Politeness and the modern office
I am currently reading Lynn Truss's excellent book on politeness and rudeness, "Talk To The Hand". It is a very good follow up to "Eats, Shoots and Leaves".
This prompted me to rant about the way that people treat you when you are at work, and really get priorities wrong. Several times a day, I visit my manager's office (this is only a few feet away). Almost without exception, we will be having a chat about something of middling to high importance, and his phone will ring. He will answer the phone and leave me standing waiting for hime to finish. To be fair, he usually apologises, but it does make it clear where you are in his priorities!
Most managers' offices will be equipped with four methods of getting information in, all of which at some stage will need a reply. Those are:
In a polite world, the occupant of an office would deal with a person physically standing there first, as phone, email and post can wait. Not answering the desk phone is the equivalent of not being in the office (i.e., having your meeting with the physical person in another location). Not answering your mobile is saying that not everything is critical for someone to get hold of me.
The phone should then take precedence over email and post - there is at least a person waiting at the other end.
What actually happens is that phone and sometimes email take precedence over the person standing in the office. Sheer, unexcusable, rudeness: unfortunately the way that society has developed. People don't even realise how their actions make their colleagues feel (not aimed specifically at my manager, I hasten to add!)
This prompted me to rant about the way that people treat you when you are at work, and really get priorities wrong. Several times a day, I visit my manager's office (this is only a few feet away). Almost without exception, we will be having a chat about something of middling to high importance, and his phone will ring. He will answer the phone and leave me standing waiting for hime to finish. To be fair, he usually apologises, but it does make it clear where you are in his priorities!
Most managers' offices will be equipped with four methods of getting information in, all of which at some stage will need a reply. Those are:
- a post tray or in-tray for written communication;
- a computer with email capabilites;
- one or more telephones, each with voice mail capabilities and the option to divert calls to voice mail;
- a door through which people can come in.
In a polite world, the occupant of an office would deal with a person physically standing there first, as phone, email and post can wait. Not answering the desk phone is the equivalent of not being in the office (i.e., having your meeting with the physical person in another location). Not answering your mobile is saying that not everything is critical for someone to get hold of me.
The phone should then take precedence over email and post - there is at least a person waiting at the other end.
What actually happens is that phone and sometimes email take precedence over the person standing in the office. Sheer, unexcusable, rudeness: unfortunately the way that society has developed. People don't even realise how their actions make their colleagues feel (not aimed specifically at my manager, I hasten to add!)
posted by Jonathan | Wednesday, January 11, 2006
1 Comments:
eveyone should work with pick-axe and shovel and burn the sordid users of modern technology - including those heretical swine who use steel tipped spades.
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