Clear your desk of family photos?

I am confused as to how having pictures in the workplace can lead to violence, especially pictures of family. I think that looking at the pictures helps remind one of the reasons why they come to work each day and that is ultimately to take care of their family and their needs. There is sometimes too much, but keeping them to a minimum will not destroy report in the office.

Annie here — Violence? Nobody said anything about family photos leading to violence in the workplace. The point (according to the researchers) was that a seeming preoccupation with matters other than work can sometimes make a person look unprofessional…. or at least, that’s how some bosses view it…

This is a question that is answered based on the nature of the business and interation with client base. If you are in an office setting were you routinely interact with clients, then the office should be tastefully decorated with framed picture, but minimal in number. The most recent school photo of children, not every school photo, etc.

However, if you are in a flex office setting with hundreds of cubicles on the floor and have little to no client interaction, the a larger collection of photo’s is acceptable. The key here is how they are displayed, and do they clutter your desktop workspace.

I have worked in both environments, and have decorated my desk/workspace appropriate to the setting.

In general, I believe that it is acceptable to have family pictures in the workplace. These serve as a reminder of those we love and the reason for which we work. It does make us more approachable as people will view us as being complete, well rounded, and balanced. They also serve as a necessary distraction when the work tension mounts. A quick glance at a favorite picture of your children can allow you to refocus your energy and accomplish the task.

I have worked for a company once that did not allow any personal items on the desk at all. I only stayed about 10 months. The work atmosphere was much too tense and unmanagable. Tension was rampant and turnover was extremely high.

We spent more time at work than we do with our family in an average day. If we cannot have the personal touches in our workspace, then we will have a great disconnect which will lead to burnout and higher turnover, which damages the efficiency of the office.

I would be willing to bet that those promoting a “no personal photos” policy come from broken homes and are therefore offended by seeing others family happiness.

Hi Annie; I work in an institution that has dismal morale, low pay, and abusive management. My state (Ohio) never recovered from the last recession, so we have to hang on to any job no matter how horrible. Almost everyone where I work has pictures of family on the desk, to remind us of why we’re suffering. Doesn’t it seem that more and more individuals are being forced off the ‘island’ of work and security, while corporate America favors the most perfect robots it can create?

To all of those who have made comments to the effect of “feel out what your manager thinks” and “look at how your co-workers have decorated their cubicles” - there is a fine line separating determining proper decorum and simply being a sheep. I’d rather hire someone who has a mind of their own.

I believe that personalization of the workplace makes the workplace inefficient.

We should never have pictures of our family or friends at our workstations. People start to talk about these pictures and then no one is working anymore.

Also, I feel that family pictures make workers less respectful of other workers. If I can look at pictures of my family all day, that means that I am not interacting with my office staff in a professional manner. This type of behavior leads to violent situations in the workplace.

I am a little late replying to this but I took a look at my desk and saw that I have lots of family photos. Coookie box,plants on my windowledge, photos from Ireland(my homeland) stuck on the wall. None of this will change as I am pretty at ease at what I do and confident enough to ensure that those around me know this. It has a lot to do with the person sitting behind the desk. If you are happy with your clutter then leave it. Jut make sure that you stand out more tha your it!!

We need to stop being so paranoid in this country. People work to support the ones and/or things they enjoy doing. A couple of pictures of loved ones, a favorite pet or hobby/sport related item is usually motivational -especially when our word days are so long. If it bends someone out of their tight shape, that’s their problem. As long as your good at what you do, they can learn to live with it. Keep who and what really matters to you in view. You’ll be better off for it at the end of the day.

I agree too much might be too much. One perosn at work has a sports team shrine and another worker has so mnay photos of kids -there’s no room to work, another has a collection of pez dispensers she has PERMANTENLY ADHERED TO THE TOP OF THE CUBICAL FRAME. YUCK I’d hate to be the one who gets that cubical after her. There’s probably more than 50 of those things. I have photos of my dog/cats and my niece becasue they are important to me.In addition, when I’m having a bad day its great to look up and see those smiling faces. Then I ahve my certification plaque and my pencil cup is a mug from college. The problem, as I read here is that co-workiers are so focued on belittleing other coworkers all the time-instead of focusing on thier jobs. I’ve had coworkers spend more time making fun of other co-workers of badmouthing co-workers or bosses and talking to thier Mom, husband, children friends than actually doing their work.. then what happens the work gets dumped on everybody else. If bosses knew what was really going on a few pictures ,who cares, maybe the cluttered desk is cluttered becasue they are doing the work of three people and need to be aprreciated. I worked at a place where this woman kept leaving work during the day for (this and that) her daughter forgot her csotume for school or she has to leave early for Halloween and you name it. She actually complained about my radio, which I needed to drown out her incessant talking and blabbering - which was never about work. She actually complained she was overworked. The focus is not about what’s on the desk but whose got the talent and is actually doing their work and wanting to work. The focus should who is doing the job and not spenign most of the day gossipping about others.
I think Europeans are happier at thier jobs becasue they get almost 6-8 weeks vacation a year while us Americans get only 2 weeks per calender year. Its really not enough. I think we would be happier and more productive with more vacation even Japan gives it employees more then 4weeks.

