancor because moving your house is expensive and difficult, and, well, obviously you had an acceptable commute before. Commute times are huge; I'd actually like to see some numbers; my gut would be that when you move the office more than 10 miles, your turnover goes through the roof for the next 6 months or so. (the interesting thing about a commute is that especially for younger workers, it's not always obvious how brutal the commute will be. "Oh yeah, half an hour each way, I can deal with it" - 6 months later? your view is dramatically different, especially if you have been working long hours at the office.) So yeah, moving the office, I mean, more than a few miles, is a huge deal and absolutely needs management involvement. Potentially you could lose some really key people. I'd argue that deciding, you know, about shit like carpet, on the other hand? the only time that should move up the ladder is when it's still a business run by 'some guy' - and even then, it needs to be a recognized bikeshed. (the cube/office decision might also be worth the time. There's a real difference. but picking out carpet? yeah. leave that to someone who doesn't have anything better to do, or outsource it.)

slyall 13y ago

I believe Joel Garreau was the guy who said that a company's new location will be as close as possible to a CEO's house without affecting his property value. A recent article on the topic: http://greatergreaterwashington.org/post/19239/ceos-want-faster-commutes-for-whom/ http://greatergreaterwashington.org/post/19239/ceos-want-fas...