What Your Desk Says About You

The accepted aesthetic of the modern office have unfolded and changed through the generations as dramatically as the typewriter’s evolution into the desktop PC. Few employers continue to force draconian, sterile environments upon their people; they now encourage flexibility, comfort and personal expression at work -- a concession that’s best proved by the personalization of your desk.

Now, that’s all very well -- thank goodness our days are no longer spent staring at Bartleby’s “dead-wall” -- but while corporate policy may have changed, human nature has not. This means that what your desk says about you will serve as the basis for what others will think about you.

You see, your desk is where your boss hovers over your shoulder, where clients will wait for your return and where your peers will judge you as they leave the office for lunch. As the rookie in the office, you may want to carefully consider what your desk says about you, but that’s not to say that the oldest veteran is free to express his inner salsa dancer. The calculated management of your workspace and the careful consideration of what your desk says about you are imperative if you seek to impress.

We've compiled some suggestions to help you make sure that what your desk says about you is positive.
Photographs of family and friends are perhaps the most common desktop embellishments. These are also the items that your scruples will least let you compromise to further your career -- and rightly so. What your desk says about you when pictures are present can market you at work as aptly as a great resume or your best sales pitch. A wedding photo or a tasteful snapshot of you with your girlfriend or wife on vacation last summer proves to those around you that you are capable of managing complex relationships over long periods of time. Similarly, a portrait of your kid -- or even a niece, nephew or godchild -- projects you as well rooted. Displaying the fact that you have responsibilities outside of work that rely on your gainful employment reminds your boss that such people are the least likely to risk jumping ship down the line.