Advocating for better workspace
March 30, 2018 7:29 AM Subscribe
After 10 years in our downtown offices, our administrative offices are moving to our clinic location and I do not want to go! There are 2 other spaces that a select few are going to and I cannot tell if that option is available to me but I want to advocate for something. I do not know the criteria for who was placed in any of the locations.
I work in grant management and love our space and location. 2 people are going to our new state of the art facility across from the clinic & 4 people are going to another downtown location. When asked if I could go to the state of the art facility & was told "there really isn't space". I am very unhappy about this move as it throws off the workflow and my overall lifestyle. I love that I'm able to walk to work, my gym is across the street & lunch options. The clinic is in the hood with none of these amenities.
My friend says that relocating people is as much politics as it is logic so I should advocate for my office space. How should I go about doing this? The only logical reasons for not wanting to move to the clinic is that 90% of my work relies on FedEx & printing. FedEx is unreliable there and I would have a hard time sharing a printer with more than the current status quo of 10 people. Additionally, I work on very tight deadlines & any extra steps or disruptions could easily cause a failure in my work.
I don't know how to say that I do my best work in a space that is comfortable without sounding like I am whining for amenities unrelated to my job.
If it is helpful:
I've been with the agency for 15 years
Our current downtown office has about 10 people that are in the office about half the time
Our clinic has about 50 people plus clients
I have started looking for another job because I'm so anxious about this being a poor fit
Am I being unreasonable? What are some things I should think about when I talk to the Executive Director? What are some things I could say?
I work in grant management and love our space and location. 2 people are going to our new state of the art facility across from the clinic & 4 people are going to another downtown location. When asked if I could go to the state of the art facility & was told "there really isn't space". I am very unhappy about this move as it throws off the workflow and my overall lifestyle. I love that I'm able to walk to work, my gym is across the street & lunch options. The clinic is in the hood with none of these amenities.
My friend says that relocating people is as much politics as it is logic so I should advocate for my office space. How should I go about doing this? The only logical reasons for not wanting to move to the clinic is that 90% of my work relies on FedEx & printing. FedEx is unreliable there and I would have a hard time sharing a printer with more than the current status quo of 10 people. Additionally, I work on very tight deadlines & any extra steps or disruptions could easily cause a failure in my work.
I don't know how to say that I do my best work in a space that is comfortable without sounding like I am whining for amenities unrelated to my job.
If it is helpful:
I've been with the agency for 15 years
Our current downtown office has about 10 people that are in the office about half the time
Our clinic has about 50 people plus clients
I have started looking for another job because I'm so anxious about this being a poor fit
Am I being unreasonable? What are some things I should think about when I talk to the Executive Director? What are some things I could say?
I had this happen once at a similar social services/human services nonprofit. Everyone who worked in an administrative role (development, finance, ops) who complained about moving to the program site - in my case inside a decrepit school - look really bad to leadership. It made them look like they had zero commitment to the mission or the people who benefited from the work. Complaints came across as tone-deaf and racist, and no one who complained stayed for more than a year after; they either quit or were managed out. Honestly, your complaint ("the clinic is in the hood with none of these amenities") comes across not great. Realistic and honest, but... think about how that's going to be interpreted. Grantwriting and development at social services agencies in general is white-collar work in the midst of mostly pink-collar work, and resentment builds easily. I promise you that literally no one at your downtown office wants to go work at the clinic. Everyone is thinking the same things as you.
If you complain about FedEx and printing, they will likely tell you that your schedule is now flexible to take FedEx packages and documents to and from a nearby-ish FedEx, and they will give you your own desktop printer... at the clinic.
Your best-case scenario is to attempt to negotiate a work-from-home arrangement with your manager at least part of the time, since they've already said they don't have space for you at the "nicer" locations. Don't take this to the Executive Director unless that person is your actual manager. Points to include would be - "These are the things that this current workplace location offers me as a productive employee. If I am going to be as productive as I am now, in the future, I need to maintain my workplace environment as close to this as possible. Here is what I propose." If you start with, "...but printer! but FedEx!" the person listening to you is going to think, "but racism! but you think you're better than the person who goes to the clinic for our services!" and it is not going to make you look diligent, it is going to make you look terrible.
You should definitely start looking for another job. You can be clear about why - "I live downtown and walked to work. My employer moved my job across town and it really cut into my previously wonderful work-life balance. I'm looking for a job that allows me to work hard but is in closer proximity to my home."
posted by juniperesque at 8:13 AM on March 30, 2018 [7 favorites]
If you complain about FedEx and printing, they will likely tell you that your schedule is now flexible to take FedEx packages and documents to and from a nearby-ish FedEx, and they will give you your own desktop printer... at the clinic.
