Face time made perfect sense when people were required to work in "boxes" of factories, offices and schools to do their jobs. But today, information technology has given rise to the "knowledge worker" who applies his or her intellect to produce results at anytime from almost anywhere.
But common sense is not always common practice; especially when employers expect to receive 24/7 employee access while encouraging these same employees into staying at the office from sunup to sundown. Face-time addicts who fixate on in-the-office work hours will drive the most productive knowledge workers away. Knowledge workers don't leave companies, they leave poor managers.
In medicine, we look at how "well tolerated" a drug will be related to its side effects. At work and at home, many people evaluate new opportunities related to what can be well tolerated. Yet after life, most people don't want their tombstone to read, "He tolerated stuff for other people because they paid him." Especially, when we realize that we can make more money and have more fun doing work that engages our passions. Life is too short for doing work you don't enjoy for people you don't respect.
If face-time addiction is part of the culture where you work, recognize that you get what you tolerate. To learn how to stop tolerating stuff, go to: www.LifeSignature.com
John G. Agno, certified executive & business coach, www.CoachedtoSuccess.com
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