Place Identity in the workplace

In what seems like an eternity, just prior to Covid19 closing doors to the world in which we lived in, I visited an organization. Each workspace looked different although the physical spaces were identical – tidy vs chaos, family portraits vs unemotional workspaces, minimalist vs archivist, hoarders vs spotless, executive vs cozy…Yet one aspect remained the same in all these spaces…the way the company had subtly used colors, logos, and images to incorporate their brand identity within each of these spaces. Psychologically, the subtle blending of an organization’s identity with those of the individual can have an impact on a person’s identity and their productivity in the workplace. When identity messages complement a person’s perception of their identity, the impact is positive thereby increasing a person’s workplace productivity.

In a physically distanced world, technology specialists can play a vital role in virtualizing these physical workplace environments to give staff the perception of feeling at home while at work, for being at work while working from home. Why not consider utilizing software that enables staff to personalize their intranet spaces to portray their identity in the workplace or have avatar style virtual workspaces that people can sign in to making work fun.  Not all strategies will work for everyone and so it’s important to understand your staff dynamics first before ascertaining the best options for your firm. Yet again technology specialists are ideally placed to design surveys that can enable the organization to understand how virtual workspaces can blend organizational identity with an individual’s personal identity. Your staff is your biggest asset. Money invested in enhancing their identity can go a long way in ensuring your organization’s sustainability and profit.