Your best-case scenario is to attempt to negotiate a work-from-home arrangement with your manager at least part of the time, since they've already said they don't have space for you at the "nicer" locations. Don't take this to the Executive Director unless that person is your actual manager. Points to include would be - "These are the things that this current workplace location offers me as a productive employee. If I am going to be as productive as I am now, in the future, I need to maintain my workplace environment as close to this as possible. Here is what I propose." If you start with, "...but printer! but FedEx!" the person listening to you is going to think, "but racism! but you think you're better than the person who goes to the clinic for our services!" and it is not going to make you look diligent, it is going to make you look terrible.
You should definitely start looking for another job. You can be clear about why - "I live downtown and walked to work. My employer moved my job across town and it really cut into my previously wonderful work-life balance. I'm looking for a job that allows me to work hard but is in closer proximity to my home."
posted by juniperesque at 8:13 AM on March 30, 2018 [7 favorites]
Honestly, your complaint ("the clinic is in the hood with none of these amenities") comes across not great.
Yes, I know you wouldn't phrase it like this, but you really really really want to avoid any statement that might allow your management to infer that you think that what's good enough for the clients is not good enough for you.
Also, it might be different in a larger organization, but in what sounds like a fairly small one, if they were really worried about pleasing you, you wouldn't be in this position, because you would've been sent to the nicer place.
I think any comments should be framed in terms of "here is what I use currently to get my job done; what will that be replaced with uptown?" At least you may get your own printer out of it.
Finally, yes, there's no shame in looking for another job when your old job moves far away from your home. It's inconvenient! And I don't know this neighborhood, and I am realistic that some neighborhoods are just dreary. But I would also advocate gently for giving the new location a chance. People still eat and work out there, after all. I don't know what your demographic is, but, speaking as someone who has lived in several, white folks in particular seem to have a hard time taking on board the actual changes that have taken place in "transitional" neighborhoods. I think I can still afford my current place in part because it's across a boundary that 20 years ago many white people were scared to cross, even though it's now totally mixed and has respectable amenities. There may be more there than you recognize. If you shift away from your "this is the hood, ugh" mentality, you may find things to like about it.
posted by praemunire at 8:50 AM on March 30, 2018 [3 favorites]
Yes, I know you wouldn't phrase it like this, but you really really really want to avoid any statement that might allow your management to infer that you think that what's good enough for the clients is not good enough for you.
Also, it might be different in a larger organization, but in what sounds like a fairly small one, if they were really worried about pleasing you, you wouldn't be in this position, because you would've been sent to the nicer place.
I think any comments should be framed in terms of "here is what I use currently to get my job done; what will that be replaced with uptown?" At least you may get your own printer out of it.
Finally, yes, there's no shame in looking for another job when your old job moves far away from your home. It's inconvenient! And I don't know this neighborhood, and I am realistic that some neighborhoods are just dreary. But I would also advocate gently for giving the new location a chance. People still eat and work out there, after all. I don't know what your demographic is, but, speaking as someone who has lived in several, white folks in particular seem to have a hard time taking on board the actual changes that have taken place in "transitional" neighborhoods. I think I can still afford my current place in part because it's across a boundary that 20 years ago many white people were scared to cross, even though it's now totally mixed and has respectable amenities. There may be more there than you recognize. If you shift away from your "this is the hood, ugh" mentality, you may find things to like about it.
posted by praemunire at 8:50 AM on March 30, 2018 [3 favorites]
Change can be very scary, and in this case I think that because you have not had change in a long time that you are overreacting a lot. There will be even more change if you change jobs, and companies moving people around to new offices in their city and new places in their building is really common. I think you should focus on not panicking and just see how it turns out. If you need your own printer after that then ask for it.
posted by meepmeow at 2:23 PM on March 31, 2018
posted by meepmeow at 2:23 PM on March 31, 2018
The way you have described this, after 15 years of service you are getting a massive quality of life demotion. I would immediately be looking for other work, because people who want to strip away the amenities and comfort of your workspace do not value your service.
It's not that you are "too good" for the hood. It is that they are moving you to a much shittier workspace.
posted by Meatbomb at 1:15 AM on April 1, 2018 [1 favorite]
It's not that you are "too good" for the hood. It is that they are moving you to a much shittier workspace.
posted by Meatbomb at 1:15 AM on April 1, 2018 [1 favorite]
This thread is closed to new comments.
If you are going to do this, stick to business related reasons why you should be where you need to be. And be prepared for it not to matter at all because everyone else is doing exactly the same thing.
posted by magnetsphere at 7:44 AM on March 30, 2018 [11 favorites]