Being in an office for more than 8 hours a day. I considered a home away from home. Even though I do not have many family pictures (mostly of my 10 year old niece) I do have pictures of my pet.

I have noticed that when the Director comes to the office for a visit he usually say’s HELLO to the other ladies in the office; but he takes the time to have a small conversation regarding my dogs (Labradors).

I don’t know if he is a dog lover but either way it is nice to be treated different then the other ladies in my office.

I remember take your child to work day and all the knick knacks people had. The people who had the most stuff…family, pictures, toys, plants…were also the most friendly and impactful people I met. These people also seemed the hardest working, because they seldom played but worked hard so that could enjoy a well earned break.

Besides, think of a childhood classroom. The personal touches a teacher made had more of an impact and brighten your sprits more then anything else in the classroom. Typically, you’d be more productive and agreeable in those classrooms

…It depends on the type of job which usually requires a different type of personality…. (e.g. Marketing vs Accounting vs Sales, etc)

Most of these comments must be by managers or people with no outside life. I agree that some people go overboard, but as a rule in my business it’s a great conversation starter, and clients are more trusting when they see your kids growing up and looking happy. It makes you look more human like them. However, I know a few people in the same field as me who think work and home life should be separate. These are 99% singles or unhappily divorced ones, though. I like being reminded why I am at work in the first place, it makes me work harder to make my kids lives better. And as I said, I have clients who like me better now, as well.
A financial advisor, and a happy mom

I spend WAY too much time in my office NOT to have pictures of my kids! I love having their art from school on my wall. It makes me seem human to other clients and I am more approachable for it. If the company/boss that i worked for didnt like it—I would find a new job! I am a HAPPIER employee because i feel closer to my kids when i am away from home so much!

I think it doesn’t hurt to have some personal items at work, but there should be a limit. A couple of pics is fine, but you need to have in mind that your desk is a working space and should look like one. Especially those people who work with clients in their offices should be very cautious as to present a proffesional environment and the right image of their company. Personally, I keep a small announcements board on the wall behind me and I just keep a couple of poems and ecological messages.

I agree with the work is for work, home is home theory. I get sick and tired of going into someone’s cube to see pics of spouse, children, etc… I think it clutter up the cube and distracts what we are there to do, and that is to work.

Having seen more than my share of hi-tech management incompetence, some time ago I stopped keeping anything personal in my cube/office. The message is simple, I can be “gone” in a matter of minutes.

Managers don’t like to be reminded that you have a family. They want to rank you and yank you without feeling guilty.

Unfortunately the decline of the American family has cause all manner of chaos in this country. We should strongly encourage family values and love of the same. Yet our mantra is anything but…

Let’s keep this issue in perspective. The workspace is NOT “personal” and neither for that matter is a PC. Both are owned by the enterprise and are provided to the employee as working tools, not an extension of their condo or house!
Thus to have a small touch of personal effects - two photos perhaps - is probably about right. Just as to check the weather now and then is “about right”.
Finally, get a grip on what matters! This whole issue is undeserving of the space allocated!

Sanchez-Burks asked 95 MANAGERS what they thought? Wow - that many? That is a really statistically significant study. I think they asked the wrong person(s). Why didn’t you ask the CUSTOMERS? Were these managers surveyed among the Best Places to work in America, or among the also-rans? I will bet they were the second stringers. Let’s see, if they were from Michigan then can they be very successful?

In companies that are the Best Places to Work in America performance counts above all, not the decorations in your cube. Neither does your dress, your car, your hair style, nor your politics, nor any of hundreds of superficial measures. Truly good managers can tell the difference.

