Slate Magazine’s Post

The Office Jungle: Perception is King (or Queen) Ah, the office ecosystem – a fascinating food chain where perception is king (or queen, depending on the department).  Instead of who's strongest, it's all about how you're seen. Take your time: For you, a long lunch break means "slowpoke," but for your boss, it's suddenly “meticulous planning” and “strategic thinking”. Remember Gander (employee)? He brought a delicious casserole to a potluck, but everyone vanished with excuses about urgent emails. Fast forward to Goose (“the” CEO), who brings in a fruitcake older than the office fax machine. Suddenly, everyone's a food critic, praising its "unique flavors" and "vintage charm." Poor Gander is left wondering what went wrong! The point? In the office jungle, perspective is key. So next time you get a weird look for a long bathroom break, remember - your boss might just be doing a "deep analysis" of the plumbing. After all, a leader's gotta lead, even if it's to the restroom!

Ah, the communal office trash box—a true symbol of workplace camaraderie (or avoidance, depending on how you see it). It's like an unsung hero, holding not just garbage, but the collective emotional baggage of the office: the abandoned New Year's resolutions, the shattered hopes of meal prep, and the occasional passive-aggressive coffee cup that someone forgot to rinse. What makes it so fascinating is how it becomes a game of psychological warfare. Every time someone goes to toss something in, it’s a test of skill and nerve. How long can you balance your empty chip bag on top without toppling the mountain? How many half-eaten sandwiches will it take before someone breaks the unspoken pact and takes it out? It’s always "not my problem" until the trash threatens to rebel against the laws of physics. And when someone finally caves and hauls it out, there’s that quiet, mutual respect in the air. No one says anything, but you know they’re a hero for the day. The Trash Box Chronicles are truly a window into office life—somehow a tiny, overlooked space says so much about us. It’s messy, chaotic, and full of mystery, much like a day at the office.

We built a wall in our office to stop us getting distracted by each other. A literal wall. It all started when we converted our shed. When we first started working together as Accentuate, we didn't have room in the house for two desk setups, but we DID have a big shed in the garden. So we converted the big shed in the garden into an office, made it cosy, insulated it, added heating, lights, electricity, the works. It was a really fun project! We were really proud of what we'd created. We'd built one big breakfast bar-style desk that looked really cool. But then we started working together in there. And we quickly realised that we were way too distracted by each other. Sitting next to each other wasn't an option. We'd constantly be looking at each other's screens and asking the other one what they were doing and we got nothing done. So then we decided to build a wall. We cut the breakfast bar in half and we built a (very real, very solid) wall in between us so that we couldn't see each other.  We could talk AROUND the wall if we needed too, but we had to put a divide in. Some might call this drastic, but our business coach loves that we did this. And we think the people at B&Q also loved that we did this because when we told them the story of what we were doing, they couldn't stop laughing! It really helped our productivity actually, just to have that visual divide. But that's enough about us. Have you ever done anything drastic to deal with distracting colleagues at work? Let us know in the comments.

Dear Readers, The Great Office Coffee Heist It’s a typical Friday morning in the office. The sun is shining, the birds are singing, and the smell of freshly brewed coffee wafts through the air. But hold on to your travel mugs, folks this is not your average morning. Something is amiss in the world of corporate caffeine. Welcome to “The Great Office Coffee Heist.” Our story begins in the break room, the sacred space where employees gather to gossip, bond, and most importantly, fuel their caffeine addictions. But today, the beloved office coffee pot is empty. Not just empty its cleaned out. There’s no trace of coffee grounds, no splatter of brewed glory. The pot is as dry as a corporate budget meeting. The scene of the crime quickly attracts the attention of every caffeine-dependent employee. Fingers are pointed, accusations fly, and the office manager, now playing detective, vows to get to the bottom of this coffee catastrophe. Karen from HR is the first to speak up. “I saw John in here earlier. He was acting suspiciously.” John from accounting, caught mid-sip of his personal thermos, denies everything. The list of suspects grows. Could it be Lisa from marketing, who’s been hinting she needs a new caffeine fix? Or perhaps Dave from IT, notorious for his all-nighters and seemingly endless coffee consumption? The plot thickens as more employees come forward with alibis and counter-accusations. Just when the situation seems dire, with office morale plummeting faster than quarterly profits, a new piece of evidence comes to light. It’s a crumpled receipt found in the trash. The time-stamped purchase of an industrial-sized coffee machine filter at 7:45 AM points to none other than Tom, the quiet intern. When confronted, Tom blushes and stammers, “I was just trying to be helpful. I thought we needed a stronger brew, so I replaced the filter. I didn’t realize I’d need to add more coffee too.” In a twist of fate, Tom’s overzealous attempt to improve office coffee has inadvertently taught everyone a valuable lesson. Sometimes, in business and in life, the simplest things can go awry due to miscommunication. It’s a reminder that even the best intentions can lead to a coffee crisis. With the mystery solved, the office breathes a collective sigh of relief. The coffee pot is refilled. Karen and John share a laugh, Dave from IT offers Tom a lesson in coffee brewing, and Lisa from marketing designs a new poster: “Keep Calm and Brew On.” As for Tom, he’s earned a new nickname, “Caffeine Kid.” And while he might think twice before tampering with the office coffee pot again, he’s also learned an important lesson about teamwork, communication, and the perils of playing detective in the break room. So, on this fine Friday, remember: business and life are like a good cup of coffee. Sometimes, it takes a few mishaps and misunderstandings to brew the perfect pot. Enjoy your weekend, keep those mugs full, and may your Monday be just as adventurous. Cheers!

