Some of us may be missing your visual management board because of that chance it gives us get up, grab a pen and talk through and test ideas or problems with colleagues.
Yet having something taken away creates contrast and we quickly learn its value.
At tech company Yelp, simple whiteboards are as common as chairs. From ones mobile whiteboards on wheels to sheets stuck on furniture and walls, employees love using them.
Some of us may be missing our whiteboards because of that chance it gives us get up, grab a marker pen and talk through and test ideas or problems with colleagues.
Whilst Covid has taken this away it does create a contrast and we quickly learn what we value and miss.
The value and power of working with whiteboards was not understood at Yelp. So, when the company tried to upgrade its whiteboards to digital versions, it was met with resistance.
Why the resistance? Well in turns out that the Yelp software engineers valued the interaction and the physical nature of the whiteboard.
They valued being able to get up from their desk and away from their screens. They engaged better with each other and easily and comfortably wrote and shared ideas, added to ideas, ask questions and talked through work or problems with instant feedback loops.
So it’s good to remember that using whiteboards is a simple and easy way to create human interactions and more tactile, enjoyable experiences at work that boost morale and performance.
What will you do with your teams when they come back to the office?
