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OT Messages Galore, but No Time to Think
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Matthew Kruk
Jun 17, 2013, 2:23:14 AM6/17/13
to
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/06/16/jobs/messages-galore-but-no-time-to-think.html?nl=todaysheadlines&emc=edit_th_20130616
The New York Times
June 15, 2013
Messages Galore, but No Time to Think
By PHYLLIS KORKKI
I'M old enough to remember a simpler time in the office, when talking - whether
in person or on the phone - was the main way to communicate. I once had a job
where I filled out those pink "While You Were Out" slips for employees who had
stepped away from their desks.
Then, in the 1990s, came e-mail, and things were never the same. Besides
delivering a serious blow to the sellers of those pieces of paper, e-mail made
communicating with people incredibly - and, at first, delightfully - easy.
Now, a few decades later, people constantly complain that their e-mail in-boxes
are unmanageable. And many more technologies have joined the workplace party. We
can now use cellphones, texts, instant messaging, text messaging, social media,
corporate intranets and cloud applications to communicate at work.
Something may have been lost as we adopted these new communication tools: the
ability to concentrate.
"Nobody can think anymore because they're constantly interrupted," said Leslie
Perlow, a Harvard Business School professor and author of "Sleeping With Your
Smartphone." "Technology has enabled this expectation that we always be on."
Workers fear the repercussions that could result if they are unavailable, she
said.
The intermingling of work and personal life adds to the onslaught, as people
communicate about personal topics during the workday, and about work topics when
they are at home.
According to a 2011 article in The Ergonomics Open Journal, electronic
communication tools can demand constant switching, which contributes to a
feeling of "discontinuity" in the workplace. On the other hand, people sometimes
deliberately introduce interruptions into their day as a way to reduce boredom
and to socialize, the article said.
We're only beginning to understand the workplace impact of new communication
tools. The use of such technology in the office is "less rational than we would
like to think," said Steve Whittaker a professor of human-computer interaction
at the University of California, Santa Cruz. Sometimes, "it's one person who's
an evangelist," he said. "They will start using a particular thing, and they
will bring other people along with them."
More tech-oriented types might favor the latest new communication "toy," while
others, like me, are less enthusiastic. In the name of simplicity, I even try to
avoid instant messaging. But I also can't help worrying that I am missing out.
Plenty of workplace advice focuses on how we, as individuals, can manage our
technology, but in many cases, this is a collective, team-level issue, Professor
Perlow said.
As Professor Whittaker put it, "We haven't stabilized our regular practices,"
and these may need to be negotiated among workers.
It's important to distinguish between collaborative and one-on-one
communication, he said. Cloud-based systems are meant for sharing and editing
documents, and they can enable people in different cities to work together in
real time. Internal social media pages can be useful for seeking and sharing
knowledge.
But when one person wants to communicate with another privately, e-mail remains
the go-to method, Professor Whittaker said. That's why it is nearly universal,
despite a general yearning for something better.
To lessen the disruptive nature of e-mail and other messages, teams need to
discuss how to alter their work process to allow blocks of time where they can
disconnect entirely, Professor Perlow said. "I don't think you can do it without
leadership support," she added.
MAYBE more managers, consulting with their teams, need to set up clear
guidelines for communication. When is it best to use the cloud? When is it best
to use e-mail, or instant messaging? And when is it acceptable, even preferable,
to turn off all technology? Not that managers need to be dictators, but a little
clarity can lead to much more productivity.
Making it a priority to learn how to use the latest tools more effectively is a
good idea, too. For example, how do those filters that help prioritize messages
really work?
And let's never forget the value of face-to-face, or voice-to-voice,
communication. An actual unrehearsed conversation - requiring sustained
attention and spontaneous reactions - may be old-fashioned, but it just might
turn up something new.
The New York Times
June 15, 2013
Messages Galore, but No Time to Think
By PHYLLIS KORKKI
I'M old enough to remember a simpler time in the office, when talking - whether
in person or on the phone - was the main way to communicate. I once had a job
where I filled out those pink "While You Were Out" slips for employees who had
stepped away from their desks.
Then, in the 1990s, came e-mail, and things were never the same. Besides
delivering a serious blow to the sellers of those pieces of paper, e-mail made
communicating with people incredibly - and, at first, delightfully - easy.
Now, a few decades later, people constantly complain that their e-mail in-boxes
are unmanageable. And many more technologies have joined the workplace party. We
can now use cellphones, texts, instant messaging, text messaging, social media,
corporate intranets and cloud applications to communicate at work.
