Is it unprofessional to leave Post-it notes on the monitor of people who you need to get ahold of at work?
In my specific situation:
Leaving a note is sometimes ok. However it is rude if:
Make sure you include information in the note that is not in the emails. Do not write the note in advance and set out to deliver it. Go to their office or desk, and if they're not there, leave a note that says:
Sorry I missed you, came to discuss Johnson reports. I need your help to make the deadline. Can we talk at 3?
They need to know why you need an answer and when, and you need to give them an action item. That would be true of emails too but it's all the more true with such a constrained communication device as a post-it.
If you really need an answer, I would risk being rude. Later if the person says it was rude, you can ask what would be better - not angrily, like "what the heck do you expect me to do?" but patiently, like "how can I let you know when I really need you during a busy day?"
As an alternative to leaving a note, consider sending a meeting request. I blogged about someone else's blog about makers schedule and manager's schedule, and I think it's relevant here.
The appropriateness depends on the situtation and the person and how often you do it. Clearly some people are bothered by them and if I knwe someone did not like Post-it notes, I wouldn't put them on his monitor unless I had no other choice.
Personally I think a post it should be reserved for a situtation where you need an answer as soon as someone else gets out of a meeting and you don't want it lost in a sea of emails and phone messages. I will leave these for my boss when I know he is going from one meeting to another, so he knows that I need to urgently talk to him as soon as he can spare 5 minutes. I don't leave them for unimportant things or just for information unless the info is something he specifically asked for and I am positive he won't want to search through a bunch of emails to find it. I will usually send an email followup to these types of post-it notes so there is a record of the answer as well.
Another time to avoid the Post-it note is when you are the boss and you come in earlier than your reports (or stay later) and leave a lot of new tasks for them to do in the form of post it notes on their monitor. I had a boss like this who left me no less than 6 of these a day. Being faced with a bunch of new tasking before you have even sat down is beyond annoying.
I also will leave Post-it notes to myself about something I want to be reminded to do. Things like take the "take the salad home" or "Password changed" when I had to change the password just before going on vacation. Under no circumstances put a password on a Post-it note.
For very busy people it is usually necessary to book their time.
Consider inviting to a physical meeting just the two of you in your company calendar. This is usually much more visible than the arbitrary email, and you have the option of inviting your boss(ses) if it is very important.
This escalates it slightly and may be enough to get the attention you need.
I think so. I normally leave a message like "I'm looking for you", or if I'm in close relation send a text message with more information.
Some people are just hard to find (valuable resource in the company :-)), leaving them some kind of a message would allow them to prioritize the things they need to do in between meetings, or even tell you someone else can help.
Post-its on peoples work spaces are unprofessional.
A Post-it requires someone to physically be there to read it and technically anybody can read its contents. Professionally you should be using email, phone, arranging a convenient time or asking others when the best time to get hold of them is.
The reason for an unanswered communication is the issue which should be addressed.
Using an antiquated method like Post-it notes is not really appropriate in the digital age. Its a bit like fax machines in that respect.
Anecdote: A former colleague used to leave Post-its for missed calls, this then lead to missing information such as: when did the call come in, who took the call or the person not getting the notification until they were back in the office. Emailing the missed call cured those issues.
