| Naked Friday Coming to an Office Near You |
| International News | |||
 Have you ever had one of those dreams where you arrive at work, look down, and realize that you’re not wearing any clothes? Thanks to British design and marketing firm onebestway, that “dream” became a reality for its employees ... and no one was laughing. Will your office be next to host a “Naked Friday”?
This is not “The Office: A XXX Parody.” This is a new management strategy designed to build trust and break down barriers in the workplace. Getting naked for a day was a last resort for the failing design firm, which had already laid off six workers as a result of the recession. They had to do something to boost morale, and the person they turned to was business guru David Taylor, author of the “Naked Leader” series of business coaching books. Taylor worked with the company for over a week in order to build up to the big debut. He explains: "Inviting an organisation to go naked is the most extreme technique I've used. It may seem weird but it works. It's the ultimate expression of trust in yourself and each other." Few of the employees were sure that they’d be able to strip off in front of their co-workers come Friday, but in the end they all did it. Only two employees, one man and one woman, kept their underwear on. The exercise was filmed for Virgin1, a general entertainment channel available on Freeview, Virgin Media and Sky Digital. You can watch the ad for “Naked Office” here. Managing Director Mike Owen states, “We’re either brave or mad,” and we’d have to agree! He adds: “I recommend anyone to do what we did. It’s not a sexual thing. If you do anything scary as a company, it encourages bonding.” Would you do it? Do you think Australian companies have what it takes to get naked for business? If so, pass the word!
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