You’d think that working for an interior styling magazine would be a good move in terms of getting to live it up in beautiful workspaces. Well, the reality has officially fallen short of the expectation. The part of the office I’ve been assigned to is a dingy corner that’s little better than a broom closet – the lighting is all wrong, the cable situation is out of control, and the design of the workstation defies common logic.
Maybe it’s because I’m new, and they want to test my resolve about working in this industry. It just doesn’t stack up, though – I mean, you’d think this would be an affront to the whole essence of the publication, commercial interiors being a key aspect of what they cover. Even disregarding that, it’s still pretty strange. In my experience since moving to Melbourne, office fitouts have generally been of pretty high standard, including in my previous role as an accountant for an online retailer.
The weird thing is, nobody seems keen to acknowledge the situation. You’d think someone would just be like, hey, we know that this desk is poorly appointed, and fixing it up is on our to-do list. Or even make a joke about it. But… radio silence. That makes me feel like I can’t bring it up. I mean, what if it is just me, and it comes across as an insult to someone’s better judgement?
It’s not like I know nothing about office design. Melbourne has done well in educating me on the finer points of what makes an effective workspace; it’s possible that I’ve been spoiled a bit by previous offices. I just expected more of this place.
I’ve sussed out the rest of the space and I have to admit that, on the whole, it’s pretty schmick. It’s really just my desk that’s the problem. But what is a great office without continuity and flow of design concepts throughout the whole space?