Last week was the start of the annual "March Madness" college basketball tournament in the US. It's been a big event in the US and at one point, the opening Thursday and Friday were two of the days that more people called in sick than any other. I was actually working, at the Heroes Happen {Here} launch event on Thur, then working around taking my son in for wisdom tooth removal on Friday, but I definitely was following along.
I'm sure if you're in other parts of the world, or even in the US, that there are other events that are important to you and interrupt your work. Whether it's a sporting event or something else, like say, an election, there are times that you'll be distracted from work. This blog post says just let it happen, and deal with the lost work. Maybe even have fun with it and make it an event.
The Internet definitely shortens communication among groups, and also makes it easier for you to communicate instead of doing other things. The same goes for cell phones. Early in my career, it seemed that for the previous generation, it was smoke breaks and transistor radios.
In one sense I don't think things have changed dramatically in how we work, but more of us are white collar, working on things that might allow us to multi-task. Or maybe that's no different than factory workers listening to the radio while assembling something.
It's important to remember that people aren't "resources" that you can expect consistent performance from every day. We have up and down days, we have the ability to concentrate and be creative some days and not others. I try to write every day here on some editorial, or some part of an editorial, but there are days I can't get things done. Or I can't think of anything to write. And there aren't usually basketball games distacting me 🙂
My opinion is that you have to allow for some flexibility and fun. As mentioned in the post, many companies realize that by making a more convenient and fun atmostphere, people aren't bothered as much by additional time at the office, and might even enjoy it. Think of events like this as a kind of "recharging" for employees, a break from the regular tedium, and a chance to bond with each other.
I have friends working at some media companies like ESPN and Starz, and they have TVs all over the offices, even in cubes. They still manage to get work done, and are very productive. There are times when I'm sure the media prevents work from getting done, but has a serious impact on your productivity, you probably aren't an extremely productive worker in the first place.
Steve Jones
The Voice of the DBA Podcasts
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