Can We Have Class {Outside} Today?

It was the perfect day. One of those days when the cold people weren’t cold and the hot people weren’t hot. The shiverers weren’t shivering and the sweaters weren’t sweating.

There was sunshine, paired with a gentle breeze. There were only one or two days like this every year. A fleeting thing that got total agreement: This day needed to be both experienced and celebrated.

Everyone sat at their desks waiting for their first assignment, and each pair of eyes beckoned towards the windows, longingly. “Alright team,” boomed a voice coming around a corner; the boss, ready to discuss strategy and execution for the day and the week and the new quarter. “This is a big one and we can’t let up because as soon as we do, we lose ground,” he continued, taking his place behind his lectern in the front. “We worked too damn hard for the last months to not…” he trailed off, distracted by a raised hand coming from the middle back of the room.

“Is there a question?” the boss grumbled rhetorically, hoping the hand would disappear and he could continue.

“Could we have this meeting outside today?” inquired the voice attached to the still raised hand.

“Excuse me? What do you mean outside? We work here everyday.” The boss thought perhaps he was being punked and didn’t want to give too much of a reaction.

“I mean like out in the grass just outside the building. We could all bring our laptops. I know the WiFi reaches out there.” The suggestion was met with deafening silence and more than a few necks craning to see who was testing the boss at the beginning of the quarter. “Didn’t you all used to have class outside on the nicest days? Today is a perfect day, and I am sure it would bring a real emotional boost to everyone.”

“We are a publicly traded company. I don’t think we have time for recess today,” the boss’s tone grew less patient by the syllable.

“It wasn’t recess,” the employee retorted quickly, “it was the actual lesson. I used to think it was the teachers being kind, but now I realize that on days when the kids were distracted by the weather, it made it easier to get through to us by letting us be in an environment we wanted. Kind of a ‘meet them where they are’ type thing.”

“I was thinking,” the boss began again…

“Also, on a podcast I heard recently, a psychologist was explaining that working from different locations actually has a strong correlation with productivity because it keeps people from getting too comfortable and in the kind of rhythm that leads to rut.”

“I was thinking,” the boss began again, again…

“And I think this team has shown they come through when trusted with a little latitude,” the voice broke back in. “Sorry for interrupting, I just believe in all of us.”

“I believe in us too,” the boss reparteed, determined not to lose the power again. “In fact, I believe we can finish this meeting right here, where we have all of our meetings, and then if you are still interested in going outside, maybe you and I can go for a little walk.”