Recessional and If
In general, I don’t like too much clutter. At my cube, I only have a chicago Cubs note cube and a calendar of world cities. A few pictures are fine, although that’s not my style. There’s a nice happy medium between allowing your work space to express your personality and being a candidate for the next season of Hoarders.
In my office, we’ve moved around about once a year or so. Packing up your personal items shouldn’t be a day long process.
GOD YES!
In the pre-internet, pre-online-storage era, Ii worked in the publications/provider education area of Medicare. It was bad enough that I had a full 10-year bound set of Medicare A and B provider publications*, plus the official CMS manual. If I’d also had a set of Beanie Babies, vases with fake flowers, inspirational plaques, and so on, it would’ve taken forever to pack.
The photo of my BF, and the couple of subversive cartoons and poems (that no one else “got”) thumbtacked to my wall was plenty.
*I actually needed those documents, and almost killed the admin assistant who, when I was on vacation, “helpfully” recycled them without anyone telling her to do so, and without her asking if she should. Then I sicced the boss on her and she was almost killed again.
Professional people can exhibit unprofessional behavior.
Every person in my office has pictures of family or friends in their personal work space. I have some photos of family and some outdoor pics I took backpacking. I like to imagine I’m back out there instead of being stuck inside working.
Our receptionist put out a couple photos and we were all complimenting her kids. She corrected us, and said they were a couple of old high school friends. Oops… They looked so much younger than her. <awkward>
In the Philippines it’s discouraged, especially by multinational companies (even American.) But Filipinos do it all the same. They invoke “tanging yaman,” meaning “one’s only wealth.”
Totally appropriate if you are Phillip Marlowe or Mike Hammer.
Back before I retired, it was fairly common for this kind of stuff to be used by management in deciding which employees were ‘suitable’ for promotions.
No pictures of a wife? – probably gay, don’t promote him.
No pictures of kids? – Again, probably gay, or something – don’t promote him.
Picture of a wife or kids of a different race? – well, obviously, don’t promote him.
Picture of a wife much older/younger? – not good for our corporate image, don’t promote him.
Etc…
Nowadays, some of that is gone.
Now, you might see same-sex spouse pictures (except in the half of the US States where that will cost you your job (‘Married on Sunday, fired on Monday’).
You might see pictures of different race wife or kids. But mostly just workers, not management.
But there’s still an awful lot of places where the stuff on your office walls can effect your promotion prospects. Or even the chance of keeping your job. So there are many reasons to limit what you display.
Picture of spouse: hideously ugly and inappropriately mugging to the camera, flashing a boob.
Picture of kids: booking photos, stills from local burlesque house.
Certainly, but even based on what Dopers have posted on this thread on what they display in lieu of family pictures, many of those things are not “professional” either. Heck, I would find family portraits and photo shoots (school pics, weddings, graduations, etc.) to be more professional than some of the other decoration ideas mentioned here. And I would not mind to see those either, provided, like mentioned upthread, that they’re not really entertaining clients in their office.
I’m sure people without kids have some other purpose, and I see no problem with them having related knickknacks in their office.
Speaking as a guy who spends a lot of time in other people’s offices - I’m a quality auditor - I LOVE it when people have personal stuff up. It gives me a clue as to how to break the ice and show them I’m friendly.
Sort of on that line.
I read about one female manager who had pictures of family and kids out on her desk (and not hers). When she would interview people it was a “test” or “bait”. Very often a woman candidate would start talking about families and then quickly start saying how much trouble she was having with her kids and start saying how often she would need time off.
Obviously that person didnt get hired.
In sales, we learn of the 4 customer types. Every consulting firm uses different terms but it basically boils down to:
• Driver - Fact-Based Extrovert
• Analytical - Fact-Based Introvert
• Amiable - Relationship Introvert
Expressive - Relationship Extrovert
Amiable’s WILL have family photos on the wall, and will appreciate you asking about them.
Expressives may or may not have family photos.
Drivers and analytics probably won’t.
It’s a “tell” if you get the opportunity to meet someone in their office on what sorts of sales pitches will resonate.
AK84 - I would use facts with you and not ask about your family. 
See that’s why I’d be nervous about people picking up too much information I dont want to give out.
Curious, because I’m NOTHING if not “fact based” and generally “relationship averse”, yet I have 5 framed pics of my family members in my office, and a Xerox of my new granddaughter taped to my door. Sure, I know what my family members look like, but I guess I consider the pics a reminder of what I consider important, and why it is worth putting in the time and effort at work.
If I have to be here a chunk of time, I feel I might as well make my workspace modestly pleasant. So I have 3 pictures on the wall that don’t fit anywhere in our home, a 3 gallon planted fish tank, 7 plants, and assorted tchotchkes. Just stuff that - for whatever reason - gives me pleasure and that I’d just as soon see out instead of in a drawer or box somewhere.
What? How old are you, and what do you do for a living?
The key words of the OP are “of their office.” It’s their own work space, they spend 1/3 to 1/2 of their waking hours there; I don’t think it’s unprofessional to have a few visual reminders of why their toiling away.
Regarding tacky… I’d say it’s a case by case basis. I have a friend who keeps a squeeze ball on his desk; I also have seen a cubicle down the way from me where someone has found about a million different squeeze toys and attached to the top of their cubicle. So there’s definitely degrees of tacky and being unprofessional 
I don’t have any personal pictures up but I have this
from the same folks. I keep it where I can see it but not right out where it might offend someone.
And I have a poster of a window looking out on an ocean scene, since I’m in a cube.
And get told we’re flaunting our sexuality. Usually by people who’s walls are coated in family photos, sell every crap thing their kids school is pushing and so on. They never seem to see the hypocrisy.
It’s a tell not a hard coded fact. You put together clues that suggest a best approach with whoever it is to achieve the result you want. Those without family photo’s *probably *don’t want to chit chat about “family stuff” and *probably *want a fact based approach.
I’d be willing to bet if I asked about your photo’s and/or your family, you’d probably take it in a good natured way. It wouldn’t hurt at least. After warming you up with that, then I would hit you with a fact based pitch.
On rare occasions I have to speak to an employee because their cube has begun to look like a crafter’s store exploded in it. But by and large, we encourage people to bring a little something from home with them, as long as it’s tasteful and not overdone. We all work very hard, sometimes very long hours, with little thanks or reward. As others have said, we do this for our families. Sometimes a little reminder of that fact is motivating. And endless rows of indistinguishable cubes is incredibly depressing.
I’ve been doing a mental inventory of our office occupants, and I can’t think of one person, except the receptionist, who isn’t allowed personal items, who doesn’t at least have a picture of the fam on their desk. Personally, in my office, I have a triptych photo frame with one picture of each of my sons and one picture of the brand new grandbaby. On my walls, I have a framed photo of my team taken the day we won the NCAA championship and a group picture taken at the last company-wide HR conference.
I’m also blessed with a beautiful view of the mountains from my office window.