By Arthur Tam
What would make your workplace more enjoyable? We canvass the professionals here in Taikoo Place to get their opinion on the matter, as part of our ongoing series on community stories. Spoiler: most of us want a place to take a nap.
What don’t you like about your current office situation?
Tanya (Media, PCCW Tower): It’s just so cold in the office. I wish there were a thermostat for each company, so we could control the AC ourselves.
Angel (Retail, Dorset House): Right now there are too many partitions in the office. Things can be a bit more open, so it doesn’t seem like you’re so isolated. Also, if we could shift meetings to be elsewhere instead of meeting rooms, that could be fun and make things less tense.
Rahul (Construction, Devon House): I can't decorate my desk. There really isn't that much space with all the documents piling up. It's quite sad. All I have is my calendar where I've marked my holidays. I look at it to motivate myself because it reminds me of what to look forward to.
Do you personalise your desk in any way to make your work space more comfortable?
Choi (Advertising, Cambridge House): I usually put little trinkets from my travels and other people’s travels on my desk.
Grace (Media, PCCW Tower): I decorate my desk with posters with positive slogans.
Vikram (Healthcare, One Island East): We have free seating on a first come first served basis, so we can’t decorate. I prefer it this way because it mixes things up day to day.
Nonna (Banking, One Island East): Putting plants on your desk is a good way to lift your spirits. That's if your company allows that sort of thing. Some companies have strict desk policies about what you can and can't put on your desk.
Mandy (Human Resources, Devon House): I keep pictures of my family around my desk to keep myself motivated.
Angel: I just put travel photos on my desk. That helps me destress and takes me away from what I'm currently doing.
What would you like in your office to make it more enjoyable?
Choi: It would be amazing if we could get a bean bag or something like a capsule room to rest like in a capsule hotel.
Pooja (Banking, One Island East): I would like a desk that you can adjust to be a standing desk, so you have the option of sitting or standing. One of my colleagues has that, but that's because he has back issues. It just seems to make more sense for everyone in offices to have them to prevent back problems from occurring in the first place. I’d also like a bed for naps.
Jacky (Construction, Devon): For me, I'd like a band room or just some sort of recreation room. It would be nice to have a common area. Right now all we have is a pantry.
Mandy: It would be great to have a couch to relax on or a recreation room with some snacks. And to make sure people can utilise it, there needs to be an official 15 minute break time for people just to chill, relax and maybe take a nap.
Maruthi (Healthcare, One Island East): It would be great to get nap pods. At the moment we just take a quick power nap on our desk when no one is around.
Tanya: I’d really like bean bags and sleeping booths to nap. Just a sleeping area, in general, would be nice. Also, more plant life or flowers around the space would liven up the space.
What do you currently do at work to destress?
Nonna: I snack, or I come up the 37th floor of One Island East and just stare out of the window and take in the scenery.
Choi: I go on Instagram. It has all these different things that are inspirational and still relevant to my work. But there are also other random things that appear, like cat photos, that help destress.
Pooja: I just go for a walk, usually up to the 37th floor of One Island East for the view and check out what they are still serving in PUBLIC.
Mandy: I destress by exercising after work.
Rahul: If there is downtime, which there hardly is, I just go on social media or take a walk.
Want to hear more from our community? We capture the most stylish people in Taikoo Place and ask them to define their style here.