Q&A with The Workplace Advisors – July 2025

Personalizing workspaces can boost morale and create a sense of belonging—but what happens when decorations start to take over? In this month's Q&A, The Workplace Advisors tackle how to strike a balance between self-expression and professionalism.

Question: We understand employees spend a lot of time at work, so we allow them to decorate their work spaces with personal touches. We expect employees to have a couple of pictures in their areas. However, we have two employees that go overboard in our opinion. Along with several pictures, they have wreaths, ribbons, figurines, and plaques with cutesy sayings all over their area and, when it's a holiday, they hang even more things! They have so much they have little space to actually work and it creates a huge distraction for everyone else. How do we allow some self-expression while fairly controlling the excess?

Answer: Allowing employees to make their workspaces more personal does create a more welcoming atmosphere. It also gives coworkers a chance to get to know more about each other on a personal level, helping to deepen their cohesiveness. However, some employees may continue to add to their collection instead of switching things out, leaving their workspace barely functional.

Consider setting some rules and limitations. For example, allow only professional or job-related credentials or diplomas. Set a number of personal items and/or define what is acceptable (for example, allow pictures but prohibit plaques and crafts). If they want to bring in a new picture, an old one will need to be removed.

When it comes to holidays, if decorating is permitted, realize that you will need to allow employees to decorate for holidays they may recognize. For example, if you allow one employee to put up a small Christmas tree in December, you will also need to allow another to put up a menorah or a kinara (with artificial candles, of course). While this may seem a lot to manage, it could also demonstrate and celebrate the diversity in your workplace. 

Strictly prohibit anything that is or could be perceived as harassing, sexually harassing, discriminatory, or otherwise offensive or inflammatory. Make this a zero-tolerance standard to stop hostile work environment claims before they begin.

Whatever you decide, communicate a message balancing productivity and safety while allowing personal expression - be consistent in enforcing it to maintain a fair workplace.