So I have a 9-5 that pays the bills. While I've been trying to get a little extra something out of Otto Von, I think I've pretty much resigned myself to be a "hobby game developer". Which is fine and, while not what I would "love" to do, it's definitely something that I can hold onto as my own. I'm still not any closer to actually getting another app in the App Store. But that's not really the point of this post. The point is to highlight something that our corporate culture continues to cling to in spite of our "progress".
One of the things about people who work in technology or other "thought" industries (rather than "do" industries) is that they tend to work when they're not in the office. I often use the "background processing" in my brain to work on hard problems while I'm not actively thinking about them. My brain tends to sort out those problems with large variable sets well when I look at the problem, realize it's too big and/or complex to solve in one sitting, and then let my brain do this (several studies have shown that our subconscious is really good at doing). What this means is that even though you're not actively working on a problem at work, sometimes you're still working on a problem. But that's also not really the point of this post. The point is that company culture still sometimes dictates that if people aren't present at their desks they're not actively working.
I've seen this kind of perception several times in several different settings. What it amounts to is that if you can't be seen at your desk (whether you're actually working or not), you're not working. I know a lot of colleagues who have expressed that they are far more productive outside the office - they start earlier, they end later, and they have far fewer interruptions. Even in organizations trying to "be agile", this kind of perception tends to persist. I believe it's more firmly entrenched at large companies than small ones. Regardless of why, these kinds of perceptions can seriously damage someone's reputation while having absolutely no basis in reality. This point was driven home during a conversation with my manager. He made mention that "no one knows where you are", which was pretty disingenuous. What he meant was that I wasn't at my desk with my team and some of my team didn't know where I was. In point of fact, I was sitting just a dozen yards from my desk - closer to one of the teams I support because they needed it. And despite the fact that I was still available through phone, email, IM, or text, "no one knew where I was". *facepalm*
What's the issue? The issue is that perception is NOT reality and it's up to leaders to cut through that and not perpetuate it. A true leader will help his/her team be as successful as they can be. If that means that someone works from home once a week or sits somewhere else for a while, they should be supportive, not critical of that. While we pay lip service to the "perception is reality" line, we should actually be outraged that we allow rumor and supposition rule the workplace. Nothing kills collaboration, trust, and communication like gossip. Leaders/managers should be the first to tackle the problem. But because we're used to "managers" who have no leadership skills, we do what we can on OUR side to "manage perceptions". Is it fair? No. It is right? No. Then why we do allow it to continue?Anyone who wants to be described as a leader should be willing to tackle these things head-on. It's just sad that we have so few leaders.
