Posts Tagged: Work

Social Networks: An Alt-Org Chart

Dan Chenok recently emailed me and John Bordeaux a New York Times story and asked us for our opinions. The articles was “From a Facebook Founder Comes a Way to Streamline Work Flow,” and the quote that moved Dan to ask for our input was this: Dustin Moskovitz [a Facebook Co-Founder] thinks this is aRead… Read more »

Another Telework Driver: Freezing the Federal Footprint

In line with its mission to ensure the careful use of Federal funds, OMB issued guidance on 5/11/12 to Federal agencies that requires them to make more efficient use of existing government real estate — in effect, “freezing the Federal footprint.” In a roundabout way, this is good news for Telework fans. By requiring agenciesRead… Read more »

Efficiency sucks. What we need is good work

Efficiency is the path to bigger profits. Efficiency is good. Everyone needs to be efficient. Right? Wrong! Efficiency sucks! For knowledge workers – you and me – the case against efficiency is overwhelming. ‘Efficiency’ is one of the weasel-words of management-speak, constantly misused and we are all worse off for this. In an effort toRead… Read more »

Telework: Trust – But Verify

One of the biggest reasons managers give for resisting the implementation of telework policies is that they do not believe that their employees will “really” work when they are not in the office. Those of us who have embraced a more flexible work design may consider this an “attitude adjustment” problem – on the partRead… Read more »

Password Please

At the beginning of the month, I wrote a blog about how a study showed that Facebook may just be a reliable assessment tool for recruiters. It sparked a conversation about whether employers should be using Facebook to screen applicants. Flash forward a couple of weeks, and stories about job seekers being asked for FacebookRead… Read more »

Telework — Managing Your Boundaries

As we start the Second Annual Telework Week today, it’s a good time to think about boundaries and the challenge of how we create a boundary between the professional and the personal when we work at home. The most obvious boundary can be created by the space in which we work. A home office, forRead… Read more »

Workplace socialisation in the Public Service

In the course of examining data from the current Australian Public ServiceState of the Service of the Service Report the previous report. It contains an interesting chart showing employee satisfaction or engagement by length of service in the APS (see at the end of this post). What is interesting is the reduction in engagement overRead… Read more »

Work: A Place — Or the Things We Do?

Imagine this: A workforce with no set schedule, no mandatory attendance, and no centralized location to get the job done. Confused? Don’t be. A new modern day philosophy is emerging in our workforce that slashes conventional workplace practices. The philosophy is known as ROWE – Results-Only Work Environment. Judging employees based on productivity instead ofRead… Read more »

Things Not to Do at Your Government Office Holiday Party

It’s that magical time of year, when lights are strewn, carols sang and way too many sugary treats are eaten. For most offices, it also means that some kind holiday party will be held. With cash short on hand in most government offices today, that means even more parties will be taking place right thereRead… Read more »