Stickers

Here's a picture of my laptop. I started with the London sticker on the left and then just started adding more and more.

While reading my personal emails at the end of the day, I came across one from Photojojo. They introduced a website called Postcrossing. I haven't tried it out yet, but in theory it sounds like fun. In sum, I think it has something to do with sending physical postcards to other people half way around the globe. Sounds like a fun idea. I haven't received fun mail in a long time. It can really be a nice surprise to receive a postcard from abroad.

Continuing with my comparisons of the office environments in Germany and America, there are two aspects I'd like to examine. Firstly there was the inclusiveness of going to lunch together with your coworkers. Secondly, employees in Germany generally sit together in rooms, rather than cubes.

Sitting in a room together is conducive to building good working relationships and getting to know your colleagues. In that regard, I like the German model better because it fostered an inclusive work environment in my opinion. Only drawback of a room is that it can sometimes get distracting.

Sitting in a cube in an American office can be an isolating experience. I've noticed that some people at work sit in their own cubes at lunch and eat there. There seems to be less inclusiveness when compared to Germany. On the other hand, sometimes you can focus more because you don't have to see your neighbor or the person across from you all the time.