For several reasons this passage on JP Raganswami’s blog resonates with me strongly. Especially today as I wish had it at hand during a particular conversation last night.
Why is it that so many firms buy this argument, that staff should somehow be blocked from doing anything but work at work? The only explanation I can find is that even in the 21st century, people spend more time trying to measure and control inputs rather than outputs. More fodder for Fossilfools, I guess.
I thought that people get paid for results rather than effort. Analogous to JM Keynes’ engine of healthy enterprise being profit rather than thrift, controlling and monitoring inputs alone is not just dangerous but ultimately counterproductive. You might as well get knowledge workers to punch cards on their way in and their way out.
Which is fine, but then firms have to bear the consequences. Clockwatching. Work to rule. Unionisation. Contractual commitments to pay overtime. Jobsworth attitudes. Tunnel vision. You treat people like machines, you should expect mechanical results.
Thanks JP! I appears that PC (political correctness, not the machine that brings excitement and unpredictability to our work lives!) was brewed in the same pot. What goes round, comes round. To point out the absurdity of the pin-pushers and bean-counters, he turns the table on them:
If things go this way, I guess I can foresee a time where spouses and children start class actions against firms for providing their partner/parent with a BlackBerry. Stealing personal and family time….. I won’t laugh, it could happen yet. Oh frabjous day calloo callay.
And the correct fossilised response would be? To continue issuing the Blackberries, but telling staff they are banned from using them at home or outside office hours.
I have a feeling that even pointing this out would not get companies to realise why it is so important that individual employees are treated as assets and not just units in a system.
Thanks to Jackie for the pointer.
Lloyd
on Mar 29th, 2006
@ 9:59 am:
Well, I’m sure you know my feelings about the importance of play. That’s why I’ve insisted that although we’re doing lots of serious projects at Perfect Path Towers, we get to do some fun stuff to – that’s why we’re doing <shameless plug> All this…and brains too! </shameless plug>
Simon
on Mar 30th, 2006
@ 2:02 am:
I totally agree and further more I allow the teams I lead to exercise freedom etc.
This old ‘tie and mahogany’ stuffy approach has no place within groups of people whom need to think for a living.
If you want your staff to thrive, set them free and respect their professionalism. Sure the odd one will stray – but that’s to be expected.
I work in technical design and solutions in both Comms and IT and have found that running a team by ‘decent’ if the most productive way to get the fastest and move effective solution to any problem.
What I mean is, within the team everyone is on a level playing field and if they think something is rubbish – they’re free to say so as long as they’re pro-active with a solution to the problem.
People think, converse and grow when they feel chilled out and comfortable. So I let them play games and use messenger on their systems – the added benefit of using messenger is that half their friends are geeks too – so when a problem comes up they have an extra resource to call upon.
Bottom line is this, if you want people who you wish to love their work – then let them play.
The corporate face still exists and outside of the team and the hierarchy still exists, so it works.
It is often said that people think in colour – that’s why baby shops have bright coloured toys, As adults we like to chill, relax drink coffee, feed our minds (and I’ll stop there). So give people the freedom to expand and they will take it and run with it.
The modern 21st century office requires loyalty, safety, respect amongst peers, speed to adapt, an entrepreneurial flare and the will to achieve – we don’t have time for useless wonderment of how we look or what others are wearing that day (unless customer facing) – but a damn good sense of humour is vital (and a little of adventure too).
That’s how companies like Google succeeded.
Simon
on Sep 30th, 2008
@ 22:15 pm:
I couldn’t agree more with the above posts. I work for a company that has so many sociable people, but getting them together to ‘play’ at work is unbelievably tricky. Usually any events are arranged by the same few people who email the same group; this inevitably means people are excluded.
To combat this, I developed a website with a collegue that anyone in the company can set up an event on a calendar for all to see and take part it. With an email notification system based on activity preferences, the provision to see who’s taking part, and a place to post comments, this system is far more effective than sending multiple emails.
The All Work – No Play website (allwork-noplay.co.uk) has already been a success in our company and we are hoping that others can benefit too.
Simon