Some days I miss corporate life. Being a solopreneur and working from home is great, but... It lacks daily colorful stories to share. To be clear... I'm not talking about having a corporate mission to support, being part of a high-performance team, having an empathetic boss, or enjoying a neat office space... No, no... I'm talking about the everyday quirky stuff. Like the pungent smell of fish leftovers that spreads throughout the office after someone puts them in the microwave for 3 minutes. Three minutes?? Who nukes fish for three minutes? It's a piece of Tilapia over rice for God's sakes! And, where is this person? Show yourself! A few minutes later, Derek from IT walks in with a nonchalant facial expression. He opens the microwave and slowly pulls out the plate with two hands, holding it with the tips of his index and thumb fingers to avoid third-degree burns. He takes small tippy-toe steps... And quietly takes that steaming piece of stinky fish back to his desk. All while everyone is thinking... "ugh! maybe I should go grab a sandwich downstairs?" -- I no longer get to experience Derek's microwaveable tilapia. But it's the kind of memory that makes me smile as I sit in my home office. And, that reminds me, it's lunchtime... I think I have seafood leftovers in the fridge. ---- Do you have a funny office memory to share? Comment below 👇 👇

Office colleagues were naughty Ah, the office - a place where professionalism meets personality, and sometimes, the latter takes the lead in the most unexpected ways. Picture this: a group of colleagues, usually the epitome of decorum, suddenly decide to let their inner pranksters out. It's like a scene from a sitcom, where the 'naughty' antics range from hiding the boss's favorite pen to swapping the sugar for salt in the break room. But let's be clear, 'naughty' in the office doesn't mean crossing lines or causing harm. It's about those harmless pranks and jokes that break the monotony of daily tasks and bring a burst of laughter to the cubicles. It's the secret Santa who gifts a singing fish plaque, or the mystery person who fills the entire office with balloons. Of course, it's all fun and games until someone has to stay late to remove all those sticky notes from the windows. But hey, it's these little moments of mischief that often bring colleagues closer together, creating memories that last far beyond the 9-to-5 grind. So, here's to the office jesters, the merry pranksters, the harmless rule-benders. May your spirit of fun always be in line with HR policies, and may your 'naughty' never turn into 'not in the office, please!'

10 Innovative Office Activities to Boost Your Mood and Efficiency 1/ Spend five minutes in the restroom mirror, looking into your own eyes and smiling. It instantly boosts your mood and confidence. (Try to do it when you are alone to avoid unnecessary confusion!!!) 2/ Take a moment to measure your exhalation length 20 times during a break. Try to slow it down. This can help reduce stress and increase focus. Try keeping a journal of this. 3/ Record everything you do at work for one day. This will help you understand where your time goes and how you can manage it better. It's not a to-do list but a detailed log of your working day. 4/ Record everything you eat during the day. Respect what you feed your body and see how it affects your energy levels. 5/ Tough one but try this - Disconnect from your phone for a couple of hours. Learn to live without technology and appreciate its benefits and downsides at the workplace. 6/ Write a letter to yourself five years from now. It’s a powerful way to reflect on your goals and aspirations. This might sound challenging, but once you start penning it down, the clarity this exercise might give you will be immense. 7/ Find five coworkers and give them genuine compliments. Don't be cliche—be generous. This will help you build better relations and a positive atmosphere. 8/ Buy a colleague a coffee or leave a kind note for someone. Experience the joy of unexpected kindness. 9/ Pick a significant historical event and think about how it inspires you. For example, write a speech inspired by Martin Luther King Jr.’s "I Have a Dream" speech. Use the speech to create something powerful for your professional career. 10/ Make up a new word and use it throughout the day. It’s a creative exercise that can bring some fun to your routine. Share it with your office colleagues and see how it can help you bring more fun and focus to the table. Let's Be Better Bit-By-Bit

