An expensive empty office

How much thought do you give to creating the environment where your people do their best work?

It's about much more than desks, ergonomic chairs, air conditioning, plants and a good coffee machine.

Recently I heard about a creative marketing manager who was required to work alone in a separate office five days a week.

She didn't want to work from home. She didn't ask for fewer hours. She simply wanted to work alongside her colleagues. Her request was declined.

Not long afterwards, she started looking for another job.

As leaders, we often assume the most logical solution is the best one. But people aren't all motivated in the same way. Some people thrive in the buzz of a busy office. Some need quiet. Some work best with music. Others need complete silence.

The key is understanding what helps each person perform at their best and, where it's practical, creating those conditions.

In this case, accommodating the request would have cost very little. Instead, the organisation now faces the cost of recruiting, onboarding and training a replacement, the impact on team morale and productivity, and the risk of a departing employee sharing a negative experience.

A simple conversation could have prevented it.

Leadership isn't about treating everyone the same. It's about understanding what each person needs to perform at their best and aiming to provide the resources and conditions to do so.

When was the last time you asked your team, "What helps you do your best work?"