Friday, May 30, 2008
Standards to improve performance
As part of ABG's Quality Assurance initiative, I'm working with Mary Ann to develop standards for the Key Quality Indicators that have been developed for project work. Basically, they're like Standard Operating Procedures (our friends, the SOPs) that help guide people through every step of the project process. They cover pre-work, design, development, delivery and post-work. Right now I'm working on the development portion of the standards. Mary Ann sugeested a great idea when we were reviewing the first one: bringing this up during the Writers meetings. Since we have moved a majority of our activities online, I thought I would bring it here. I have created a Wiki for us to use to review. You can view the template here. You may view the page without registering, but to make edits or add comments you will need to register. Let me know if you have any questions! I will figure out a way to post individual standards in a more secure format. Thanks for your thoughts & feedback. Have a great weekend!
Sven's Crotchety Birthday
So as many of you know, today is Chelsea's big 2-4. As we have all experienced today, she has become a crotchety old woman...or maybe shes just nervous to be joining us old ones in the upper ranks of the 20s.
FYI-Look out for those bumper cars!
PS-we've got cake.
SO in an ABG related note, today I learned how to put in 3 master templates into a ppt...if you ever need to know, give me a holla.
FYI-Look out for those bumper cars!
PS-we've got cake.
SO in an ABG related note, today I learned how to put in 3 master templates into a ppt...if you ever need to know, give me a holla.
Thursday, May 22, 2008
A Reminder and A Question
I just want to remind everyone that when using the conference rooms, please book them in advance. It's hard at times to find an open conference room. So when you find one that has the time that you want, book it. Not that this has been a problem between us writers, but it has been with others at ABG. So to keep us from being "those people" remember to book ahead.
Next item of business...... I have a question about how to deal with a noisy cube neighbor.... Is it rude to ask someone to turn down their music when they are wearing headphones? There are a few people that listen to their headphones - which is great - but they still keep their music loud enough for me to hear the lyrics to the song......What are your opinions on how I should go about handling this? Should I just ignore it and get some good headphones of my own?
Thanks everyone for letting me vent!!!!
Next item of business...... I have a question about how to deal with a noisy cube neighbor.... Is it rude to ask someone to turn down their music when they are wearing headphones? There are a few people that listen to their headphones - which is great - but they still keep their music loud enough for me to hear the lyrics to the song......What are your opinions on how I should go about handling this? Should I just ignore it and get some good headphones of my own?
Thanks everyone for letting me vent!!!!
Thursday, May 8, 2008
Cube Etiquette
So, even though the noise today is coming from the BDM's in the Indiana conference room and I'd really like to be sharing these tips with them, here's a few etiquette reminders I had passed along for me. Maybe they'll help to keep Cubeville a tranquil and productive place--(HAHA!):
If your work area is a cube, you can likely hear your next-door neighbour lie to his creditors, tell his wife that he's working late and close and important deal. Here are a few strategies to help you survive life in this goldfish bowl:
Speak softly.
Be aware that your voice projects. A loud voice makes working conditions difficult for your co-workers. It’s distracting and makes concentrating on the task at hand very difficult, and should they also be engaged in a telephone discussion may very well overwhelm the voice in their telephone.
Do not use a speaker phone
This would make things even worse, because the person next door is not only distracted by your voice, but your party’s voice, too.
Confidential matters
Do not discuss confidential matters in your cubicle. Cubicles offer very little privacy, so you should not discuss confidential matters there. Your board room is an excellent place to hold meetings where confidential information will be exchanged. If you need to discuss the issue on the telephone, find out if you can borrow a phone in someone else’s office to conduct this discussion.
Keep your personal cellular phone off.
You are on the phone, and engaged in a long but hopefully profitable consultation with a client. Your cellular phone starts ringing. Because you are engaged, it will take longer for you to answer the call. In the meantime your phone will create more noise and distract other employees.
Take your cellular phone to lunch.
When you go to lunch, take your cellular phone with you. This is to ensure that should your phone ring, you are at hand to answer it. Leaving it behind is unfair, especially if it’s on, as the noise may prove distracting. Also, a cellular phone is very valuable, and you should not leave it lying about. It is your responsibility to look after it, not pass the buck to your neighbor.
Turn your answering machine on.
When you leave your desk, set your answering machine on. Your neighbor should not have to field your calls, or try to work while your telephone rings constantly, unattended.
Keep your personal calls to a minimum.
It’s best if your receive personal calls at lunch or during your breaks, and no more. Your private life is your own, and you should not inflict it on your neighbors.
Do not interrupt someone who is on the telephone.
You should refrain from using sign language to interrupt someone who is on the phone. It is better that you wait until the call is finished, before you approach the person and tell them whatever it is that you’d like to discuss.
