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But the act of tapping someone in the shoulder and break their concentration already does all the harm IMO. Once you've done that, headphones on or off is redu
by Draiken 5y ago
But the act of tapping someone in the shoulder and break their concentration already does all the harm IMO.
Once you've done that, headphones on or off is redundant.
In my experience, 99% of these disturbances could be avoided with a bit more effort on the side of the person interrupting. So what generally happens is that the person concentrating loses his focus - very likely getting out of the zone - and helps them with something that they could've done themselves.
For me it really seems selfish the majority of the time. Urgent matters, things that really block you and you absolutely can't figure out, sure. Almost anything else can wait a bit for a response.
- distrill 5y agoWhat? I'll wait for coffee or lunch. There are natural places throughout a work day to ask someone a question without interrupting their work time. I specifically noted this too. I'm not advocating for instant response, I'm saying that there are no natural breaks in a remote environment for us to have casual conversations.
- Draiken 5y agoYeah, fair point. But what's stopping you from simply asking for some face-to-face time and scheduling it? Sometimes the best solution is to have a discussion and it's a lot easier to do compared to writing. On those cases I just ask "can we have a meeting to discuss X?" and we schedule something. This gets you the help you the same results, without any interruption. Sure they could just pretend to not see your message and ignore it leaving you in a tough spot, but that's a problem with the person, not remote work IMO. Generally speaking, even if you're focused, you'll stop to have lunch, grab a snack, etc. And you then answer questions, setup a time to meet, etc.