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

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

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

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

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

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

Recently, Staples Business Advantage, thebusiness-to-business division of Staples, completed the secondannual Workplace Index. As with any good study, itpoints to numerous areas for companies to open up to furtherinquiry.

For example, 74 percent of people state that their employer doesnot give them access to the latest technology to help them do theirjob more effectively and efficiently. While this may sound like analarming statistic, the most obvious but less often asked questionsis, then what do they need?

There will always be outrageous requests, but more often thannot, the answer is fairly simple — it could be better Wi-Fi, moreTVs for presentations, or video conferencing capabilities. Thedanger and expense lies not in the answer but in not even askingthe 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 werediscussing the issue that in all honestly, it wasn’t up to me tofigure out — it was up to her.

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

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

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

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

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

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

It is not only the nature of work that has changed, nor the everincreasing pace at which it is performed. Where itis performed and when is one of the more dramatic changes we haveseen in the workplace over the last 10 years. Flexible schedulesand work from home policies have changed not only how work is donebut when and where.

Anecdotally, I used to hear friends say that they were going towork from home so they could get morework done. However, what it fascinating is that 65 percent ofsurvey 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 toyour company, the question that stands out the most is “why?” Whyis the home a more inspiring environment and what pieces can bereplicated in the office?

We have seen the physical office evolve tremendously over thelast several years from simply closed and open space to multiplework settings. Companies spend a tremendous amount of time, moneyand resources designing these environments, but what are thequestions they are asking of themselves and their employees tomaximize the ROI of the project?

Now that we have the right type of spaces, the question is howdo we outfit them by considering not just what looks right and whatfunctions well, but what is the overall environment that will helpemployees be more productive or more creative or feel moreinspired?

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