Hot-seating gets too hot to handle… |

Hot-seating gets too hot to handle…

Published by yojules January 17th, 2007 in General, Jules Muses

I know you’re all going to laugh at me. Some of you may even wag your finger and say ‘I told you so!’

For a few years now, we have been implementing a policy of hot-seating. In theory it’s fabulous: in support of family values, work-life balance, and flexible working hours, we have set up our work place to be very virtual. Most Avos have their own laptops with wireless and 3G functionality. We all are able to work at home, in the Seattle coffee shop, even at the ‘Pied Piper’, watching our children scrambling over playground equipment while we bash out the latest proposal or catch up on our email.

And if we feel like a bit of Avo ‘love’, then we pop into the office, find ourselves an empty desk, and voila! All is sorted.

There are a few Avos who are office-bound. They have their own desks and PCs, and are not really part of the hot-seating community. And then there are a few hot-seaters who seem to have developed very deep relationships with particular desks or spaces within the Avo offices. Heaven forbid you sit in their desks when they’re not around - by complete unwritten law, most people leave their spaces completely alone.

Then we won the lottery contract. We bought and rented another 30 desks and chairs. We squeezed another 20 PCs into the house on the hill. We set up ‘garden offices’ under the trees and in the outdoor restaurant. Space is suddenly at a major premium. It’s becoming a first come, first serve world, and if you show up later than 8.30 - well, we’ve also installed a carpet, so you could probably find a comfortable enough corner on the floor!

So then it happened to me. I got up EARLY in the morning. I chased all my children out of the house and off to school. I broke all speed limits to get to Avo by 7.30, and miracle of miracles: there was the nicest desk at Avo, with the nicest view of the Kensington valley, blissfully unoccupied! Exitedly I set up my laptop. I fetched my cup of coffee and settled down happily to my emails and the nest-building weavers in the tree outside. After a couple of hours, I picked up my handbag and slipped off to my first meeting of the day, leaving my desk very much occupied by my stuff.

2 hours later, on returning to ‘my’ desk of the day, horror of horrors, I find my desk occupied by another body, and all my stuff unceremoniously moved to the back room facing……the wall.

I must confess, I got ‘boss indignance’. I was tempted to belt out the ‘do you know who I AM?’ line (until I remembered the ad). I coached myself to get over myself. Then I spent the rest of the day second-guessing myself about the wisdom of hot seating.

Our Ngikwazi Lotto team is about to move into new premises we rented in Bedfordview, so things will soon return to normal here on the hill. But maybe we need to rethink this hot-seating thing. How do you Avos feel about it? How should we approach seating arrangements when the Ngikwazi team moves on? I would love to hear your thoughts.

Until then, I got here really early again today, and booked my seat by the window. I’ve cancelled all meetings off site, and am not going to drink any coffee so that I won’t have to leave to go to the loo. I can be contacted via cell phone or email, and meetings can be held at my desk.

Oh, and bring your own chair!

8 Responses to “Hot-seating gets too hot to handle…”

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1 jen Jan 17th, 2007 at 9:28 am

As you know I have established a rather large area in the corner as MINE!!!!! I quite obviously like the new idea of defining who sits where. My main reason for this is that those ghastly peices of paper with what may or may not be important looking stuff on them, floating around the office and generally being left haphazardly lying where they fall (sometimes on my desk) should also then have a home. Voila! neater office space and less wasted time looking for stuff (and asking me where others’ stuff is).
2 Glen Jan 17th, 2007 at 11:27 am

HI there

As a new Kwazi and old Avo, I know that the influx of new different people who dont quite understand the Avo way of doing things has seriously ‘affected the Love’ in Avo. At this point I watch and see how regular Avo’s quietly seethe when the Newbies do something completely unAvo, like eating your cereal out of the cupboard sitting on your shelf!!!

I am of the humble opinion that any corporate / business / family culture is built on basic respect for others and what is theirs, whether it be space, food or anything else. The learning taken out of this for me is firstly not to take what we have for granted, secondly to respect others and what they have and thirdly and possibly most importantly, “If in doubt, ASK!!!!!” There can be no harm done in simply checking with those around you whether its okay to grab the desk, the sandwich or the cereal that may appear to be readily available, especially if the rightful owners have had their hearts set on it in their way to work that morning!

Well enough of my rumblings from airport lounges around the country, I’m off to Nelspruit!