Work is work and Home is home. I do not appreciate seeing other peoples personal stuff in their cubes. Let’s keep things at work, business like and professional. Why do I need to see ethnic statues and such? I find it disgusting!

We have a staff person that, in my opinion, has crossed the line of professionalism. She has 6 or 7 hand painted frames (similar to day camp projects, but that she did) and 2 paint-by-numbers. Every time I walk past her cube, I just shake my head.

we spend 1/3 and more of our awake time at the office. my cube is my home away from home so it’s nice to have a few personal touches displayed.
i notice that the ones who do not “decorate” are not long for the job/position and are soon gone.

I usually go by tone set by the senior managers at the place I work. My last company no one had any personal photos so I did the same. My newest place of work the managers all have an entire shelf of pictures so I have brought in a few. It makes a great conversation starter.

I’m not a big fan of heavy personalization of workspace, or “nesting”, as I call it. To me that falls in the same category as making relentless personal phone calls at work. I have worked with persons who are never available to answer a quick question because they are always on a personal call with no inclination to end it.

I think that the topic of this column shows that America is in deep moral distress. The very concept that I should subjugate my feelings about my family to the vagaries of my boss’s feelings about professionalism demonstrates the sick and perverted nature of the corporate greed-is-good mindset. To H-E-L-L with what my boss thinks of my family pictures. That family is the REASON that I put in a 10 hour day every day of the week. If my boss is too pin-headed to see how he is benefiting from that motivation, then he is a corporate zombie devoid of a soul and deserves contempt rather than loyalty.

I worked at a large bank where the Anglophile president kept several display cases of memorabilia in his office, including a full Coldstream Guards uniform on a mannequin. He wasn’t considered to be unprofessional, but too many personal items in some clerk’s cubicle was a sign of not paying attention to your job. Figure that one out.

Aside from personal items, I work more efficiently than others in my work place and take advantage of leaving the office 2-3 early on some days to spend time with family. This is sometimes viewed as being ‘negative’ in some people’s eyes. It seems that there is a belief that if you are in the office, you must be working. However, it it has been my experience that some employees waste a lot of talking socializing in the workplace and do not focus on the task at hand.

I think cubes are tacky. If someone wanted us to be “professional” then maybe we ought to get a real office instead of a cage.

Regardless of what is in someone’s workspace, it is more important that it is organized and neat. The top of a desk represents the mind. If it’s cluttered and messy, so is the person and their focus and quality of work.

I don’t have a cube. It’s more like a workstation with walls that rise about a foot above my desk. I have a few very small pictures clipped to a section of the wall. All of the pictures take up less than a cubic foot of space. On the other wall, I have a small, framed picture of Times Square and picture I took of the sun setting over the ocean. My desk is kept clean and it’s clear of personal items except for my computer, a calendar, phone, desk caddy where I keep all my supplies and an award I got at work. Is that too much?

This is a bit off-topic but I also think that those with “sterile” environments who don’t keep their area dusted and wiped down are just as bad if not worse. Crumbs and smudges all over a desk are just as unprofessional.

I think anything over 22% personal items is not considered high. But then again, it should be determined by how ugly your family is.

I have no doubts that this is true, and it makes me sick. Stupid American managers who just hate anybody who actually has something good going on in their life. These people are everywhere. You tell them a cool story or something awesome that’s in your life and they just sort of shut off as if they can’t stand knowing there are people out there who enjoy life.

I don’t know about anyone else but I work to support my family. They are the main thrust in my life. Job satisfaction, dedication, being professional - sure those are important, too, but they do not take precedence over my family. You would be appalled at the number of family photos I have in my cubicle! If I am judged as being unprofessional because I love my family, so be it. I still get the job done and feel good about myself when I go home at night. It has been my experience that manager’s who worry about cubicle decor have no life of their own and the job is everything to them. OK, so put up a picture of your desk above the fireplace at home and dream of work at night. I’ll be home with my family and not worried about work.

I keep my “cube” showing almost nothing personal at all. However, living in “The Hamptons” for many years for small accounting firms, I loved the beaches and miss them now that I’ve been 7 years in Phoenix, AZ. My solution: I keep a laminated calendar with a beach scene in my pressed shirt pocket or in my suit pocket. Therefore, when I need a little cheering up, I pull out the calendar, and quickly look at the scene on the other side. No one notices, so it’s not an issue. But that one quick glance reminds me of fond memories, it “centers” me, and I continue my work in a happier mood. One picture I did hang at one job was a picture of a Bald Eagle. To some, it showed beauty of animals, but because nothing was written on it, it was to me a reminder of a Scripture Verse: Isaiah 40:31. Moreover, no one was the wiser.

