Category: sociology

Do it manually!

On By JohnIn sociology, sysadmin, workLeave a comment

…if you want things inconsistent.

Automation ensures repeatability.

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If you have a manual process, that you want to do manually — because reasons — you may be able to do it somewhat identically 10 or 100 or even 10,000 times. But if that process changes (it will), or you get forgetful (you will), or you make a simple mistake (you will), or die (going to happen), then it’s most certainly not repeatable.

Also, a few words on “reasons” — they’re quite often just excuses and justifications for remaining static.

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Gut the Notifications

On By JohnIn annoying, sociologyLeave a comment

I’ve been saying and insisting for a few years that notifications of all kinds are interruptions.

Turn them off.

You do not need to send out a notification that an automatic process as run automatically.

Turn them off!

You never need to tell someone that an automatic thing has occurred “just in case” they would find it helpful.

Stop interrupting!

Or people will implement their own automation to simply suppress the constant, incessant interruptions.

Assumptions

On By JohnIn education, psychology, sociologyLeave a comment

Don’t assume that somebody else possesses the same knowledge that you do. And never become frustrated when you feel that you’re either talking beyond them, or well-beneath them.

Another person’s knowledge and experience differs.

You will need to find a way to communicate your ideas at a level that they can understand.

This means you’ll need to reduce the concepts significantly…

…or expand your own knowledge to communicate at a differing level than you’re accustomed to.

—

Also, common sense isn’t.

Work + Reality = Entertainment

On By JohnIn amusing, sociology, workLeave a comment

So, we’re approaching tax season here in the USA. The company’s HR team sends out an update to the company via email.

Somebody replies to the sender with an innocent-enough request of, “Hey, my form is incorrect. How can I get it changed?”

The originator replied… and… I readied some popcorn to enjoy the show.

Then all hell broke loose.

People hit Reply-All — hundreds of them — and insisted on being removed from the distro, making snarky remarks and comments about the originator, or about the entirely mundane tax issue. Still more people even hit Reply All and warned everyone to not hit Reply All.

How could it be prevented?

It can’t.

Well, not unless you were to ensure that people sending out company-wide emails obscured all recipient names from each other[1] or we eliminated email[2] or learned how to not fan the flames[3] that would feed trolls[4], or…

Obviously, somebody made a harmless mistake. No blood. No foul. It’s a good lesson, I think: “Ah, right. As we learned 40-ish years ago about email, be careful not to do that.” But for an education company, there are a surprising number of employees who seem rather intent on ignoring the educational opportunity that this has presented.

…like not hitting Reply All then demonstrating to the entire company what an inconsiderate asshole you’ve turned in to.

—

[1] – We work together. We already know your email address.

[2] – and email isn’t going to “go away”.

[3] – there was that one time that a parent yelled at her kids to tell them to stop yelling.

[4] – because the trolls were going to eat their free cookies.