When to shut down your Instant Messaging client
In a story that I wouldn’t exactly call breaking news, the Wall Street Journal reports today that instant messaging is being used for communication at work. As a Connected Worker, you’ve obviously known this for a long, long time and count IM as part of your essential online toolkit.
Or do you?
There are three main reasons to use instant messaging:
- Asking, receiving, and answering quick questions and answers that you don’t want to call about or resolve through a string of one-liner e-mails
- Engaging in creative brainstorming from geographically disparate locations
- Chit-chatting and/or indulging yourself with some much-needed “goof-off” time
All three can have a place in your creative and productive work flows.
And then there’s another approach that works well, too — turning off your IM altogether.
I have colleagues who swear by IM, and others who don’t want a thing to do with it. After all, there’s nothing worse than powering your way through an important project requiring your undivided attention, only to be interrupted by a colleague’s “So, how’s your day going?” kind of message. He/she is looking to chit-chat; you’re looking to get sh*t done without interruptions.
In such a scenario, resist all temptations to send back a snarky reply and extricate yourself from the conversation as quickly as possible. Then, do what you should have done before you launched into the project in the first place: sign out of your IM client(s).
It’s important to ask yourself how well you handle interruptions and to limit your IM use to the times when simple pings aren’t going to break your concentration.
And so as to keep your colleagues and contacts in your good graces, be sure to ask for their IM preferences, too.
As for me, Gmail chat (bperson) and Skype (Bryper) — are great ways to reach me — most of the time. If I’m busy, I’ll be sure to tell you nicely, or I just won’t be logged on.
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July 24th, 2007 at 8:08 am
Great tips. I love point number three. We talk all the time about maximizing productivity, etc., and sometimes it’s easy to forget that we do need breaks to keep ourselves sane - but I find that frequently, when I turn around to chat with a co-worker, it not only gives me a break, it interrupts everyone in a 30-foot radius. Using IM for a short chat with a co-worker could keep things friendly, give you a break, and not make everyone you work near get less done.
I wish more companies would realize this and open IM policies, but on the other hand, I wish more workers would use IM technology responsibly and not just as a goof-off tool so the rest of us could reap the benefits you point out.
July 24th, 2007 at 12:13 pm
I think the companies that restrict or prohobit the use of IM in the workplace are concerned about use No. 3 — too much goofing off and a drop in productivity. But then that isn’t placing much trust or confidence in the employees, is it.
Instead of limiting access to IM, which can be a great tool for getting work done, why not set up some guidelines for employees? If it gets out of hand, a manager can take action.
July 24th, 2007 at 1:41 pm
Indeed, not trusting employees enough to allow them to manage their own time is the beginning of the end of a company’s morale. If employees misuse their freedoms and the work suffers as a result, then you have a reason to take action. But companies that are smart enough to allow their employees freedoms are usually employing people smart enough to balance work and play.
Meanwhile… are you maximizing your Twitter use at work?