Thoughts on Thursdays: 21st Century Office

What do you think - Is this at home or at work?

This is an interesting one for me, and probably for anyone who works and has small children.  There is a push, a movement, an "enlightened desire" to move into this new looking office environment.  With today's technology, we are constantly connected . . . to everything.  I don't know about you, but I literally wake up to my iPhone (because I use it for my alarm), and I automatically (sometimes before I even actually open my eyes) start checking my email.  I've yelled at myself a lot about this because, seriously, what am I going to do with email information at 5:30 in the morning?  Especially since I checked it at midnight right before I went to bed!

On the bus in to work, I am answering emails about kids' soccer, upcoming work meetings, legal matters.  While adding sugar to my tea at the library coffee shop, I am answering phone calls, making appointments and looking at my calendar for the day.

When I get to my office, I crank up all my systems and begin . .  . doing pretty much the same thing.  But I may also pick up the phone and confirm the dentist appointment for my youngest, make a call into the oldest's teacher to discuss last nights' homework, and order the cereal we love on Amazon.com (which rocks by the way).

What's my point?  There is a blurred line between work and home when you are a working parent.  The 9-5 box no longer really defines what I do at the office or what I do at home.  Work places are trying to understand this, and TRYING to make room for the new blurry work hours and needs of a working mom . . . but it still has a long way to go.

Case in point.  Where I work, our new guy has repeatedly touted that we are a "21st Century Office."  I love this idea!  He has let us know that he "understands our laptops are our office", that sometimes we can be "somewhere else, but still at work", and that we do not need to "punch the clock" to demonstrate our effectiveness.  GREAT!  HOORAY!  "If you can't make it in and you plan to do work offsite, just make sure we know where you are and generally what you're working on.  I don't want to feel like I'm looking for detailed intenaries."

So the first time I needed to stay home due to a pre-school closing, I popped an email off to the new guy and actually gave more detail than he had indicated he needed, because that's what I'm used to from former work places.  I explained how many hours I'd be working extra each day this week from home and specifically what I would be working on (almost in detail) in order to make up for the time I'd be home.  An hour later I got an email back stating, "Oh I totally understand your need to work from home.  Can you please tell me specifically the hours you are working and the specific outcomes of your work for each time frame.  Thanks!"

What?

21st Century Office?

Am I complaining?  Not really.  I do wonder if the five emails from coworkers the previous week stating "Working from home tomorrow, see you later!" (Literally) were met with the same request for more specific details, or if it was the fact that I PROVIDED details that made me subject to more specific questioning.

Anyway, it's just an interesting thought.  I've worked in several places where working from home is possible, and put out there as an option, but then the manager can't really let go of the need to minutely micro-manage, instead of just allowing the work to be done.  And I understand that some people just can't work from home.  I'm not one of those people.  While I can work from home, and am actually much more productive when I do, I prefer to come in to an office.  I just feel like most managers would rather see you sitting at a desk for 8 hours, even if you're not really doing anything, than know that you were at home, and took only 2 hours to complete the work that others would have taken a week to do.  Most managers still want the TIME more than they really want the productivity.

My two cents.  Thoughts?