{"id":919,"date":"2019-11-19T09:47:51","date_gmt":"2019-11-19T14:47:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sites.temple.edu\/assessment\/?p=919"},"modified":"2020-03-23T12:18:32","modified_gmt":"2020-03-23T16:18:32","slug":"we-dont-want-to-work-with-mummies","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sites.temple.edu\/assessment\/2019\/11\/19\/we-dont-want-to-work-with-mummies\/","title":{"rendered":"We Don’t Want to Work with Mummies"},"content":{"rendered":"

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At Charles Library we are experiencing a more open office environment. I saw an\u00a0 extreme version at the Penn Museum this weekend ; the conservator’s workspace is actually in the gallery, on view several hours a day. But the office mate, a mummy, is very, very quiet.<\/p>\n

These issues of privacy, of noise, and of how we move around our space without disturbing co-workers, surfaced in several workplace norms conversations that I conducted in September.\u00a0The meetings, organized by work area, were designed to surface issues of concern about the kinds of environment (and behaviors) that would enhance, and detract, from the “ideal” working conditions. Would it be a problem to eat tuna salad at one’s desk? How can we signal to colleagues that we are not “interruptable”?<\/p>\n

Some anxiety about establishing workplace norms emerged when we talked one-on-one with staff as part of the Envisioning our Future<\/em><\/strong> project. Even before the move, staff were concerned about the more open workplace environment and the need to set guidelines for behaviors. Recognizing as well that multiple types of work would be taking place in our new work spaces. Would this lead to more collaboration in person because of casual interactions,\u00a0 or just more use of electronic communication?<\/p>\n

The discussions were summarized and shared with all of the staff in that workspace, including those who were not at the in-person conversations. A summary email was sent to all staff.<\/p>\n

Did the workplace norms conversations make a difference?\u00a0 Last week I launched a short survey to staff to gauge the effectiveness of the process. It\u2019s never easy to ask for feedback, risking the possibility that it did not make a difference at all, or worse, it was considered a waste of time. While that didn\u2019t happen, I did learn some lessons, about the process and about assessment.<\/span><\/p>\n

About 40 staff members participated in the five sessions. 15 of those people responded to the survey. They were from all work areas,\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n