Agreed, I'll never forget this one conference call where my then boss asked me if I was ignoring his emails with respect to some process change. I replied that I hadn't been told about the process change and this was news to me, his reply
"it's like you ignore all my emails"
to which of course I said "no, I read the emails you send me and do it, you're my boss"
his reply was something like "yeah when I reach out and tell you to do it NOW, it's like you ignore all my emails to the [redacted name] list"
my reply was "the [redacted name]" what list?"
"can we check if Kurt is on the [redacted name] list?"
It turned out I was not on the list. Once I was added to the list of course there was no need for my boss to reach out constantly.
A lot of business processes rely on informal, ad-hoc, organic processes, which works, but is fragile when placed in a different environment, e.g. moving from an environment where there is ongoing and frequent face to face contact (daily or more) to 0 face to face contact that isn't explicitly created via online meetings for example.
Identifying these newly created gaps and finding ways to deal with them is going to be critical for companies moving forwards.
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Kurt Seifried
Chief Blockchain Officer and Director of Special Projects
Cloud Security Alliance
[email protected]------------------------------
Original Message:
Sent: Sep 25, 2020 10:28:39 AM
From: Jeffrey Westcott
Subject: The Hidden - But Very Real - Cost of Working from Home
I read this article recently on WFH versus in-person costs/benefits in Fortune magazine. (Unfortunately, this link requires a subscription.)
An interesting read nonetheless. The talk of trust being developed through handshakes, eye contact, other face and body expressions. Also, it discusses the spontaneity and creativity that evolves through informal meetings or interaction ('water cooler talk).
I realize many of us have worked remotely, some at length. Still, 2020 has been an interesting shift in social dynamics and the realization of importance of human engagement and interaction with one another.
The hidden-but very real-cost of working from homeFortune | remove preview |
| The hidden-but very real-cost of working from home | Working remotely is a necessary reality in the pandemic. But companies from Goldman Sachs to Google know what's missing when we Zoom-the creative spark that leads to true innovation. | View this on Fortune > |
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Jeffrey Westcott, CPA
CFO, Cloud Security Alliance
Bellingham, WA
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