As a company headquartered in what we increasingly feel is Western Europe’s most surreal metropolis, Mediolana is not immune to the effects of the cold spell that has recently had much of the continent in its firm, icy grip; while the probable impact of the North Atlantic Current means that temperatures in London have not plummeted much below -5℃, freezing nights and chilly days have done nothing for the productivity of the Mediolana CSO, whose RescueTime statistics are in genuine danger of slipping below 99%. The harsh weather in a usually benign climate means that the mind is prone to lose concentration, wandering to prosaic matters such as when to make the next hot drink, feeling the radiator to verify its continued functioning and choosing whether or not to put on that extra layer.
With the weather patterns set to change quite dramatically over the forthcoming week – incredibly, the forecast is for a 9℃ increase in night temperatures within 48 hours of the publication of this blog post – this may strike many readers as an essentially temporary or at worst seasonal issue. Yet it has set us thinking about productivity generally, and why so many companies and institutions stick to the same modus operandi regardless of any changes in external conditions.
Long, hot summers – which, amazingly as it may seem now, were a regular feature of capital life in the late 1980s, 1990s and early 2000s – are often greeted by corporate London as little more than an opportunity to sweat in a suit. Meetings are held in the same conference room for decades, regardless of the preferences of either the host or the client being seen. Staff, demotivated by years of toiling in an office with an uninspiring location, are not permitted – even in the epoch of the mobile telecommunications revolution – to work in a more interesting building even for one afternoon in their company career.
Human beings may to some degree be creatures of habit, but blind obedience to pointless protocol is rarely going to engender any spectacular results in the domain of workplace (or indeed academic) productivity. Stumbling through days, weeks or longer periods with little or no regard to whether current working practices do at least the courtesy of lip service to practicality and comfort is an unfortunate norm that no business, other institution or individual can afford to perpetuate.
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