I'm not really looking for anything specific, pretty much anything that relates to a job.
Free lunches?
Good chairs?
A single boss?
4 day work week?
Free car?
Monthly talks by leaders in the industry?
Pretty much an open field.
- Free Lunch (I swear this is the best thing, it's so easy)
- Single Boss (so important to get things done) - Relative freedom day-to-day
- Relaxed work hours
- Fair/Good pay (I can work on personal project without worrying about money)
- Solid company revenue (so needed hardware/software is easy to come by)
- A variety of work (in diverse fields) to keep me interested :)
Fast computers, multiple hi-rez screens, comfy chair.
Flexible working hours.
Result oriented instead of time-sheet driven.
And most importantly ... manager who runs interference for us. Being shielded from executives from other areas. Realistic project plans. No fuss and quick acquisition of resources as required.
Concierge Service: have PA types to run errands, get in food, clean-up meeting rooms, organize stationery, get last minute gifts, tickets, flowers, whatever. NB: In the film and TV industries they're called 'assistant directors' - fancy title for general purpose gofers. Without them the pace and productivity would be a lot less. Just think about it, you pay them a heck of a lot less than great programmers and the programmers end up not wasting time on stuff they'd rather not do anyway.
- Cellphones w/annoying ringtones going off every 10 mins (I don't care if you're the company's sales guy/gal who needs to be reachable every second of the day)
- Impromptu meetings in the hallways
- Obligatory foghorn-voiced American employee yacking on the landline
- Resulting volume increase of person on the cellphone, person on the land line, persons in their impromptu meeting just outside the office door
The obvious answer is "get your own office", but that's not likely to happen.
Chip on my shoulder, what?
And it's not just a matter of "choice" or "adaptation". I've worked on this for over 20 years, and my "adaptability" has not significantly altered. I'm very aware of my environment; this seems to be hard wired. It offers some advantages: I notice things others miss, and I'm very quick to infer new information from the details at hand. But it also means that open space is a living hell.
I wish people in general were more willing to accept that different people thrive in different kinds of environments. But where there is a mix of personalities, often the loudest and most physically aggressive come to predominate the environment. I've also experienced this in my home environment, where the misfortune of a string of noisy neighbors -- even after moving -- have made being home an exercise. (The reasons I never transitioned to working from home.)
My second priority would be for interesting, meaningful work. Preferably where I am continually learning and creating. I've paid my "button pushing" dues; in fact, I've repeatedly taught the machines to push those buttons for me, before moving on.
Everything else is just a detail.
I have sat in the worst conditions (too hot, too cold, too loud, hungry, tired, sore, lonely, etc.) working on something cool and meaningful and got into it so much that I completely lost track of time for hours.
OTOH, I have had employers or vendors give me the best Class A space you could imagine with ergonomic furniture, gourmet food and snacks, the latest technology with multiple large monitors, even a massage twice a week, but if the work wasn't interesting, I was looking for a window to escape from.
not terribly slow computers.
great chairs.