The petition calls on the PSG directors to suspend the conversion of the offices with immediate effect, starting with Radix. Photo Guy Ackermans Following in the footsteps of the Environmental Sciences Group (ESG) staff, employees at the Plant Sciences Group (PSG) have signed a petition protesting at the loss of the personal desk.
The 330 plus signatories say the intended switch to activity-based flexible workstations will be at the expense of employee welfare and the quality of research, education and other tasks.
The petition calls on the PSG directors to suspend the conversion of the offices with immediate effect, starting with Radix. According to the signatories, the directors first need to listen properly to the staff, take their concerns seriously and then revise the conversion plans accordingly. ‘Don’t dismiss our concerns and practical objections as misunderstandings; stop explaining the housing concept to us again and again. That comes across as disrespectful.’
Explore options
The petition signatories think the directors should explore other options for meeting the growing demand for workspace. It costs money to make the offices suitable for the hot-desking loathed by so many, and perhaps the budget could be spent more effectively, argue the employees. For example, on temporary solutions such as Radix Nova, the ‘directors-hut offices’ between Radix and Unifarm.
Widespread desk stress
At ESG, the plans were put on hold after a similar petition; now new proposals for the layout in Lumen are being developed. In the Agrotechnology & Food Sciences Group, a cautious reversal is taking place of the the hot-desking introduced last spring following fierce criticism. Resource recently reported on the widespread desk stress.