Like anything, moderation is advisable. However, the general tenor of this article, written in an authoritative tone, is absurd.

I was so sick and tired of my last boss complaints about non business issues that I quit. She could not believe I would actually quit my 105K job because “I did not like the working environment” Jobs are easy to get in the good ole USA if you are competent in your field (mine is tech). If your boss is a jerk, like mine, then split! If you are good at what you do, you can bring in all the family photos you want!

Telecommute from home office. I keep most of work the related tools, diagrams, posters and snippets in work-space. Yes, there are a couple of family pictures on the desk.

Once the door shuts close, I am in real office, and it shows like one. There is no space for a water cooler in there!

Rather than worrying about office decor, these fascist CEOs would really get upset if they knew how much time was being wasted during the day posting to places like these, sending email to friends and surfing the Net.

My office is a shrine and I’m proud of it! And here I thought slavery was outlawed in this country. Guess not.

Yes, I definitely think too many personal items are unprofessional and sometimes tacky.

I don’t think that it is unprofessional at all. Just because you make it a priority to show off the things that matter the most in your life (family, friends, interests, etc.) doesn’t mean that you don’t care about your job or your professional image. I feel that we place to high of an expectation on each other and, as managers, on our employees for this “image” of professionalism. My number one priority is my family. Therefore, I work hard at my job for my family. Seeing their smiling faces all over my office gives me more desire and drive to work that much harder.

I have always associated cluttered, “homey” office space with administrative or support staff. Cleaner, more minimal decor signals rank and career (vs. “job” interest. Professional photos of family or athletic activities are appropriate, provided they are tastefully framed and displayed, professional achievement awards, classy memorabilia–these make an office interesting. Pictures of one’s cat and a pez dispenser collection grouped under a yellowing spider plant just make it tacky.

I completely disagree with the article. I’m the founder and president of a 100-person company and I LOVE it when my staff decorate their workspaces. It shows me that they are committed to my firm and that they have balance outside of it. I would worry if someone chose to work in a sterile environment and didn’t attempt to humanize it in some way.

I say, it’s another reason, depression, anxiaty and more are in the US workplace, We are just slaves to the CEO’s, and that’s that. I keep my workplace steril. I work becuase I have to. I have 11 years till I retire, I just hope to God, I can make it, and Never ever see a grey/beige cube again.

I think a few personal photos are acceptable, if displayed nicely, perhaps in frames, and not pasted all over the work station. I agree that there is a line that gets crossed from professional to unprofessional if there is too much clutter.

Most of your repliers have got it backwards. The answer lies in the eye of the beholder. If you see someone’s office and also know they’re a great employee, your going to think that person’s office decorating style might be worth emulating. If that person has a weak reputation, then the clutter or sterility (as the case may be) you see will just confirm what you already beleive about the person.
When I see a sterile or cluttered office, it just tells me something about their personality; it tells me nothing about their competence. Nor should it. As for what your boss thinks, pray he/she has more important things to worry about.

It seems to me that if the only problem a corporate manager can find with a person is his/her choice in office decor, said person must be a good employee. Problem employees will give managers many other things to complain about.

The corporate recruiter’s perception seems irrelevant to me; chances are a recruiter offering a job at another company won’t see the employee in question’s office at his/her current company.

I prefer neutral office decor with a personal photo or two. I do feel that it makes a person more approachable. But I feel that people should be measured by their job performance, not their choice in decor.

To each his own. In my experience if you have no picures of your family in your office people begin to wonder if you are a dry and boring person(wierdo). I have always put my pictures behind me for others to see and to keep me from being distracted at work like right now.

I am reminded of the characters in Spencer Johnson’s best seller, “Who Moved My Cheese?” Their work space began to resemble their home away from home. That wasn’t necessarily a good thing.

That said, though, it’s especially important to notice how other people in your particular orgnaizaion who are several levels above you are decorating their offices. What tends to be the decorating focus in their offices? Sports? Family? Academic achievement? Community involvement? Each workplace has its own culture and it’s important to be aware of it.

Step back and look around where you work; the messages the office decor send are loud and clear. Follow their lead. When in doubt, it’s better to have too little (without being sterile) than too much.

