Questions about the ability to get work done in an efficient manner
5
votes
5answers
321 views
I'm not getting enough work assigned from my supervisor. Should I try to find more work or leave the company?
I recently (6 months ago) got my first job as a Software Developer (before I spent 2.5 years as tech support with some programming/software support). About 20% of the time I don't have any work to do. ...
6
votes
2answers
283 views
How do I ask for a longer break from my job?
I have a 5 days working schedule (and on the weekends I do work for personal growth). My schedule is literally so hectic that sometimes I feel I need a long vacation (at least 15-20 days). With such a ...
2
votes
4answers
496 views
How to not let co-worker's incompetence affect my productivity
How can I not let a co-worker's incompetence and sloppy work ethic affect how I treat him? He's a generally very nice guy who can't seem to adequately learn our business nor our product to be ...
15
votes
8answers
1k views
How to keep busy during slow times, without looking like I have nothing to do?
I do a lot of tech support work and sometimes I find myself waiting on people or generally going through a slow time. I get a phone call something like once a week. I mainly setup virtual machines and ...
2
votes
2answers
92 views
Should I know what work/tasks/projects are next?
I've recently started working at a software development company where the style seems quite different to my previous experiences. Mainly, the work comes infrequently and after I finish it, I don't ...
-4
votes
1answer
89 views
How can I get my workers more committed to their tasks? [closed]
I feel that not all workers are fully committed to their tasks.
I would like to see them ask more questions, make sure their work is done on the best side, make sure deadlines are met, and generally ...
10
votes
5answers
286 views
How to transition back to productive work quickly after long meetings?
So here's the deal and I 'm sure many can relate because I've had people say "yep, that's me too.". I will have a single meeting or string of meetings chained together that span say 2-3 hours with no ...
15
votes
5answers
658 views
Is okay to spend time learning at work?
New (6 months) junior software developer in a .net shop.
Haven't finished college yet.
Only briefly touched on .net during the degree (Java degree).
There are many parts of the .net framework ...
5
votes
4answers
392 views
Changing the culture of overtime to efficiency
I work at a very young start-up company. We have had turn-over rates (mass resignation of staff, thrice) in the past but changes in the system have led to a more a stable employee retention and better ...
10
votes
7answers
317 views
How do I ask to do work outside my job description?
I was just hired in a junior position. My company employs about 120 people. However, I have very little work to do. It might just be because we're between projects, but I get the impression that this ...
4
votes
3answers
199 views
Workplace vs Home Productivity
I don't find my workplace to be a suitable place to being productive. Of course this is my opinion, other fellows doesn't seem to complain about this.
We're about seven people in the same office, so ...
16
votes
2answers
419 views
What are the points to keep in mind while facing an interview though Skype (video conferencing)?
After a telephonic interview for a job with a IT company, the company wants to have a conversation via Skype through video chat for the next round. I am totally new to this type of interview procedure ...
0
votes
3answers
432 views
How can I convince employees to solve their own IT problems? [closed]
My job scope includes providing desktop support to office staff, but that is not the only purpose I am hired for. I am primarily a programmer.
I have been practicing IT for years and my philosophy in ...
5
votes
2answers
264 views
How can I enhance my skills when my current job is not providing much scope? [closed]
I have more than 3 years of experience in IT.
Sometimes I personally feel that I lack proper guidance as my surroundings are not providing me that much exposure and most of the professional people ...
6
votes
4answers
585 views
What's a standard productive vs total office hours ratio?
So it goes like this: we are keeping track of tasks using Redmine. We log time spent doing tasks, but at the end of the week if we add up all the time spent at those tasks there is no way a person has ...
6
votes
4answers
342 views
How to over come the difficulty to communicate my thoughts or ideas or facts spontaneously?
I have a difficulty to give a right shape of speech to my thoughts or ideas or information that I know in order to express it well.
Most of the times when I compose any email, I feel very difficult ...
10
votes
5answers
526 views
Effects of automated time tracking/monitoring
Our company wants to set up an automated time tracking/monitoring system. It will monitor every software developers' workstation and make statistics about their computer usage:
which program the ...
16
votes
5answers
371 views
How can I be productive at unproductive meetings?
I work for a manager that is very fond of meetings. The problem is, however, that more than half of these meetings are both unnecessary and wasteful.
For example, we have a regularly scheduled ...
2
votes
3answers
118 views
Specific strategies for maintaining confidence and competence when thrown into a more complex domain?
Preface:
Seeing many hints of this question buried within other questions here and have experienced it myself.
Scenario:
For example, take employee X and the different technical domain levels of ...
10
votes
6answers
384 views
What steps can I take to ensure my company gets maximum productivity out of a software consultant?
I am the lead developer on a software project for which we are temporarily bringing on an additional developer hired through a recruiting agency. He will be working for us for about 6 months, and I ...
-2
votes
1answer
147 views
A Programmer Trying to Collaborate with a Designer [closed]
I have a small team (just me and a designer), where I am the programmer and project manager, and the designer just does what I need him to do.
This is my second time working in this "setup", and I ...
-3
votes
2answers
179 views
Excessive Free Time at Intership [duplicate]
Possible Duplicate:
How do you say you are bored and need work to do?
When I say excessive I mean 4 hours or more, sometimes the whole 8 hour day. What should I do during this time? I read ...
8
votes
2answers
292 views
Pitching for time for personal projects at work
Does anyone have any information how companies deal with personal projects at work?
I have noticed an increase in companies offering a small percentage of time toward personal projects at work ...
14
votes
4answers
1k views
Purpose of cc to self
I noticed that some people inculde themselves in "cc" when they send out an email. What is the reason for this? A quick search on google showed that several people want to learn how to be able to do ...
