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I think it bothers me because they're probably the two least productive employees we have. I want to address this issue - the first step to me seems to be "well

I think it bothers me because they're probably the two least productive employees we have. I want to address this issue - the first step to me seems to be "well, what do they do all day?"

ulysses 16y ago
How you deal with those two employees will impact the rest of your team. Do you want the rest of your team to learn that it's important to be productive? Or would you rather teach them that it's most important to be seen to be working straight through for eight hours?
- unexpected 16y ago
  Again, we're okay with facebook/gchat/whatever. The rest of our employees are not engaged 100% of the time, and we're okay with that. This is not about spying on them, or making sure they have their nose to the grindstone for 8 straight hours. We have flexible hours, allow telecommuting, etc. From my perspective, it's a cultural thing - we have tried to foster a two-way culture of openness and communication. We have 70 employees - 68 of which are okay with our environment of trust. What makes those two think they're special?
  - jbarham 16y ago
    > What makes those two think they're special? Are they ex-military and therefore trained to react violently when people sneak up behind them? ;) EDIT: My ex-CEO tells a story of a former employee and Vietnam vet who warned him not to surprise him as his fighting reflexes might kick in, so it apparently can happen in real life.
    - protomyth 16y ago
      It happens with victims of assault also. Some people really, really need their back to the wall and places that don't allow that affect their productivity / comfort level.
Tyrannosaurs 16y ago
A fair enough question but can I suggest that you're less passive about it and speak to them? I've had incidents in my team where there are people I thought weren't productive who were genuinely engaged in a million minor support tasks I never knew about. But in any case, talking to them like adults rather than spying on them is the way forward.
philwelch 16y ago
The issue isn't how they configure their workspace, it's their productivity. Assess their productivity from a black box perspective, don't even think about how their desks are arranged, that's not the issue, it's not even an issue.

I think it bothers me because they're probably the two least productive employees we have. I want to address this issue - the first step to me seems to be "well, what do they do all day?"

ulysses 16y ago

How you deal with those two employees will impact the rest of your team. Do you want the rest of your team to learn that it's important to be productive? Or would you rather teach them that it's most important to be seen to be working straight through for eight hours?

unexpected 16y ago
Again, we're okay with facebook/gchat/whatever. The rest of our employees are not engaged 100% of the time, and we're okay with that. This is not about spying on them, or making sure they have their nose to the grindstone for 8 straight hours. We have flexible hours, allow telecommuting, etc. From my perspective, it's a cultural thing - we have tried to foster a two-way culture of openness and communication. We have 70 employees - 68 of which are okay with our environment of trust. What makes those two think they're special?
- jbarham 16y ago
  > What makes those two think they're special? Are they ex-military and therefore trained to react violently when people sneak up behind them? ;) EDIT: My ex-CEO tells a story of a former employee and Vietnam vet who warned him not to surprise him as his fighting reflexes might kick in, so it apparently can happen in real life.
  - protomyth 16y ago
    It happens with victims of assault also. Some people really, really need their back to the wall and places that don't allow that affect their productivity / comfort level.

Tyrannosaurs 16y ago

A fair enough question but can I suggest that you're less passive about it and speak to them? I've had incidents in my team where there are people I thought weren't productive who were genuinely engaged in a million minor support tasks I never knew about. But in any case, talking to them like adults rather than spying on them is the way forward.

philwelch 16y ago

The issue isn't how they configure their workspace, it's their productivity. Assess their productivity from a black box perspective, don't even think about how their desks are arranged, that's not the issue, it's not even an issue.