A few tasteful photos and personal touches are just fine; however, your office or cubicle should not look like a “shrine” to anything or anyone.

A photo or two of the wife, perfect. 18 photos in different poses, sizes, tones, etc., and words like “stalker” and “creepy” may come up in conversations about you. Trust me.

Of course in the end, its more about whether or not you can deliver quality work and do so on time and consistently.

Two pictures of the wife, a model I built when I was 16, a minature bat from a Kansas City Royals Game, some Rubiks puzzles. My Manager never complained about these, but when I posted my University of Missouri Degree in my cube, I was told to remove it because I was lording my higher education of the para professional staff.

I heard along time ago that people who have too much personal stuff in their office or work area have a “seperation anxiety”
A few things are ok, I guess. it’s been 10 years now that I do not display personal photos or trinkets at work. I like to keep my personal life personal.

Just another example of why Americans are unhappy…..we are told to become unhuman once we step into an office. Europeans & South Americans are much more personable and seem to enjoy life much more than the average American. We could really learn a thing or two. Like what was said below, Google is a good example where people excel when they can be themselves.

I know a lot of programmers that wore blue jeans in an office that required suits. Others were fired for the same actions. My point is that if you are good enough at what you do, it does not matter where you work from, what you wear, or what is on your desk. Just make sure you really know what you are worth before you come into work in shorts

Clear family photos? Nonsense!
I work for investment firms and VC firms, and, the big bosses all have family photos. These are some of the smartest people with best educations. They do NOT look a bit “unprofessional”. They always get their deals done.

If you take a look at the most desirable place to work, GOOGLE, I think one would find that the more personable a work environment is, the more productive & creative people can be! We spend the majority of our waking hours at work, so bring some life to it. have the GOOGLE mentality!

I had just the opposite happen to me. My boss commented on the lack of personal items in my office. He said upper management commented that it made it seem like I was treating this job as a temporary position and not trying to build a career.

Of course, my next boss in the same organization said my office looked like a teenager’s bedroom (it didn’t) and suggested I remove my personal effects.

Best advice - feel out your current boss and modify your workspace accordingly.

Any manager or boss that even thinks about the amount of personal items in an employees area is totally clueless. The top companies, the top producers, the best companies to work for, the companies that get the most out of their people don’t care one bit. Most have on site child care, allow kids to visit work all the time, they create a seamless family-work environment.

Judging from many of the replies here it is easy to see why these companies stand out. So many of the managers who responded just don’t get it at all.

Less is more with an office environment.

One or two family photos would be fine I’m sure but desk clutter suggests that you’re not taking your work seriously, with the consequence that you probably won’t be taken seriously either.

There is a fine line between too many personal effects and not enough. I think a valid argument exists on both sides. Not enough: dry, too intense, and not well-rounded. Too much: unprofessional and not focused.

Pretty Sad if you ask me…An employee should be judged on his/her performance/production not on how many items he/she has in his/her cube. Everyone works differently. Keep that in mind.

to Connecticut…this makes me sad..perhaps if she becomes your wife/fiance you will feel proud to display her picture? maybe it’s the relationship itself you aren’t sure about? go with your instinct on this..we’re more colorblind in Fl.

After 20 years in management, I would agree with minimalizing hobby and personal interests in office. 1 family photo and 1 personal item-i.e.-paperweight,plants and business related bric brac okay. Screensaver should be prof..sorry-it is noticed.

I think you take your cues from the cubes of your officemates - after all, it is your particular company’s office culture that you’re trying to navigate. If everyone else is sporting a fairly uncluttered desk, then perhaps one family photo, one paperweight and one plant is plenty.

Hmmm..

Sounds like that idea of not having personal stuff at your desk would work good with robots. Good lord we’re at work for 9 sometimes 12 hours a day. If I want my office to look a certain way then that is my prerogative. Besides a happy worker is a good worker. Anyone remember that old saying? Or have accountants sucked all the fun out of work…

I don’t think surveys mean anything in this case. What’s important is what her boss thinks. I’m sure the owners of Ben & Jerry’s have a completely different attitude about personal items from that of a Partner in a Law firm. I’d suggest that the next time she in her boss’s office to look around and see what he or she has and take her cue from that.

