The 10 best and worst things about working in an office
08th Aug, 2018
Ah, the office. It's a strange sort of limbo between the comforts of home and total displacement from reality. Depending on the company you work for and the people it employs, your opinion on office life will vary, but no matter where you work or who you work for, there will always be pros and cons to spending 8 hours a day in one. Maybe you recognise some of these usual suspects:
PRO: You can decorate your own patch of the office
Some people have full-blown cubicles to deck out with fairy lights and photos, others have a simple desk with just enough space for a promotional stress ball and a pen pot.
Different people will vary in how far they'll go when it comes to their personal space. You might feel that a couple of holiday snaps to remind you of good times are enough. Perhaps you're a plant person with a cactus for a work-bestie. Then there are the people like Shirley from HR, who has colour coordinated every inch of her space to be hot pink. No judgements. You do you.
CON: You get ill unnaturally quickly
It's a bit like a germy game of dominoes; one person in the office sneezes and then you slowly watch everyone around you get sick until you inevitably have to call in with a severe case of the flu.
Thanks to the modern invention of air conditioning, office germs are circulating constantly, just waiting for a healthy host to infect.
You can't deny that it feels great in the summer though!
PRO: Your colleagues become your mates
Unless you work with the shyer types, there's a good chance your co-workers will become your friends. If you're really keen on your colleagues, you might even make social plans outside of the office!
Everyone knows that office jobs are way more fun when you've got a mate to pass the time with (or cry to in the loo when your boss gets mad).
CON: Gaining weight is too easy
There’s a birthday every other day…and it would be rude to turn down birthday cake. Your manager buys donuts for your team’s hard work…and it would be rude to turn down such a kind gesture. Your colleagues are all buying bacon sarnies for brekkie…and it would be rude to reject an invite. Not to mention:
- Biscuits for essential tea-dunking
- Chocolates sent from happy clients
- Easter (enough said)
- Christmas (enough said)
- Limited use of your legs
You get the picture.
PRO: Some offices are just insanely cool
You can’t deny that some offices really know how to make a statement. Check out companies like Google, Red Bull and Inventionland. Sure, they might be worth billions, but boy do they know how to spend it with indoor slides, basketball courts, company gyms, pirate ships (yes, you read that right) and mini golf courses to name but a few insane features.
CON: Office politics make you want to scream
Working with other people is fun and all, but not when you can’t stand them. You have to learn how to manage office politics, which include:
- Sucking up to the people at the top
- Hating the people who successfully get what they want with the above point
- Doing more work than your lazy colleagues
- Taking constructive criticism from someone who doesn’t understand your job
- Micromanagement in general
- Dealing with other people’s distinct lack of basic hygiene in communal kitchens and toilets
The list goes on.
PRO: Free coffee and fast internet
Why spend all that moolah on a fancy Starbucks when you can have a sub-par cup of Kenco Gold you made yourself in a stained mug? Okay, it’s never going to quite measure up to your skinny caramel latte, but it is free, which means more money for online shopping. Speaking of which, it’s pretty sweet abusing your office’s high-speed internet during your lunch breaks.
CON: Dealing with IT
Got a problem with your computer and can’t do your work? Hmm, have you tried restarting it?
You have?
Okay, we’ll send someone over ASAP.
*Comes over 3 hours later*
Have you tried restarting it?
PRO: Office parties can be a lot of fun
It’s a chance to escape the confines of the office and talk to the same people about the same things, except you’re dressed up and in a different location. That being said, office parties can be a great opportunity to find out what your co-workers are like when they let their hair down.
Just don’t let yourself become the talk of the office come Monday morning.
CON: Sunlight is basically non-existent during the Winter
You go to work in the dark and leave in the dark. By February, your fangs start to develop and garlic is considered hazardous. Once home, you climb into your coffin, cross your arms and dream of sunlight.
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