People's work idiosyncrasies delight me. Offices create conformity and I've always been the sort of person who rejects conformity (how pretentious of me, lol), so when I have worked in offices in the past, I've always tried to spice things up a little to suit my personal tastes. Here are some examples: ◾️1. Working in complete darkness 82% of Americans (can't see why this would vary much globally) are overstimulated in offices. I think that there's a strong, positive correlation between the drive to make workplaces more "social" (lol, why?), and unsuitability for doing work. All I'll say is there's a reason people 'shush' in libraries. I solved this problem by shutting out everything by going in a spare room, closing the blinds, turning the lights off and working in the dark. It's amazing how quickly you can get into flow when you're not distracted. ◾️2. Work before work I knew that when people arrived at work, my ability to get stuff done would flatline. So, if I had something hardcore to do that day, I'd get up a bit early and go to Ace Hotel, or—thanks to my trusty office key—I'd sneak into work early and wrap stuff up before anyone got in. By the way, this is absolutely not a humblebrag. I do not endorse spending more time in work than you need to (productivity gains tail off...), but if you do find it easier to do your deep work solo, this is a practical way to achieve it. ◾️3. Reject co-working I've never found one where there isn't one obnoxiously loud dude on the phone all the time. When I can't, I'll know it's me. 😖 ◾️4. Emergency food at all times No, I'm not talking about the time I forgot to remove my leftover doner kebab from my desk drawer over the weekend... When you're in flow, the last thing I want to do is break it. The most common reason I would do this is for food (always hungry), so I'd always have something in reach. I once had a colleague who always had crispy fried onions in her handbag. Be like my colleague. ◾️5. One does not simply go along with things I used to get into deep arguments about swearing in work. I'm a linguist. I have a deep respect for words and language. Swearing brings me a lot of joy! I wanted to get a bit fruity in our agency's comms but I was told that it was unprofessional. Thank fuck I don't have to listen to that advice now. Hehe. Anyway, when you think something—and you can back it up with some evidence—stand your ground. Insecure colleagues may feel threatened by your confidence. That's okay. I could never just go along with things, it's not in my nature. A quick note: There will be some of you who are verbally quiet in the office. That's cool. Don't change your nature. Your nature is awesome, that's what I'm trying to promote. :) So yeah, offices. Love them, hate them—whatever. If you have to use them, try and make them work for you. P.s. Below is a photograph of me doing my best work.

Meet the CEO and Founder of Clara - Alex Nazaruk Alex's passion for making offices awesome and having fun is the foundation of Clara and what we do. We asked Alex some questions... Q: If you could design a dream office space, what would it look like? A: A jungle—there would be way too many plants. 🌵 - We hope you have a maintenance plan in place... Q: What’s a workplace trend you think needs to make a comeback? A: Smoking at your desk. - Alex, you don't even smoke 😂 Q: What’s the most unique thing on your desk right now? A: I keep my desk clear, so only coffee stains keep me company. - HAHA, get a coaster!! Q: What’s the best piece of well-being advice you’ve ever received (or given)? A: I had a manager who always admitted when she got something wrong. She gave me the confidence to openly make and own my mistakes. - And you do that for us here! "Ask for forgiveness, not permission"

Monday Motivation⭐💫 We are creatures of habit, and at work, having a routine especially in office management roles, is crucial. Start the day by doing your office housekeeping check - a proactive approach to managing your workplace safely and effectively. Check stock, supplies, lights out, emergency lights, fire doors (closing and seals intact), fire extinguishers in place and intact no-fault, emergency exit routes clear, cleaning standards met, paper in the printer, no fault alerts on printers, coffee machines or water taps, leaks, spills, hots and colds... and... we're out of breath! But there's more. Then deal with your quick wins, things from that check that you can fix or shoot out to others like your handyman/maintenance or cleaning team to sort. Then park 20 minutes for emails you can respond to quickly. Check your chat system (Slack, Teams, Google) for those quick wins, too. Next check that to-do list (you should've ideally looked at it the night before and updated it with your aims for today), review your emails and other tasks that have come in so far and add anything that's a LONGER task to this, re-prioritise with those beautiful highlighters if you're a physical list person - I always used to use PINK for "must do today". Review your diary and ensure all those meetings are prepped for on your laptop notes or in your physical notepad, 1-3 bullets is usually a good indicator of prep. Then, smash that day out. For more tools and tips, tap into our incredible, unique network designed by office managers, for office managers: https://lnkd.in/ecddrkGP