The article isn’t supporting taking everything out, rather to maintain a balance. There are several women (notice that it’s usually women?) I work with who have every last inch of cubicle wall covered with photos, posters, and their kids artwork. Every inch of shelf space (2 shelves that run the length of each side of the corner desk) occupied by plants, framed photos, candy dishes, and other knicknacks. This overflows down on to the desk itself, the phone is surrounded by personal items, and out of 4 to 5 linear feet of desktop space, there’s about 6 inches available for actual “work product”. One has a co-worker constantly tossing her long tailed plant growth back over the divider, as it’s spilling off the shelf into the other desk. It’s simply too much.

This is where corporate guidelines like “no more than 25% of cube wall space may be covered” come from, people that can’t draw the line between “personalized” and “overrun”.

I’ve got one framed photo, work-related awards, and in deference to my tech-related job, 3-inch square binary LED clock on my desk - plenty of personalization and conversation starting ability with that alone.

I would much rather work with real people who have lives and joys other than their work than zombies who are incapable of doing more than their job. A comfortable work area, without going overboard, lets me know that that person feels at home in their job. Leave sterility to operating rooms.

As employees, we’re supposed to care for our employer, but it should be a two-way street. Employers should look upon the people who work for them as more than just a means to the bottom line…they are not merely assets, they are individuals.

Never have more personal stuff in your office space than you can carry out at the end of the day. In today’s business climate you never know if your office space will be there tomorrow.

I agree that a large number of personal effects make an office/cube look unprofessional, whereas a few do not, so I agree with your advice to take MOST of them home.

I think it might be a generational or even industry-related thing to think it’s unprofessional to decorate one’s cube. Personally, as a younger worker in a artsy/niche industry, I’d be more likely to look favorably on workers who decorated their cubes. It means they care enough to “settle in” at the office… which hopefully means they’re not looking to take off abruptly and are invested in their jobs.

People who think that others are unprofessional because they have personal items in their cube need to remove the stick from their A**. They are most likely the same people that wear a three piece suit to the office and wouldn’t think of doing anything else. All they care about is image and not about getting the job done or done well. Unfortunately, a lot of middle management in America thinks this way. If they would focus on getting the job done and reward the people around them who now how to get the job done instead of how they or their office looks, America might still be able to compete in the world market place!

I am the CEO of a financial services company in the New York area. I must judge the performance of people using inadequate and filtered information from their managers/supervisors. Perfect information is never available, and every supervisor or department manager will tell me that their staff is far better than average. This has been the story in every work environment that I have experienced in my 30 year career.

I am human, and try as I might to use only objective information, I am influenced by appearances and impressions. Does the worker who dresses in a sloppy manner perform their work in the same sloppy manner? Does a cubicle or office that is disorganized and full of clutter tell something about the worker? I think so. Do not underestimate the importance of impressions.

I think it is good and healthy to have some personal items in the workplace. But if the workplace looks like a room at home I wonder if the employee is focussed on their work.

My advice is to make your workspace look like it is occupied by a serious worker who also has a healthy personal life. Use your personal items like the spice to the main course.

Here’s my question: As a white male, I have debated about putting a picture of my girlfriend on my desk, but both of us are cautious because we are an interracial couple.

I put whatever family photos I want in my office. Honestly, I could not give 2 cents what anyone else thinks, not even a tiny bit. The problem with Americans today is they spend way too much time worrying about image and what other think. You decide how many photos to put in your office and ignore what anyone thinks. My office is covered in family photos, anyone who doesn’t like it, tough.

I find offices and cubes with no personal touches to be sterile and cold. I personally have a passion for the outdoors & mountaineering, so my decors leans on such photos & art from mountainous countries I’ve visited. It seems to provide an easy conversation starter for visitors.

My paycheck reflects my professionalism and performance, so I must be doing all right although I have numerous personal items displayed in my office. After all, this is just a job…a very small part of my life. Anyone that thinks diffently has it backwards!

The number of personal items depends on what your personal goals are… If you want to move up the corporate ladder, less is better. I rarely see senior executives with more than a couple of tasteful family photos in their offices. But when I look at secretarial and assistant offices, there is a tendency toward many more personal items.

I find too much personal stuff in a cubicle distracting, guess I’m typical for our society. I’ve solved the photo issue, I’ve got a digital frame that flips through 100’s of pictures, and yet is very discrete since it’s a single frame. Then with a couple of favorite posters, which I tend to change with the seasons, I’m happy yet feel that my space always looks professional.

