Occam’s razor is a principle that originated in the field of mathematics, but over the centuries, it has been adopted and applied to all disciplines, from business to science to technology. Roughly summarized, the principle states that the simplest answer is usually the right one. But simple does not mean easy. Simplicity is an art and one that requires developing laser focus on the issues and being willing to make decisions as to what is and is not important.

Today, this could not be truer than in the business world. Simple does not imply naiveté. On the contrary, it takes savvy and a willingness to listen in order to get to the heart of the matter and quiet the surrounding noise.

In the work environment, there is a constant need to attract and retain the best talent, achieve business goals and stay competitive. But how do you do this in a strategic way that supports who you are as a company and your values? It starts with the art of asking questions.

In the field of workplace strategy we strive to improve the employee experience while helping companies achieve their business goals and maximize efficiencies. More often than not, studies show that there is room for improvement, and employees are stressed, overworked and burned out.

For example, we are on the never-ending quest to achieve a work-life balance (if such a thing even exists) and yet, if we stop and take pause, we need to ask ourselves, are we going about this the right way? Or are we throwing money at a problem, hoping it will go away or at least serve as a Band-Aid solution?

If we are to ever really get to the heart of the matter, the solution will only be revealed by asking. Ask employees what they want, to clarify what is and is not working. Ask leadership what behaviors they are looking for from their teams.

Recently, Staples Business Advantage, the business-to-business division of Staples, completed the second annual Workplace Index. As with any good study, it points to numerous areas for companies to open up to further inquiry.

For example, 74 percent of people state that their employer does not give them access to the latest technology to help them do their job more effectively and efficiently. While this may sound like an alarming statistic, the most obvious but less often asked questions is, then what do they need?

There will always be outrageous requests, but more often than not, the answer is fairly simple — it could be better Wi-Fi, more TVs for presentations, or video conferencing capabilities. The danger and expense lies not in the answer but in not even asking the question.

A more difficult topic to tackle is that of work-life balance. One of my former staff members once said to me when we were discussing the issue that in all honestly, it wasn’t up to me to figure out — it was up to her.

After I scraped myself up off of the floor out of shock, I began to think further about her statement. As a leader, it was not up to me to declare what their blend should be. Rather, it was my job to give them the space and the tools to figure it out for themselves. There are things an employer can do to help facilitate work-life balance, but it is such a personal area that it is virtually impossible to dictate to someone how to achieve this.

Work-life balance cannot be written into a handbook as it does not look the same for any two people. And yet, as companies, we use the term so frequently to cover all matters of sin that it is on the verge of becoming cliché. So the question to ask is what does work-life balance mean to you? What are the obstacles?

If we accept the fact that more likely than not, business is not going to get any less stressful or less demanding, nor is the pace going to slow down, we need to operate from a place of what we can control.

There are steps companies can take from a cultural position that can help reduce this type of stress, such as having leadership manage expectations about individuals working on the weekends.

For example, I have worked at companies where the leadership simply did not email on the weekends and all matters were handled Monday to Friday. Madness or strategy? No matter what you call it, it had the desired effect of sending a message to employees that it was ok to spend time with your family and not be tied to your device.

Shockingly, work still got done and the world kept on spinning. So again, simply ask. While it is up to your employees to figure out what is best for them, instead of being reactionary to the issue, instead of instituting wacky tie day to bring some levity to the office, ask what would help? What can leadership do?

It is not only the nature of work that has changed, nor the ever increasing pace at which it is performed. Where it is performed and when is one of the more dramatic changes we have seen in the workplace over the last 10 years. Flexible schedules and work from home policies have changed not only how work is done but when and where.

Anecdotally, I used to hear friends say that they were going to work from home so they could get more work done. However, what it fascinating is that 65 percent of survey respondents say that they are most productive at the office. And yet, only 36 percent say that they are inspired in the office. Depending on your industry and how important each of these is to your company, the question that stands out the most is “why?” Why is the home a more inspiring environment and what pieces can be replicated in the office?

We have seen the physical office evolve tremendously over the last several years from simply closed and open space to multiple work settings. Companies spend a tremendous amount of time, money and resources designing these environments, but what are the questions they are asking of themselves and their employees to maximize the ROI of the project?

Now that we have the right type of spaces, the question is how do we outfit them by considering not just what looks right and what functions well, but what is the overall environment that will help employees be more productive or more creative or feel more inspired?

To say that companies currently do not ask questions would be to belittle the expertise and experience of leaders across the board. Companies do not make blind investments of money nor do they ignore the importance of buy-in. However, in the race to complete a project or a workplace strategy initiative it’s not just asking questions, but thinking about new ones, in a way that can help elevate the conversation while preserving the goal of simplicity.

Instant Insights /

The secret to a successful workplace? Ask the right questions

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