Something may have been lost as we adopted these new communication tools: the
ability to concentrate.
"Nobody can think anymore because they're constantly interrupted," said Leslie
Perlow, a Harvard Business School professor and author of "Sleeping With Your
Smartphone." "Technology has enabled this expectation that we always be on."
Workers fear the repercussions that could result if they are unavailable, she
said.
The intermingling of work and personal life adds to the onslaught, as people
communicate about personal topics during the workday, and about work topics when
they are at home.
According to a 2011 article in The Ergonomics Open Journal, electronic
communication tools can demand constant switching, which contributes to a
feeling of "discontinuity" in the workplace. On the other hand, people sometimes
deliberately introduce interruptions into their day as a way to reduce boredom
and to socialize, the article said.
We're only beginning to understand the workplace impact of new communication
tools. The use of such technology in the office is "less rational than we would
like to think," said Steve Whittaker a professor of human-computer interaction
at the University of California, Santa Cruz. Sometimes, "it's one person who's
an evangelist," he said. "They will start using a particular thing, and they
will bring other people along with them."
More tech-oriented types might favor the latest new communication "toy," while
others, like me, are less enthusiastic. In the name of simplicity, I even try to
avoid instant messaging. But I also can't help worrying that I am missing out.
Plenty of workplace advice focuses on how we, as individuals, can manage our
technology, but in many cases, this is a collective, team-level issue, Professor
Perlow said.
As Professor Whittaker put it, "We haven't stabilized our regular practices,"
and these may need to be negotiated among workers.
It's important to distinguish between collaborative and one-on-one
communication, he said. Cloud-based systems are meant for sharing and editing
documents, and they can enable people in different cities to work together in
real time. Internal social media pages can be useful for seeking and sharing
knowledge.
But when one person wants to communicate with another privately, e-mail remains
the go-to method, Professor Whittaker said. That's why it is nearly universal,
despite a general yearning for something better.
To lessen the disruptive nature of e-mail and other messages, teams need to
discuss how to alter their work process to allow blocks of time where they can
disconnect entirely, Professor Perlow said. "I don't think you can do it without
leadership support," she added.
MAYBE more managers, consulting with their teams, need to set up clear
guidelines for communication. When is it best to use the cloud? When is it best
to use e-mail, or instant messaging? And when is it acceptable, even preferable,
to turn off all technology? Not that managers need to be dictators, but a little
clarity can lead to much more productivity.
Making it a priority to learn how to use the latest tools more effectively is a
good idea, too. For example, how do those filters that help prioritize messages
really work?
And let's never forget the value of face-to-face, or voice-to-voice,
communication. An actual unrehearsed conversation - requiring sustained
attention and spontaneous reactions - may be old-fashioned, but it just might
turn up something new.
BobF
Jun 17, 2013, 2:35:01 AM6/17/13
to
On Mon, 17 Jun 2013 00:23:14 -0600, "Matthew Kruk" <nob...@home.com>
shouted from the highest rooftop:
>Now, a few decades later, people constantly complain that their e-mail in-boxes
>are unmanageable. And many more technologies have joined the workplace party. We
>can now use cellphones, texts, instant messaging, text messaging, social media,
>corporate intranets and cloud applications to communicate at work.
--
"It's not that I'm afraid to die. I just don't want to be there when it happens." - Woody Allen
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Wax-up and drop-in of Surfing's Golden Years: <http://www.surfwriter.net>
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Message has been deleted
Message has been deleted
J.D. Baldwin
Jun 17, 2013, 6:44:49 PM6/17/13
to
In the previous article, Terry del Fuego <t_del...@hotmail.com> wrote:
> I work with clowns who think it makes perfect sense to send an e-mail
> then, while I'm either responding or engaging in the requested action,
> send an instant message asking if I've seen the mail. There are
> days--hell, there are weeks--where my actual workload isn't really
> that great, but it's almost impossible to finish anything because the
> children won't just shut the fuck up and allow it.
I turned off IM entirely.
What I expected to happen: "OHMYGODICAN'TGETHOLDOFYOUWHEREDIDYOUGOEEEEEEK!!!
TURNITBACKONTURNITBACKONTURNITBACKONTURNITBACKONTURNITBACKONTURNITBACKON!!!"
What happened: "Dude. I wish I had the balls to do that."
Like, *universally*.