I can see where the results of the study come from, but I completely agree with Gil. I’m a management consultant and most of my clients are driving collaboration hard in their organizations. Adding personal touches can definitely help co-workers build rapport with each other by presenting an openness to conversation. While you don’t want to go overboard or have inappropriate personal items (pictures of you partying, sexual objects, etc.), I think adding personal touches to your office or cube is an enabler of a better work environment

I NEVER put family pictures up. I never wanted any one to think they were open to debate or critique - good or not. I know what they look like and keep them in my bag. I don’t regard others negatively who put their pictures out. BUT I have had to work in other areas and one was inundated with stuffed animals so much I had a hard time clearing the area to work and the other had dog pictures and stuffed animals all over the place - more than my children ever had in their rooms. I thought both bordered on ridiculous but kept my feelings to myself. I figure to each his/her own. But to those women, I’m sure its a conversation waiting to happen which they would welcome. Let them be.

The issue here is not un- or professional, it’s un- or approachable. Personal items are a sign there’s more to a person than the workplace and can be an invitation to enter and talk. A conversation spawned by a common interest discovered through cubicle or office visuals often leads to valuable work-related dialogue. I’ll add that aversion to personalization is a U.S. business phenomenon, but we need to get over our U.S. centric tendencies. It’s a global business world and most, if not all of us, will either work abroad or in the U.S. with counterparts from other countries. Success in a global environment requires adapting to global perceptions and practices.

As the article mentioned, about 20% should be the limit. None seems cold while an overflowing cubicle seems out of bounds. That being said I have a framed copy of Life magazine from 1943 on my wall. Neural enough until you discover the lady on the cover is my Mother.

I’m not a manager, but personally, I find too much personal stuff in the office annoying. People are so diverse–it’s hard to know what will and will not get on other people’s nerves. I just prefer a pretty neutral work environment.

I have 3 plants on the corner of my desk–cuttings off my boss’ jade plant. I also have one of those flip-style frames with personal picutes in it. Only two pictures–one from each side–are visible at any given time.

I actually don’t have many personal items in my cube because I don’t want to get too comfortable in this place. I don’t decorate it because it’s not my home, also, it’s just more junk to pack up when I leave.

My cubicle has a silk plant, a calendar from France, a picture of my coworkers, Toastmasters ribbons from competitions, my degree, and a picture of my ancestors from the 1890s. I guess the picture of my ancestors would have to go, though everyone likes it a lot.

I have at work a picture of my wife to remind me what’s REALLY important, a couple of attractive rocks to hold down/prioritize a few papers, and a crystal ball for those ‘insightful’ questions I get asked frequently. I recently got rid of most of the clutter in my workspace, to improve MY focus.

What I work on when I’m home.

This is over the top, and borders on paranoia. If it is a reflection of our culture, the culture needs an attitude adjustment. Chill out or suffer from irrelevance from those who know (as opposed to feel) that your work is far more important than your looks.

Notice how most reactions are concerned with looks rather than other attributes of professionalism. Large companies are dehumanizing enough. Let’s remember that we’re all people. There is also an assumption that these office spaces aren’t seen by anyone from the real world.

For your own viewing one or two small family pictures. Coffee mugs. Too much clutter looks unprofessional. We just had a new employee bring in 4 8×10 framed photos of various family members and they are on display on the O/H BIN above her desk. For a personal touch, a plant would look much better and keep the photos on your desk.

There is a person in middle/low management who has brought in portraits of one of his children when they were infants. The portraits are hung from big fancy ribbons in his cubicle taking up one whole wall (they measure at least 2′ X 3′ each). Along with all their artwork from years ago, torn out coloring book pages and what have you. I personally find it comical whenever I have to interact with him. And he wonders why so many of us don’t respect him. He just spent the last four days sick (the same 4 days he was suppose to be in charge because the next level manager is out of the office). Hmmmm. It’s all about perception.

Personal mementos contribute to employee morale, and most bosses here realize that. Productivity doesn’t suffer - it’s enhanced.

interesting what are the people working out of thre home to do? I guess they will have to remove everthing that leads to there office.

I think keeping the photos and nick knacks to a bare minimum would be a satisfactory solution to this argument. For me, keeping a family photo on my desk reminds me of who and what I’m working for. Others can choose to take offense over that or not.
Lola Kern of Internal Energy Plus(tm)

Overall, I’d say a couple of small photos and a couple of small knick knacks, personal coffee and/or cold drink mug would suffice. It does help to look professional, but then again, management really shouldn’t care as long as you do a good job. However, practically speaking, you have to realize one day you may have to move all of that stuff, too: whether it’s the company moving or the worker moving, having to lug several boxes of personal items on top of work-related material can really be a pain.

