I have been in the IT industry for almost 20 years. During this time I have worked for many different companies and noted that most share a common flaw: The Cubicle.
These candy coated prison walls come in many different designs. One design may offer “privacy” while the other is supposed to make the office feel “open” and “airy”. It really does not matter which design your company employes as long as your boss can walk by and count you as “present”.
Many individuals could do their job from anywhere on the planet given they have a computer and an internet connection. Unfortunately, this doesn’t play well with the grade school mentality of many business owners. If you are not “present” then you’re not capable of being “productive”.
Is it productive that:
- I drove 1.5 hours this morning to get to work for free?
- I drove 2-3 hours this afternoon to get home for free?
- I spent 30 minutes listening to someone complain so that I wouldn’t offend them or upset the balance of the office’s delicate political sphere?
- I spent 3 hours in meetings that had nothing to do with the scope of my job because people higher in the food chain have to look “productive”?
This list could easily scale depending on the day and your job responsibilities. These issues degrade productivity.
