Running to the Parking Lot

I once worked in a building which had an informal schedule that everyone knew. There was a time of day beyond which you would not work unless it was an emergency because that was when the odds of getting safely to your car began to drop. You could look out your office window and see "the second shift" taking over the streets.

I recently remembered those days while talking to an executive who had just left his office after 8 p.m. and had walked to his car which was parked in a lot near, but not adjacent to, his office. That practice is not unusual in his area.

A small sign of how crime rates and office location affect productivity.