Work is work. Home is home. Keep the family pitures, nick nacks etc… out of the work place. I’ve seen more eye-rolling over employees’ excessive personal momentos overr the years than I can shake a stick at.

I kept almost nothing personal in my cube (no photos, etc.) and was told by my boss that it looked like I was not prepared to stay at the company (this is a large fortune 100 company). I bounce between two locations, main office and a side office. I added a few photos to my main office cube to make the boss more comfortable. I do think some people tend to bring in way too much stuff. Just means when they lay you off that you have to drag it all home. And in corporate America where the stock dividend is the bottom line, that happens more and more.

It has been my experience that personal items always give the impression of ‘unprofessionalism’. If you are a woman then the impression is doubly negative as you are beleived to not serious about your career. I display nothing of a personal nature in my office and would never consider doing so.

I believe that neutral items such as plants or a landscape picture are okay as long as you only have few. I work with a woman that is known around the office as “The Plant Lady” because she has so many plants on her desk that she has room for nothing else.

Family photos are okay as long as they are tasteful (Not pictures of partying, drinking or dressed inapporiately to display at work).

The knick knacks are definately more unprofessional and should stay at home. When you see a Bobble Head Doll on someones desk, it is kind of hard to take them seriously.

I think a few tasteful photos of family or loved ones is not only acceptable but may be a positive, as others have pointed out, especially if you are in a position of power at work.

But your office is NOT your home and should not be decorated as such. I think part of the reason may be that such displays are generally associated with women and low-level administrative staff–traditionally less “professional” people. I’ve never seen an executive with pictures of his cat and endless dishes of candy cluttering his desk.

Knick-knacks are a NO. They are distracting and usually too personal. I used to have a receptionist who had little troll dolls all around her computer. She was great and they didnt’ affect her work, but she definitly was not considered “professional.”

Also, I’ve read that women especially should not offer food from their desks. You are not a hostess in your office; you’re an employee.

Making your office or cube homey and family-friendly shows great committment and respect for what is truly important - family. When I see that sort of reflection in an employee’s cube, I also see respect and integrity. If a person has respect and integrity and a sense of meaningful purpose, then more likely than not, that person likewise cares about their job and the next logical conclusion is that that same person does a good job.

In my opinion, one of the ingredients to being successful is to stop wasting energy worrying about what others think of you. The problem with American business is that corporate executives want every employee to be a robot as opposed to being human. I’m sorry, but being human becomes way before what some recruiter’s or boss’s opinion is of me. I have about a dozen family photos and post cards from around the world in my office. Guess what… I’m one of the top performers in our company. These studies seem ridiculous to me.

If a company doesn’t want my office to seem like my home, then I should have the right to ask they not treat my home like an office (i.e, after hours calls to home, taking work home, etc). Fair is fair.

America has fianlly entered the world of Orwell’s famous novel 1984. Why do employees let their bosses determine such things? The only important aspect at work is doing your job well,and if you do it REALLY well, other companies will want to hire you. You can say good-bye to the nasties who are so belittling that you can’t put plants and family pictures and some bric-a-brac in your dull office cubicle. Wake up American workers and get some spine. If you’re good at what you do, especially with the looming retirement of the Baby Boomers, another boss will want your contributions.

That’s why I now work for myself and have corporate clients instead. I can decorate my home office anyway I please and concentrate on getting the job done well for my clients and not play these stupid games in an office.

I work with a woman whose office looks like a family room in someone’s home. It full of pictures, duck decoys,and cat nic-nacks. It’s just way TOO much. And yes, it does look very unprofessional.

I feel like I’ve risen through the ranks pretty quickly despite my comic book paraphernalia, and this is a stodgy defense firm. On the other hand, I am a software engineer, and programmers have a tradition of asserting some independence that I guess some people have gotten used to.

When I post my family pictures in my cubicle, it gives me a sense of feeling that I am near to my dear ones. That has not hampered my productivity anyway so far. Some people need re-define ‘professionalism’.

Professionally, your private life should remain at home. But, there is a boundary. A reminder of your family is always enjoyable at work. After all, what are you working for? But, keep it to a minimum.

As a manager, I once had an employee who commented that the picture of my family in my office signaled to him that I had balance in my life, and was not trying to be intimidating. Your office is not your home, but connecting to your outside of work life can be humanizing.