What do you see from your desk? Trees? A parking lot? The grey walls of a cubicle and some pictures of your favorite people placed around you?

You probably see more than you think about on a daily basis. You know what is going on in the halls around you, all about the nuances of your job, who is interesting and who is irritating at meetings. But, have you ever thought about what everyone else around you sees at their desk?

Yesterday afternoon at Cascade we observed Administrative Professional’s Day, and gave three crucial people in our office the afternoon off to go and have some fun. That meant the rest of us were left attempting all the things that we never generally try on a daily basis, and we answered the phone in shifts at the front desk. I volunteered, nervously, but crossed my fingers that no one would call because that phone has a lot more buttons than mine. Luckily the phone didn’t ring that much, but I was struck by the fact at how much different it was to sit at someone else’s desk. It’s a desk that is just twenty feet away from mine and yet has a completely unfamiliar view. The views of the outside, of the work that needs to be done, and also of the other people in the office are all completely different than mine. I came away with a whole new appreciation for the job that is done at the desk that I borrowed for an hour. And for the person who does it. (Shoutout to Amber!)

Are you willing to see from another person’s perspective in your office? When was the last time you thought about switching desks with someone else to see their “view?” Tina Roth Eisenberg, who writes the fabulous blog SwissMiss, decided that 2013 would be the year of switching desks and working at other companies just to get a valuable new perspective. You can read her first story here.

The workplace is a tough place to get to know what people are really going through. We don’t show all of ourselves and it is an ongoing debate about if that is healthy in the office workplace or not. For now, in most places you don’t really get to know that the person who turns down every chance to donate to the office fundraiser campaign has staggering medical bills they are paying little by little. Or that the childless woman who puts on a brave face and gives a gift at every baby shower is truly happy that other people are so blessed but cries on the way home. Or that the guy who leaves early has a Dad in a nursing home that he faithfully visits every day, but his Dad never remembers his name.

Slow down and take an hour. Sit at another desk, or if you don’t have time you could take five minutes and stop by a desk and ask some questions about someone else’s job perspective. A great question to start with is, “Hi, how are you doing?” and then just listen. A possible question to ask next is, “I’ve been meaning to ask you, when I send this (report/weekly email/information) to you, is there anything I could do differently that would make your job easier?”

Are there other questions that I missed, or ones that might be better? I’d love to hear your perspective, I really would.

Because I’m trying to change my view.

Michelle

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