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The first company I worked at was small and the owner/big boss had an office with glass doors that could see a lot. As the company started to go down he got re
by MBCook 4y ago
The first company I worked at was small and the owner/big boss had an office with glass doors that could see a lot.
As the company started to go down he got real insistent on productivity. If you weren’t doing something you were causing the company’s downfall.
Our manager (a great guy) had to have a talk with us telling us to basically look busy to avoid the pointless heat.
That owner was not the only person I’ve seen with such an attitude. Physically doing something = productivity. Even if they can’t see you and you’re playing minesweeper.
- gav 4y agoOne of my early jobs was being the most junior "mechanic" in an repair shop, basically the guy that did all the low-skill things that nobody else wanted to do. Our shop foreman was very keen that everyone looked busy if you were clocked in, you were getting paid to work so you should be working. I was trained by my seniors in the two key activities to do to avoid standing around: spraying things with a hose, and sweeping the floor. It didn't matter if you were going over what you did five minutes ago, it just had to look like you were doing something useful. Personally I try to avoid perpetuating a culture where looking busy is important because people will find ways to look busy.