What makes a juicy workplace for you? A few weeks ago, I decided to take a trip to Portland, Oregon for an extended weekend. What was supposed to be a “vacation” turned into one of the most engaging and rewarding weekends I’ve had in a while. The new Bolt Bus route on the West coast allowed me to get a $3 roundtrip ticket between Seattle and Portland. As the weekend approached, I decided to schedule some meetings with some people I know in the Portland community. I’m glad I did. Those meetings didn’t feel like work. Instead, they served as a chance to more deeply connect with some people I respect.
Angela Hamilton is one of those people, and introduced me to the Portland State University’s Social Sustainability Colloquium. What was the topic for this Friday’s presentation? “How can Portland be a model city for fostering a vibrant, juicy workplace.” Yeah, I had to go. What was, for all intents and purposes, a two hour brainstorming session, exposed me to a wide range of thoughts and people regarding a sustainable workplace. For me, a juicy workplace is one where people are free to bring their authentic self. It would be a place where diversity in all its forms is not tolerated but regarded as essential to developing strength, a better product, a better service and better workplace environment.