On 14/09/2011 12:36, Roland Perry wrote:
In message , at 11:15:47 on Wed, 14 Sep
2011, d remarked:
In today's complex world, being out of touch does make things fall apart
in many people's employment. How often have we moaned about delays on
the railways getting out of hand (after an incident) because managers
can't be contacted to give authority to sort things out?
If a manager on duty can't be contacted from any significant period of
time
via a land line during an incident then he should be sacked for
incompetance
and dereliction of duty. End of.
Except we have moved to a world where mobile phones are just as (if not
more) prevalent than landlines.
Thirty years ago, as a manager, it was expected that I had a secretary
whose almost sole function was to make my appointments and know were I
was all the time - so an incoming call could be routed to a nearby
landline. Today, not only has that post been abolished, I'm supposed to
answer my own mobile phone when it rings!
Agreed!
My current employer has recently introduced "agile working", whereby
there are fewer desks than people (on the basis that on any particular
day some people are out on business calls or on leave).
All managers have had to give up their offices and now sit (if they can)
in the general office, and "hot-desk" with everyone else.
Everyone has a networked/wi-fi laptop and a mobile phone and is expected
to keep their personal calendar up to date, so others can see if they
are on duty and also their whereabouts.
All very well in theory but on days when everyone turns up to their
office, this can lead to chaos, with people fighting for a desk (not
literally, so far) and/or finding space in another office (not
necessarily on-site) or working from home.
Mobile phones have therefore become essential.
George