Use your conference room for meetings.
Space is at premium in open plan office arrangement, so it’s best that you meet your clients at a conference room, rather than at your desk. First of all, you want your client to be bale to relax, and to have the opportunity to provide them with excellent service without interruptions from your phone, colleagues or the activities taking place around you. Also, your neighbor is in fact, in her office, and should have the privacy to conduct business without worrying about a non-employee listening in on what she says.
Do not use screen savers which make noise.
One man’s music is another man’s noise, so it’s very important that you allow others to work in a quiet area.
Interruptions:
The cubicle next to yours is someone else’s office. Would you barge into a colleague’s office without knocking and being told to come in? The cubicle is your colleague’s office space, so respect it. Respect other people’s space when they look busy. When your colleague looks busy, pretend that the office door is closed, and they are in a meeting with the company president. So there should be no interruptions until you pick up the signal that they may be wiling to talk. On the other hand, don’t make eye contact with someone when you don't want to be interrupted.
Hear no evil.
Should you happen to overhear private or confidential conversations, pretend that you never heard it all. More importantly, don’t repeat what you heard to others.
Be careful of the impression you make.
Your cubicle gives your colleagues and people around you an impression of the person you are. Recognize that, and make sure that it does present a good impression. That means that it should be keep tidy and clean, with documents filed in their proper places.
If your work area is a cube, you can likely hear your next-door neighbour lie to his creditors, tell his wife that he's working late and close and important deal. Here are a few strategies to help you survive life in this goldfish bowl:
Speak softly.
Be aware that your voice projects. A loud voice makes working conditions difficult for your co-workers. It’s distracting and makes concentrating on the task at hand very difficult, and should they also be engaged in a telephone discussion may very well overwhelm the voice in their telephone.
Do not use a speaker phone
This would make things even worse, because the person next door is not only distracted by your voice, but your party’s voice, too.
Confidential matters
Do not discuss confidential matters in your cubicle. Cubicles offer very little privacy, so you should not discuss confidential matters there. Your board room is an excellent place to hold meetings where confidential information will be exchanged. If you need to discuss the issue on the telephone, find out if you can borrow a phone in someone else’s office to conduct this discussion.
Keep your personal cellular phone off.
You are on the phone, and engaged in a long but hopefully profitable consultation with a client. Your cellular phone starts ringing. Because you are engaged, it will take longer for you to answer the call. In the meantime your phone will create more noise and distract other employees.
Take your cellular phone to lunch.
When you go to lunch, take your cellular phone with you. This is to ensure that should your phone ring, you are at hand to answer it. Leaving it behind is unfair, especially if it’s on, as the noise may prove distracting. Also, a cellular phone is very valuable, and you should not leave it lying about. It is your responsibility to look after it, not pass the buck to your neighbor.
Turn your answering machine on.
When you leave your desk, set your answering machine on. Your neighbor should not have to field your calls, or try to work while your telephone rings constantly, unattended.
Keep your personal calls to a minimum.
It’s best if your receive personal calls at lunch or during your breaks, and no more. Your private life is your own, and you should not inflict it on your neighbors.
Do not interrupt someone who is on the telephone.
You should refrain from using sign language to interrupt someone who is on the phone. It is better that you wait until the call is finished, before you approach the person and tell them whatever it is that you’d like to discuss.
Use your conference room for meetings.
Space is at premium in open plan office arrangement, so it’s best that you meet your clients at a conference room, rather than at your desk. First of all, you want your client to be bale to relax, and to have the opportunity to provide them with excellent service without interruptions from your phone, colleagues or the activities taking place around you. Also, your neighbor is in fact, in her office, and should have the privacy to conduct business without worrying about a non-employee listening in on what she says.
Do not use screen savers which make noise.
One man’s music is another man’s noise, so it’s very important that you allow others to work in a quiet area.
Interruptions:
The cubicle next to yours is someone else’s office. Would you barge into a colleague’s office without knocking and being told to come in? The cubicle is your colleague’s office space, so respect it. Respect other people’s space when they look busy. When your colleague looks busy, pretend that the office door is closed, and they are in a meeting with the company president. So there should be no interruptions until you pick up the signal that they may be wiling to talk. On the other hand, don’t make eye contact with someone when you don't want to be interrupted.
Hear no evil.
Should you happen to overhear private or confidential conversations, pretend that you never heard it all. More importantly, don’t repeat what you heard to others.
Be careful of the impression you make.
Your cubicle gives your colleagues and people around you an impression of the person you are. Recognize that, and make sure that it does present a good impression. That means that it should be keep tidy and clean, with documents filed in their proper places.
Wednesday, May 7, 2008
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