Pros and cons of allowing workspace personalization

With full-time employees spending at least half of their waking weekday hours at work, many of them in a designated space like an office or cubicle, it’s no wonder the workplace begins to feel like a second home. Many employers struggle with how much to let employees personalize their workspaces. Recent trends have encouraged everything from sterile, streamlined spaces to bright, colorful displays of personality, and it can be difficult to know which approach is best for your company.

The positive side of personal expression

Many companies believe that allowing employees to personalize their spaces can provide a sense of control and autonomy, which may lead to high productivity. A 2010 experiment by two British researchers tested this theory with four different workspaces.

Office A was a “lean” office with a spare desk and empty walls. Office B featured some creature comforts like botanical prints and potted plants, but employees could not customize it. Office C offered the same amenities as Office B, but employees were allowed to arrange the décor however they pleased. Office D followed the same approach as Office C at first, until the experimenter returned to remove all the décor after employees had finished arranging it.

The researchers learned that Offices A and D were not only the worst for employee productivity, but also for employee morale. While the employees found the Spartan construction of Office A to be uninspiring and difficult to relax in, they disliked Office D most (and performed even worse in it) because they felt their autonomy had been completely erased. Perhaps not surprisingly, employees were most productive and satisfied in Office C, the one that offered them the most control over their surroundings.

A similar 2013 study by three American researchers found that, in low-privacy settings such as cubicle farms and openconcept offices, employees who were able to customize their spaces with personal items such as photographs, children’s artwork, comic strips, mugs, and other items were more productive and better at focusing. Conversely, those in low-privacy spaces that were both generic and undecorated reported the highest levels of emotional exhaustion.

Décor drawbacks

While there are plenty of reasons to let employees get per-

sonal with their space, proponents of banning the clutter have plenty of arguments in their favor. Some points are clear: less distraction, fewer germs, and a more modern look. In workplaces where desks are shared, the benefits of keeping workspaces clear of personal items are almost a no-brainer. Some reasons may be less obvious, however.

Consider the 2007 case of an employee fired from an Iowa casino after posting a comic strip that his managers found insulting.

After the employer contested his unemployment claim, the fired employee won his case when the judge ruled his choice to post the strip a “good-faith error in judgment.” A simple “no personal postings” policy could have averted the entire mess.

In other cases, employee décor can cause animosity among coworkers. Perhaps a particularly religious employee discovers that a coworker’s lifestyle does not coincide with his beliefs and chooses to post disapproving signs and sayings around his workspace. While the employer most likely has the right to ask him to remove them, the

resentment on all sides is likely to linger long after the posters are removed.

The potential for unintended impacts of personal décor is endless. Even something as seemingly harmless as holiday decorations can invite scrutiny from those with differing belief systems, if it appears the company is sanctioning certain celebrations.

Set firm guidelines

Developing a policy that dictates what employees may display in their spaces might seem silly or even overbearing to some, but when a problem arises, having a policy to point to can

be a lifesaver. How specific you get is up to you. If photographs of family trips are acceptable, but snapshots of wild weekends in Vegas are not, make that clear. If you expect employees to completely refrain from political or religious postings, be explicit and use examples. Even if you expect employees to maintain completely clean desks, let your policy do the talking for you.

Ann Potratz is an associate editor with J. J. Keller & Associates, a nationally recognized compliance resource firm. Potratz specializes in business topics such as employee relations, background checks, and labor union relations. She is a contributing editor to J. J. Keller’s Super adVisor newsletter. For more information, visit www.jjkeller.com/hr and www. jjkellerlibrary.com.

ANN POTRATZ