4 ms·

“Time off task” sounds like something that should have been in 1984, but I bet even Orwell couldn’t have imagined something so…Orwellian.

gerdesj 3y ago
There comes a point when workplace efficiency measures goes off the rails. About 40 years ago, I got a job in a books warehouse for a few months before toddling off to Plymouth Polytechnic (a bit like a University, UK, back in the day). The job involved picking orders for despatch. We'd get line printed picking lists on the classic wide, tractor fed paper with green "staves". We'd then wander the warehouse with a trolley and pick the orders and dump them carefully on pallets at the despatch point. Within a week or two I knew where nearly everything is held and that is a lot of books, the picking sheets had silo codes anyway. So, my old job sounds rather like ye olde Amazon (which started off as a book distributor) We also did things like repricing which sound quite innocent until you face a couple of pallets of "Letterland A-B-C" and you know your pricing gun will need several kilos of tags. Now, here is the difference: That firm (Smiths) gave all staff an hour lunch break, and two formal 1/2 hour breaks mid morning and mid afternoon. You could also take a break at any time for whatever reason (fags!). You had a base salary and a quota for various jobs. Hit the quota and you get more money. The quota was very reasonable. The basic was pretty decent too. I loved working there and I was compensated way better than the norm. So wind on a few decades and a very different company - Mine, and it's IT consultancy, and I have staff. I encourage flexibility from my staff. If you want to trot off for an hour for a doctors appointment - that's fine and don't bother asking either. Family first: snags at home - bail out and sort, appraise us if you can when appropriate. I know that I have staff with "time off task" and I do it myself too. The job gets done to the customer's satisfaction and that is our KPI and that is measured. I suspect Mr Amazon has forgotten to remember that his employees are human and to value and work with them as such.
- justasitsounds 3y ago
  [flagged]
  - rubyn00bie 3y ago
    [flagged]

gerdesj 3y ago

There comes a point when workplace efficiency measures goes off the rails. About 40 years ago, I got a job in a books warehouse for a few months before toddling off to Plymouth Polytechnic (a bit like a University, UK, back in the day). The job involved picking orders for despatch. We'd get line printed picking lists on the classic wide, tractor fed paper with green "staves". We'd then wander the warehouse with a trolley and pick the orders and dump them carefully on pallets at the despatch point. Within a week or two I knew where nearly everything is held and that is a lot of books, the picking sheets had silo codes anyway. So, my old job sounds rather like ye olde Amazon (which started off as a book distributor) We also did things like repricing which sound quite innocent until you face a couple of pallets of "Letterland A-B-C" and you know your pricing gun will need several kilos of tags. Now, here is the difference: That firm (Smiths) gave all staff an hour lunch break, and two formal 1/2 hour breaks mid morning and mid afternoon. You could also take a break at any time for whatever reason (fags!). You had a base salary and a quota for various jobs. Hit the quota and you get more money. The quota was very reasonable. The basic was pretty decent too. I loved working there and I was compensated way better than the norm. So wind on a few decades and a very different company - Mine, and it's IT consultancy, and I have staff. I encourage flexibility from my staff. If you want to trot off for an hour for a doctors appointment - that's fine and don't bother asking either. Family first: snags at home - bail out and sort, appraise us if you can when appropriate. I know that I have staff with "time off task" and I do it myself too. The job gets done to the customer's satisfaction and that is our KPI and that is measured. I suspect Mr Amazon has forgotten to remember that his employees are human and to value and work with them as such.

justasitsounds 3y ago
[flagged]
- rubyn00bie 3y ago
  [flagged]