--
_+_ From the catapult of |If anyone objects to any statement I make, I am
_|70|___:)=}- J.D. Baldwin |quite prepared not only to retract it, but also
\ / bal...@panix.com|to deny under oath that I ever made it.-T. Lehrer
***~~~~----------------------------------------------------------------------
Tommy Joe
Jun 17, 2013, 10:17:49 PM6/17/13
to
On Jun 17, 2:23 am, "Matthew Kruk" <nob...@home.com> wrote:
> http://www.nytimes.com/2013/06/16/jobs/messages-galore-but-no-time-to...
I find myself often criticizing many new things, but deepdown I
know I'm not criticizing the new things as much as the way the many
people become addicted to them. Being honest, I have to believe the
new toys are not the culprit. The modern toys only serve to manifest
the same habits that existed under older formats, such as want ads or
the lonely hearts club in the newspapers. Everything these days
revolves around speed designed to give people more time.
Unfortunately, many people use that time to work longer hours to pay
for their time shortening toys. It's not the cellphone, it's the
people.
TJ
> http://www.nytimes.com/2013/06/16/jobs/messages-galore-but-no-time-to...
know I'm not criticizing the new things as much as the way the many
people become addicted to them. Being honest, I have to believe the
new toys are not the culprit. The modern toys only serve to manifest
the same habits that existed under older formats, such as want ads or
the lonely hearts club in the newspapers. Everything these days
revolves around speed designed to give people more time.
Unfortunately, many people use that time to work longer hours to pay
for their time shortening toys. It's not the cellphone, it's the
people.
TJ
Message has been deleted
Sauve Maria
Jun 18, 2013, 2:17:27 PM6/18/13
to
On Tuesday, June 18, 2013 5:36:46 AM UTC-7, Terry del Fuego wrote:
> On Mon, 17 Jun 2013 22:44:49 +0000 (UTC),
>
> point is just to spew the slogans and pretend to play along. The
>
> actual work is secondary, if that. For now I'm just hoping that two
>
> years is pessmistic and I get laid off well before then. I'm
>
> literally sticking around only and entirely for the big severance
>
> check.
>
>
>
> These are clowns who routinely push crap down the network that changes
>
> the W*nd*ws wallpaper to whatever the fearless leaders' slogan is at
>
> the moment. They're *that* petty. Yesterday it became an ugly
>
> cartoon birthday cake with best wishes for a product that I couldn't
>
> buy in this area even if I wanted to give the pigs money.
>
>
>
> But some people really do find the Kool-Aid [sic] delicious. Within
>
> the last week I heard a guy who will lose his job at the end of
>
> February when he's 60 refer to a competitor as "the bad guys". The
>
> woman he was talking to was also scheduled to get the boot in February
>
> but decided not to wait. She received competing job offers from
>
> multiple companies and will sail out of there Friday, leaving them
>
> with no one to train her replacement.
>
> https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Schadenfreude
Sounds like a morale problem there. You have to turn that frown up-side down, pick yourself up by the bootstraps, and stop the stinking thinking. Smiles are contagious, and a positive attitude can brighten a dark room. Work together and hang in there.
At least until I sell the stock.
> On Mon, 17 Jun 2013 22:44:49 +0000 (UTC),
>
> INVALID...@example.com.invalid (J.D. Baldwin) wrote:
>
>
>
> >I turned off IM entirely.
>
>
>
> I would be Spoken To. It's become abundantly clear there that the
> INVALID...@example.com.invalid (J.D. Baldwin) wrote:
>
>
>
> >I turned off IM entirely.
>
>
>
>
> point is just to spew the slogans and pretend to play along. The
>
> actual work is secondary, if that. For now I'm just hoping that two
>
> years is pessmistic and I get laid off well before then. I'm
>
> literally sticking around only and entirely for the big severance
>
> check.
>
>
>
> These are clowns who routinely push crap down the network that changes
>
> the W*nd*ws wallpaper to whatever the fearless leaders' slogan is at
>
> the moment. They're *that* petty. Yesterday it became an ugly
>
> cartoon birthday cake with best wishes for a product that I couldn't
>
> buy in this area even if I wanted to give the pigs money.
>
>
>
> But some people really do find the Kool-Aid [sic] delicious. Within
>
> the last week I heard a guy who will lose his job at the end of
>
> February when he's 60 refer to a competitor as "the bad guys". The
>
> woman he was talking to was also scheduled to get the boot in February
>
> but decided not to wait. She received competing job offers from
>
> multiple companies and will sail out of there Friday, leaving them
>
> with no one to train her replacement.
