Due to the nature of my profession, I have visited the premises of countless clients. In many cases I didn’t just visit for meetings, but I also spent time there in order to do work that couldn’t get done remotely, without compromising efficiency and effectiveness.
It has happened many times (in the minority of cases to be honest, but still in enough of them to alarm me) in the past, to visit client sites that were nothing short of third-world-like: Rat feces in the corners, cockroaches roaming the halls in broad daylight, water leakages, exposed cables, dirty surfaces are just a few of the things that I have witnessed over the years.
What is more characteristic I would say, is my personal experience from working in such a place: When I was just starting my career, I had received three offers within a small amount of time, from similar businesses. The interviews and assessment centers of all three companies, took place in stellar premises, so none of them had a comparative advantage in my head.
When I received the offers, having in mind that the working environment of all three firms looked similar (I was too young to try and “assess” the potential of working with each interviewer – In my head the environment of a business were just the walls and desks) I simply chose based on the amount of money offered.
Well, thank God the firm I chose paid well, because in my first day there, while being escorted to my desk, I realized that only the ground floor (where the interview and assessment took place) was “flashy.” The rest of the building was about 20 years behind. I remember sitting on my desk the first day, wondering whether I had made the right choice. I decided that I should stay despite the anachronistic offices, as I considered that the bad environment was offset to a large extent by the higher salary. If you happen to work in a suboptimal environment, you should at least make it worth your while. Otherwise, you’re losing by spending most of your daily time in such places: You’re losing your dignity, as it’s an indication that your employer doesn’t really appreciate you that much after all.