Companies have different approaches to employees’ work spaces.

(a) Company A encourages staff to personalize their workspaces by decorating them with photos, toys and other items brought from home. Staff are free to come to work dressed as they like.

(b) Company B has open space work areas for all staff. They wear business dress and address each other by their first names. Managers do not have their own offices or secretaries. The conference suite is used for staff meetings to which secretarial and support staff are invited. Recycling boxes are located throughout the building.

(c) Company C believes messy desks demonstrates a lack of personal organization;

it operates a paperless office system and requires managers to enforce a ‘clear surface’ policy. Non-business-related items in workspaces are considered unprofessional and are banned. ‘Dress-down Fridays’ were introduced by senior management after much discussion, some time ago.