>
> https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Schadenfreude
Sounds like a morale problem there. You have to turn that frown up-side down, pick yourself up by the bootstraps, and stop the stinking thinking. Smiles are contagious, and a positive attitude can brighten a dark room. Work together and hang in there.
At least until I sell the stock.
leno...@yahoo.com
Jun 18, 2013, 3:01:56 PM6/18/13
to
Gandhi once said: "There is more to life than increasing its speed."
Lenona.
Lenona.
Message has been deleted
Message has been deleted
J.D. Baldwin
Jun 19, 2013, 11:11:32 AM6/19/13
to
> On Tue, 18 Jun 2013 11:17:27 -0700 (PDT), Sauve Maria
> <wilm...@gmail.com> wrote:
>
> >Sounds like a morale problem there.
>
> <http://www.alternet.org/corporate-accountability-and-workplace/70-percent-americans-are-emotionally-disconnected-work>
> <wilm...@gmail.com> wrote:
>
> >Sounds like a morale problem there.
>
Hard to believe this is almost ten years old:
http://www.nbcnews.com/id/5698558/ns/business-financial_times/t/slackers-new-bible/
Sauve Maria
Jun 19, 2013, 12:28:50 PM6/19/13
to
On Wednesday, June 19, 2013 8:11:32 AM UTC-7, J.D. Baldwin wrote:
>
> Hard to believe this is almost ten years old:
>
>
>
> http://www.nbcnews.com/id/5698558/ns/business-financial_times/t/slackers-new-bible/
>
This! This from the so-called liberal media?
>
> Hard to believe this is almost ten years old:
>
>
>
> http://www.nbcnews.com/id/5698558/ns/business-financial_times/t/slackers-new-bible/
>
(from the above article) "In its 2004 employment outlook, the OECD reported that the French worked 24 per cent fewer hours than in 1970, whereas Americans toiled 20 percent more. France was not alone. Large declines were also seen in Germany and Japan. But the situation in France is extreme."
They are saying there is a decline in worked hours, as if it is a bad thing. No matter that husband AND wife must now work. No matter technology has increased productivity. Instead, we are prodded to work increased numbers of hours, increased commutes, increased bring-home work, and increased job relocation on a as per needed basis. Our lives are increasingly owned by the company store, and upward mobility is stymied. When will workers reject the situation? John Galt better run, or he may find his head on a pike.
marcus
Jun 19, 2013, 11:17:05 PM6/19/13
to
On Jun 18, 3:01 pm, lenona...@yahoo.com wrote:
> Gandhi once said: "There is more to life than increasing its speed."
>
> Lenona.
If we had just evolved to the basic personal computer and CDs, the
> Gandhi once said: "There is more to life than increasing its speed."
>
> Lenona.
world would be a much better place than it is now.
For every other mind-numbing non-necessity electronic device I say,
"leave me behind...please."
Message has been deleted
J.D. Baldwin
Jun 20, 2013, 8:38:03 AM6/20/13
to
> > http://www.nbcnews.com/id/5698558/ns/business-financial_times/t/slackers-new-bible/
>
> Wow...I can't say I've quite hit that point--at least not
> intentionally--but I'm probably just about that "productive" anyway.
It's more for people who are willing to work at their laziness.
>
> Wow...I can't say I've quite hit that point--at least not
> intentionally--but I'm probably just about that "productive" anyway.
It's more for people who are willing to work at their laziness.
Tommy Joe
Jun 21, 2013, 5:37:02 AM6/21/13
to
On Tuesday, June 18, 2013 3:01:56 PM UTC-4, leno...@yahoo.com wrote:
> Gandhi once said: "There is more to life than increasing its speed."
>
>
>
>
>
> Lenona.
Just for the sake of arguing, I suppose it could be said that trying to slow it down might also be not such a good idea, especially trying too hard. That's the thing I hate most, trying. Well, next to necessity. Necessity is the thing that bothers me the most.
> Gandhi once said: "There is more to life than increasing its speed."
>
>
>
>
>
> Lenona.
Is this really necessary,
TJ (PS--- I'll bet Gandhi could get around pretty fast with that skinny marathon-like body of his with the bare minimum weight of his sandals and robe to slow him down just a tad. I always wondered, in a fight to the death (without God getting involved), who would win between Jesus Christ and the Mohatma.)
TJ
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