3
votes
3answers
289 views
How do I avoid discussing government politics at work? [closed]
The U.S.A. just witnessed its first debate of the 2012 presidential election.
Invariably, workers all over the country will be eager to discuss what they saw on television.
But this begs a larger ...
8
votes
5answers
578 views
How do you say you are bored and need work to do?
I started working in my current job as a contractor last week and was given an assignment which I completed at the end of the first week. My 2nd week is now into its 2nd day without any ...
8
votes
2answers
352 views
Manager who insists on too many calls/meetings [duplicate]
Possible Duplicate:
What is the appropriate way to deal with “meeting overload?”
My colleague is placed with a problem with reporting manager.
The manager wants to spend too ...
6
votes
3answers
225 views
Dealing with high visibility into productivity
I am using a mechanism that tracks throughput (so that we can estimate tasks acurately for each individual on projects). Having this data could cause issues (i.e. with people motivated to make the ...
8
votes
2answers
590 views
What are the benefits of multicultural diversity in the work environment?
What's the impact of multicultural diversity in the workplace (i.e. having people from different countries working together in startups, corporations, co-working studios, etc) and how does it affect ...
9
votes
4answers
698 views
Should I reimburse my employer for 25 cents worth of personal calls?
I just got a new phone in my office since my cell phone no longer works in my new office.
This month, I called home seven times, at $0.07 per call (<1 minute each, long distance because my wife ...
6
votes
2answers
472 views
How much should I slack off? [closed]
I am a programmer and work 8-hour workdays. I have found it nearly impossible to sit and be concentrated on my work for the whole 8 hours - I do things like hang on Stack Exchange, go for a walk, eat ...
20
votes
12answers
2k views
How can I make sure my remote workers are not slacking off?
I have a company (about 6 programmers, and 14 workers in total). As I am going to expand my company, I am thinking about hiring remote workers for programming jobs and get them to be involved in the ...
12
votes
15answers
838 views
Mental Issues from Lack of Movement - how to Address?
I'm a year into my first career step, working as a software -developer/-architect/-programmer/etc for a company of less than 20 people.
During the past year, I've developed anxiety, depression, rage ...
8
votes
2answers
477 views
How to negotiate working hours before accepting a new job?
I've heard through the grapevine that I'm likely to get a job offer from a company where a friend already works. Probably the most important thing to me is the hours I work. Not how many, but ...
21
votes
4answers
1k views
Should I quit my job because I lack experience?
I'm just 18 years old, so I don't have a lot of experience. I currently work for a company that develops online games for a local casino. My job is to create servers that will support Flash clients. ...
-2
votes
1answer
171 views
getting along with different keyboards [closed]
I have several computers, all of them have different keyboard layouts, at times I have to work with each of them, it bugs me so much every time to switch from one to another:
questions:
do you have ...
3
votes
1answer
605 views
How can I keep my relationship with an unproductive co-worker who makes me do twice the work? [closed]
For the past few months, I have been working with a coworker who, although is smart and hardworking, tends to make me promises which he doesn't live up to. These might be trivial ones like coming ...
11
votes
2answers
364 views
How can I motivate myself to work on projects I don't believe in or care about? [closed]
I am generally pretty good at getting stuff done. In fact that's my reputation. I am very productive as long as I think the project is interesting or think it will do a lot to help our company ...
2
votes
0answers
90 views
My Open Office is not in increasing my productivity, how can I counter this? [duplicate]
Possible Duplicate:
Are there any strategies you can use to remain focused when working in a open plan environment?
We have an open office (no cubical walls) that is intended to increase ...
20
votes
4answers
475 views
Seeing the “real” accomplishments of my work
I'm a junior employee in my field of work (web programming, four years) and so often my day-to-day challenges are usually technical and not so much into the managerial or logistical kind. I'd figure ...
5
votes
2answers
608 views
Optimal office size: cubicles versus small rooms versus open plan? [duplicate]
Possible Duplicate:
Is there evidence to suggest that certain office layouts are better than others for productivity?
Which of these three (and possibly others) are most beneficial to a ...
14
votes
2answers
347 views
How to introduce gamification to your workplace
From Wikipedia:
Gamification is the use of game design techniques, game thinking and game mechanics to enhance non-game contexts. Typically gamification applies to non-game applications and ...
12
votes
2answers
254 views
Productivity level and access to “distracting websites” at work
There have been many mentions about employees wasting a lot of their time at work visiting Facebook, YouTube and other "distracting websites", thus making their productivity suffer. Some companies ...
27
votes
7answers
2k views
How can a company implement a “20% time” program like Google's?
I've read that Google's 20% rule is about encouraging fun and innovation.
How can my company implemented and manage a program like this?
A good answer to this question should also cover these sub ...
5
votes
2answers
193 views
What is the best way to keep up productivity in crisis situations?
In the situation of crisis, as a manager or senior manager level person, but not the top management folk, managing people and indirectly the project becomes difficult.
By crisis I mean when the ...
23
votes
4answers
1k views
Is there evidence to suggest that certain office layouts are better than others for productivity?
Joel Spolsky is pretty famous for advocating private offices for workers, particularly software developers (see here, here or here for example). I've also read that Microsoft generally has private ...
3
votes
6answers
234 views
How can I remain productive in meetings? [closed]
I often have meetings during which I'm only relevant at one time or another. Usually I bring a notepad and doodle or just zone out.
Instead, I'd like to be more productive, while also remaining at ...
18
votes
4answers
450 views
How to avoid or reverse getting “burned out” on a project
I have been with my current employer for about nine months. Due to what I believe are project planning issues that occurred prior to my employment here, the project I joined in-progress, which was ...
