Let the Workers (and their Computers) Work
October 19th, 2009 by Cali & Jody
Great piece from Slate’s Farhad Manjoo about the tyranny of corporate computer control. If you’ve spent any time in corporate America, you know the IT drill:
- You’re blocked from Facebook, MySpace, YouTube, etc.
- You can’t use popular browsers like Firefox.
- You can’t share documents using Google docs, IM or other programs that foster collaboration.
As Manjoo points out, part of the rationale for these policies is security, which is completely understandable. When we’re out talking to business leaders, this is a common concern.
But equally common is the worry that if people had more control over their computing then they’d be less productive. As Manjoo points out (and demonstrating the ROWE mindset very nicely, by the way), this is silly:
You might argue that firms need to make sure that people stay on task—if employees were allowed to do whatever they wanted at work, nobody would get anything done. But in many instances, that claim is ridiculous. My fiancée works at a hospital that blocks all instant-messaging programs. Now, she and her co-workers are doctors, nurses, and other medical professionals—they’ve been through years of training in which they’ve proved that they can stay on task even despite the allure of online chat. Can anyone seriously argue that the hospital would suddenly grind to a halt if they were allowed to use IM at work?
Manjoo is on board for doctors, nurses and medical professionals, but we’d take it a step farther. We’d change “in many instances” to “in all instances.” In our experience with ROWE, companies that give their employees control over their work do anything but grind to a halt. In fact, they blossom and thrive.
And what happens when they don’t have control?
We found this interesting theory from Mike Elgan at Datamation.com, who also picked up on the Manjoo story in a piece titled Information Wants to Be Free:
Why do people multitask? Some people may simply enjoy the thrill of information overload. Others might believe they’re working harder and getting more done. But I think many multitask because they’re being directed externally by bosses, company policies and having to perform extra tasks to get around the software forced on them by the company. They feel they have multiple priorities and multiple obstacles, so the solution is multitasking.
Exactly. Take out the software portion of the argument and it still stands. The bottom line is that very few people actually LIKE multitasking. We multitask because we have too many competing demands on our time and attention so we make due by trying to do it all, and all at once. Is it any surprise that we lead the world in burnout?
I couldn’t agree more — I never saw the purpose of blocking social media sites. Most companies spend thousands of dollars sending people to conferences around the world so they can interact with people. Are they so afraid that people might interact with others right from their own desk for free?
Everytime you bring this topic up the security bat is used to knock people back down. I find that kind of thinking old fashioned and just out of touch with modern reality. Every company that is worth anything knows that social media is as much a part of modern marketing as print advertisement was 50 years ago. Yes you COULD get a virus from Facebook, but you kow what you COULD also get one from just surfing aimlessly on Google clicking on links. It’s all about having the tools in place to form a line of defense — and just shutting off sites altogether is a poor solution.
Sometimes I think workplaces are just afraid to let their employees think. Perhaps they are scared they might come up with a new idea or something!
And what’s funny is that multi-tasking is a myth. Humans are not capable of it. You really can only do one thing at a time, and any time we try to divide our attentions, we become less efficient. Its interesting how one of the major “selling points” for new employees trying to land a job is complete fabrication born out of trying to look busy and like a hard-worker.
I agree with this 100 percent. I had previously read Manjoo’s piece (and enjoyed it very much), but not Elgan’s, which was also very good – thanks for sharing.
I enjoyed the comments at both places almost as much, because it seems to be polarized – either people agree strongly, or not.
My take on it is this – I tried for a month to use only the tools the company gives me, and I swear I was grinding my teeth trying to get anything done. I was much slower than normal.
Now, I only use a few simple things (a good text editor, a good aftermarket file manager, a good image editor, and an indexing search tool) – but they really help me to do my job well.
I used to use Google Docs to keep a running task list that I could see from anywhere, but that ability was taken away from us in the name of security.
Security???
Okay. None of our computers are locked to prevent someone from booting from a CD.
This means I could boot any PC at work from a Linux live CD, copy whatever I need to a USB stick, and there would be no record of it whatsoever, except that the machine had been restarted twice.
Password? I can crack those too.
So, the real reason of course is not security – it is control.
My workplace would have been a pseudo-ROWE back in the 60’s and 70’s, as it was a pure research and development establishment.
Once the bean counters moved in during the 80’s and 90’s, things changed – it moved too far the other way.
And a lot of the fun is gone.
Along with idea sharing, creativity, innovation…
Companies are so very attached to the traditional work environment. We have trained the workers to be busy bees even though they might not be producing anything. Managers spend a great deal of time controlling every little step you make and keeping you in your place. Once a worker is in his/her box , they are limited in what they can do. Of course, this confusing philosophy has a consequence. Workers cannot function in this strange situation because their morale is low and their creativity is limited (or eliminated altogether). In this situation, if there is a failure of any kind, managers play the blame game in which the employee carries all the responsibility.
Employees should have the freedom to develop their skills and use the technology that is available to make things easy. By limiting access to technology and social networking, companies are missing that window of opportunity to foster innovation. The time is now to get on board with this thinking.
Let’s face it: workers are going to demand the freedom that comes with ROWE, and the freedom to utilize technology to achieve their outcomes, because that will be their insurance policy for having the balance they need at work and at home.
I just read an article in today’s Minneapolis Star Tribune newpaper that mentions Best Buy’s achievements with ROWE. This company is ahead of the game because of ROWE and what they said fits right into our discussion. Companies are watching, very closely, what is going on with ROWE at Best Buy Corporate. Also, this article has a good analysis about the young workforce. The new generation has different needs and that’s becoming more and more clear. Companies are realizing that young people need a different environment to do their best work. They’re trying to change things to capture this valuable group of workers and place them in the right environment. The companies that are working with CultureRx to implement ROWE are leading this approach.
Cali and Jody – congratulations again. Your persistence and hard work continues to make a difference.
Star Tribune article: http://www.startribune.com/business/65105092.html
This is a huge pet peeve of mine. It hurts my ears to hear of big companies blocking social media sites, as if it will magically make people more productive. How about encouraging your employees to share news about your company? How about letting them engage in conversations on social networks and represent your brand positively?
The near universal approach to new healthcare in Africa is the focus on mobile phone (SMS and payment) mHealth. See applabs.org and The World Bank Day #mHealth Summit http://bit.ly/7cYQ The irony is that here in the States we’d block the SMS texts. Doh!