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I'm not an extrovert and I'd like this for people asking me questions. Want to disturb me for 2 minutes and ruin my concentration losing me half an hour? If it

by IanCal 7y ago

I'm not an extrovert and I'd like this for people asking me questions. Want to disturb me for 2 minutes and ruin my concentration losing me half an hour? If it's going to save you your afternoon - just do it. If you're probably going to send me a message on slack or call me there anyway I'd find this a lot less annoying. My goal should never be to get through the most work myself it's to move the company forwards. Having someone wait until tomorrow to get their job done because I haven't manually gone and checked my emails is a waste of company time. Each to their own, and I don't think everyone would want to use something like this, but don't assume that it's only small teams and very similar extroverts that could benefit.

SamuelAdams 7y ago
I'm with you on this. I don't understand the HN mentality of "100% performance at all working hours". Many employers do not need you to be highly performant all the time, but they do need you to be available all the time. I'm also reading the Phoenix Project [1], and there's a worker Brent who knows every system well and can fix any issue. However, he is supposed to be working on the big company project (think like an ERP system). However, he can't get that work done because everyone and their brother keeps asking for a "quick" five minutes of his time, several times a day. All in all, he is not able to get his assigned tasks done because he's so busy with other interruptions. If that happens then yes, talk to your direct report and come up with a better solution. But you shouldn't need to block out every interruption ever. There are times when it is warranted. [1]: https://www.amazon.com/Phoenix-Project-DevOps-Helping-Business/dp/0988262592 https://www.amazon.com/Phoenix-Project-DevOps-Helping-Busine...
Zenst 7y ago
Instant messaging allows you to set status and busy messages - alas the interface isn't organic as changing it would also disturb your flow. Also the ability to control actions based upon what status you set is not granular or controllable enough. For example - if busy - only allow some people to send video mail message or IM for later perusal or if some people contact allow them thru if call more than twice, three times.....or if Director - instantly. Equally, to set a response time so if somebody in group A calls, make sure you call them back within an hour, two hours....10 mins etc. Details and control like that. But back to changing that status, that is the important aspect that needs addressing as currently it in itself distracts from your workflow and having some setup that allows easier access. So if your in say vi, editing a system file - it sets you as busy, if your reading the news - your available, if you're reading email - your semi-busy and some people get thru, some don't. So a system that detects when your busy, and sets your status would be the biggest improvement in work communications and in effect what we are reproducing is the personal assistant. An intelligence that screens your communications and handles what and when things get to interrupt you. That is for me the area in most need of some revitalisation.
- _jal 7y ago
  > Instant messaging allows you to set status and busy messages That requires people to use and respect them. Half the folks on I use the corporate chat with are permanently "away", and "busy" appears to mean "walk over and bug me".
dwild 7y ago
> If it's going to save you your afternoon - just do it. That's the thing, will it actually be used like that? This feel so casual that it doesn't feel like it has to be used in urgent matter only. I guess the important thing isn't about the tools but mostly about the training the user got around the tools. It's important to show what each one is used for and in which context. It's so easy to just believe something is more urgent than it is.
- andyfleming 7y ago
  I completely agree that training and culture are an important piece of this. If someone pings someone every time they have a question, without searching for the answer on their own, it doesn’t matter what the medium is. It’s wasteful.
- IanCal 7y ago
  I think the key thing is that tools won't make people good at communicating. That needs to happen as either a life lessons or job training. Something tooling can do though is help give cues. If I'm wearing headphones in an office frowning at the screen that's likely to change how people come up to me compared to if I'm clearly having a break. When remote those aren't around so you can't tell if I'm knee deep in diagrams and code or (say) hitting unsubscribe from as many emails as I can. Making those things clear to others is something tooling can improve on - but there's not much that can stop people contacting you if they're determined.

by IanCal 7y ago

SamuelAdams 7y ago

I'm with you on this. I don't understand the HN mentality of "100% performance at all working hours". Many employers do not need you to be highly performant all the time, but they do need you to be available all the time. I'm also reading the Phoenix Project [1], and there's a worker Brent who knows every system well and can fix any issue. However, he is supposed to be working on the big company project (think like an ERP system). However, he can't get that work done because everyone and their brother keeps asking for a "quick" five minutes of his time, several times a day. All in all, he is not able to get his assigned tasks done because he's so busy with other interruptions. If that happens then yes, talk to your direct report and come up with a better solution. But you shouldn't need to block out every interruption ever. There are times when it is warranted. [1]: https://www.amazon.com/Phoenix-Project-DevOps-Helping-Business/dp/0988262592 https://www.amazon.com/Phoenix-Project-DevOps-Helping-Busine...

Zenst 7y ago

Instant messaging allows you to set status and busy messages - alas the interface isn't organic as changing it would also disturb your flow. Also the ability to control actions based upon what status you set is not granular or controllable enough. For example - if busy - only allow some people to send video mail message or IM for later perusal or if some people contact allow them thru if call more than twice, three times.....or if Director - instantly. Equally, to set a response time so if somebody in group A calls, make sure you call them back within an hour, two hours....10 mins etc. Details and control like that. But back to changing that status, that is the important aspect that needs addressing as currently it in itself distracts from your workflow and having some setup that allows easier access. So if your in say vi, editing a system file - it sets you as busy, if your reading the news - your available, if you're reading email - your semi-busy and some people get thru, some don't. So a system that detects when your busy, and sets your status would be the biggest improvement in work communications and in effect what we are reproducing is the personal assistant. An intelligence that screens your communications and handles what and when things get to interrupt you. That is for me the area in most need of some revitalisation.

_jal 7y ago
> Instant messaging allows you to set status and busy messages That requires people to use and respect them. Half the folks on I use the corporate chat with are permanently "away", and "busy" appears to mean "walk over and bug me".

dwild 7y ago

> If it's going to save you your afternoon - just do it. That's the thing, will it actually be used like that? This feel so casual that it doesn't feel like it has to be used in urgent matter only. I guess the important thing isn't about the tools but mostly about the training the user got around the tools. It's important to show what each one is used for and in which context. It's so easy to just believe something is more urgent than it is.

andyfleming 7y ago
I completely agree that training and culture are an important piece of this. If someone pings someone every time they have a question, without searching for the answer on their own, it doesn’t matter what the medium is. It’s wasteful.
IanCal 7y ago
I think the key thing is that tools won't make people good at communicating. That needs to happen as either a life lessons or job training. Something tooling can do though is help give cues. If I'm wearing headphones in an office frowning at the screen that's likely to change how people come up to me compared to if I'm clearly having a break. When remote those aren't around so you can't tell if I'm knee deep in diagrams and code or (say) hitting unsubscribe from as many emails as I can. Making those things clear to others is something tooling can improve on - but there's not much that can stop people contacting you if they're determined.