Daily Frustrations as The Oblivious Obstruct Productivity
From the Eye on the Workforce Blog
by Joe Wynne
Workforce management is a key part of project success, but project managers often find it difficult to get trustworthy information on what really works. From interpersonal interactions to big workforce issues we'll look the latest research and proven techniques to find the most effective solutions for your projects.
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Picture this:
Your worker is focused on the task at hand – cognizant of a looming deadline. Then a cell phone nearby rings, as the theme to Star Wars. The worker can’t get the tune out of his head. Say, doesn’t that guy in Testing look like Chewbacca? Never noticed it before. Wait – have to concentrate!
What’s that? Down the aisle someone is on a speaker phone! It’s a conference call about project scope change! Can’t focus!
Now what? Next door, someone talking loudly about her ex-boyfriend, who she now thinks looks like Chewbacca.
How do you expect this worker to get anything done? It won't be easy, yet yhis is not an unusual situation. In a survey last year, mentioned here, the highest rated pet peeves were loud talking, cell phone ring tones and speaker phones. What’s worse, many workers are afraid to discuss the problem with the oblivious offenders. So they suffer in silence.
It does not have to be this way. You have the power to create a more productive environment. During the activation phase, set ground rules for the work environment. Mention all the three pet peeves. Explain to all hands that they should keep it quiet, and if a co-worker comments or complains about noise, take it seriously.
Posted on: July 26, 2007 10:54 AM |
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Comments (1)
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Robert Penn
Sr. Project Manager
Alexandria, Va, United States
Part of the project manager''s job is to eliminate distractions, whether it''s noise (ring tones, loud conversations, leaky Ipods, etc.), body odor (yes, I''ve dealt with this one), or anything else. While it''s easiest if the worker addresses the problem directly, many people are uncomfortable confronting a coworker, even in a friendly workplace. An effective PM needs to be aware of these issues and be willing to step in and make sure the work environment is conducive to concentration and getting the job done. If your team is the only one in the immediate work area, you can deal with it on a policy basis, but in a large organization, teams are often co-located, so you may have to ask people who are not part of your team to change their behavior so your team can work effectively. You should be prepared to escalate the issue to their manager if someone refuses to comply, but, in the vast majority of cases, people will be embarassed that they were disturbing someone else and will happily adjust their volume.
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