Works Well with Others
By Amit Asaravala
Listen to me. This company is falling behind. And here's what you must do about it:
Invest in technology. Not in the stock market but in your own office. Get the extra bandwidth. Give me a computer that works. Give me a computer that's fast. Give me a computer that's portable.
Make sure my software is paid for. Let me pick my own software. Do not force your "groupware solution" on me. It doesn't work. "Proprietary" doesn't work. I need standards. I need protocols that work together. I need applications that work with other applications. I can multitask if I have the right tools. Buy me these tools. Spend the money.
Help me get around the old restrictions. Help me dig a tunnel through the firewall. Let me access video streams. Let me listen to live audio through decent-quality headphones so I don't disturb my coworkers. Let me install ICQ and Gnutella. Let me access the files in everyone's working directories. And let me share the files on my computer. Help me find and use the information I need to do my job.
Understand the technology. Do not refer to your computer as a "stupid machine." Do not refer to the Internet as a toy—it's a business tool, it's a communications tool. Help me use it.
The Wanderer
Let me leave. Let me get out of the office. Let me work from home, or from the coffee shop, or from the next cubicle, even. Let me work wherever I want. My laptop doesn't need to remain chained to my desk all the time. I don't need to remain chained to my desk all the time.<>
