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Discussion on: How to Flow Into the Zone

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jfrankcarr profile image
Frank Carr

Good ideas, but, then again, you have this scene from corporate cubicle hell...

Your boss' boss (non-programmer, of course) walks around the corner to ask if you have received his (yes, it's almost always a he) latest email. He gets upset that you don't immediately acknowledge him because you have on your noise canceling headphones. He then complains about you to your boss so you get a sternly worded HR approved memo scolding you and this incident gets mentioned as a negative on your next performance review. Plus, uber-boss decrees that headphones cannot be worn in the office because they are a "distraction from the conduct of our business".

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_patrickgod profile image
Patrick God

This sounds terrible! I really hope these kinds of environments disappear and all those supervisors of that kind will learn that headphones are the opposite of a distraction.

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jfrankcarr profile image
Frank Carr

The problem is that many non-tech corporations want the benefits of better technology, especially in areas like web/cloud services, but have little idea on how to achieve it. They tend to stick with what they know, usually something like a blend of autocracy and seagull management. They'll tend to treat outside consultants like gods and their tech employees like garbage.

That, unfortunately, is what it's like for many of us who work in "old school" corporations. Sometimes you can get little pockets where people understand but, sooner or later, a seagull is going to fly in and poop all over everything.