New report finds not everyone is a fan of personalising desks during holiday season
Employees across New Zealand are advised to be mindful of putting up Christmas decorations on their desks amid the risk of potentially annoying co-workers who might not be a fan of the holidays.
Shannon Barlow, managing director at Frog Recruitment, said personalising workspaces can help bring out personality, style, and a piece of home in the office.
"But there's a fine balance between self-expression and professionalism," Barlow warned. "Sure, the miniature Christmas tree perched on your desk and the Santa sack hanging over your chair may help you get the job done, but it may not be boosting the productivity of your co-workers."
In fact, the report found that 24% of employees said decorations - or the lack of them - did not affect their output and efficacy at work. Another 28% said minimalistic desks were much more conducive.
The findings come in the wake of hot desking in workplaces - a trend that re-emerged during the pandemic as the practice became a way to save costs on office spaces that saw less demand.
Hot desking involves making staff in the office share desks in a rotating system. It has become popular with hybrid work arrangements, which allowed employees to not be in an office at the same time, therefore allowing same desks to be used by different employees.
In New Zealand, 60% of Frog Recruitment's respondents said their office remains full of hot desks, including 25% who enjoy them and 35% who dislike them.
According to the report, putting up decorations or personalising hot desks can be a problem in workplaces.
"Hot desking is designed for efficiency, but it has the opposite effect if you get to the workstation, the dock is missing, and the Bluetooth mouse is connecting to someone else's laptop," Barlow said. "When people don't follow the rules, it can lead to a loss in productivity."
Ultimately, the managing director advised that catering for different work styles will be the key to keeping workplaces harmonious during the holiday seasons.
"Some people are nesters and like having their individual space untouched! Others like the flexibility of sharing love with different colleagues and sitting next to different people for social reasons or to collaborate," she said.