Glen
3 Carin Jan 17th, 2007 at 11:47 am

Okay okay okay. As the ‘do-er’ of the ursurping of the desk at the window, I am chicken enough to admit that I can probably only attempt one career-limiting move per week, and stealing the desk at the window yesterday was it.

I do HAVE to mention however, that the ‘common unwritten law’ of which you speak Jules, is that that is my desk! (So technically I was stealing it back, reclaiming my territory if you like). But the general understanding is steal my desk and you’ll have to deal with a grumpy Carin… .

But in reply to your question: I am not one of the fans of the ‘hot seating’ idea. I like knowing that I have a desk to come and work at that will be ready and waiting for me when I get here. It seriously grinds my bones when I come in and have to find a desk in a space in the office that is not qite my preference… . It might sound bratsky but I like having my own bubble of space. Of course if that was at the desk at the window I’d be a much happier chappie!. xxx
4 Honeybluebelle Jan 17th, 2007 at 3:16 pm

Any comment from me would not be complete if it bore no reference to my dating life, so here goes: My Rockstar Boyfriend once told me that if the person who you love (and who supposedly loves you back) gets grumpy and bratsky and starts saying things like: “It’s not you, I just need some/more/my own SPACE”, then one should always retaliate by offering to buy them a rocket. Very good advice.

I happen to be the poor sod who always lands up sitting on the carpet at Avo under someone’s desk, stealthily hijacking a LAN-point. Then I’m also the one having to field the rude references to my plumber’s cleavage, whilst contorting myself into non-ergo-friendly work-postures. And not to mention how impossible it is for an ADHD-sufferer like myself to work in an environment that closely resembles the downtown Kotze Street taxi rank!

At SAB, where I am currently working on a three month contract, coordinating recruitment activities for them, it’s the same story. Nowhere to sit, no space to call home.

My i-Burst wirelessed, techno-networked home office is a much better work environment for me at the moment. Although it’s fun to dip into the crazy hornet’s nest of hyper-activity that is Avo at the moment (and I really love you all like mad) I NEED MY SPACE! So, until I have a MY SPACE at Avo and not just online (http://www.myspace.com/hanlibuber) you will just have to make do with the virtual me. I’m off to buy a rocket!
5 Becky Jan 17th, 2007 at 6:12 pm

Things that make you go hmmmmmmmn… As someone who has worked from home office space before, the hot-seasting-thing works fine for me. Of course that is easy to say as someone who is in sales and is not in the office on a regular basis! And yes - the Avo space has been a little on the hairy side lately, and I feel lucky that I have the option to ‘escape’ and get myself set up to work in whatever space is striking me that day. Maybe the solution is a blended approach and establishing some etiquette around this hot-seating thing. Some ideas…

For anyone that is in the office for more than 75% of the work week (I don’t know - pick a number), they have their own space. Then maybe we create some workspaces that are identified as ‘hot seats’ (and we could have some fun with this!). If you sit in a ‘hot seat’ you know the rules i.e. Take your stuff with you when you leave, if you will be gone for more than a couple of hours someone could nicely set your stuff aside and move in, etc. If you know that someone who has ‘permanent space’ is not in the office for a couple of hours or more, then use their space by all means but respect their stuff, offer to move yourself when they come back, etc

At the end of the day, sorry folks, but we can’t have everything! For those of us who have the privledge of flexibility in when and how we put our ‘hours’ in, we may have to give a little…
6 yojules Jan 18th, 2007 at 11:30 am

Hey Han, you pre-empted me. I was going to offer to buy you a rocket!
7 nomsa Jan 18th, 2007 at 12:05 pm

By all means you can all use the ‘hot seat system’ but count me out. I’m will be so angry if I find anyone on my desk, or has taken my chair. I’m very possesive with my stuff or area. Meaning I’m not nice enough to walk away and find another area. WARNING: I will ask you to move or kick you off my chair. This is becuase I’m not good with change, so sitting at a different spot everyday will drive me mad.

So I think the best thing to do is for everyone to have their own sitting area but just make sure you stay away from mine. It just makes life easier when they know where they belongs because everyone needs to belong. Because when people come here and they don’t have a place to stay, they always look so lost. Then they just want to live.

luv you all and I know you understand where I’m coming from.
8 Elaine Jan 22nd, 2007 at 6:26 pm

Eish, so much love towards seats…do I still have a seat hot or otherwise?? Actually I quite like my own space too, now I know Barney says caring is sharing..but what does he know, me I like my own space…what’s Clint’s oponion? He was chucked out of his office after all, never mind his seat !

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