I have just received an email which states that as there has been complaints concerning staff from non software departments (like engineering, production etc) , that hours of free speech (asking collegaues for support or information, all work related) will now be only be between 1100 and 1600 for a trial period between now and Christmas. This does not include meetings and planned appointments.

Clearly they need a forum.

BigD

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So they have decreed no interaction outside those times?

That is my reading of the situation. It is the most stupid idea I have ever heard. The reasoning is that it will allow the people involved to concentrate and get some work done. In a company whose problems are associated with walls, defensiveness and lack of communication, it is a step backward.

BigD

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Speaking from the other side, it is a perpetual problem with IT. Once someone thinks they know a guy in the IT dept., you can get hassled all the time as a way of bypassing the normal procedures.

Shutting down all discussion is probably not the way to do it though, I usualy enforce it by refusing to do anything until a ticket has been properly submitted. It may make me sound like a jobsworth, but otherwise I have a constant stream of people all demanding their work is top priority and interupting me whenever they feel like it. It does break concentration and can be a real pain in the ass.

We have no such rules but this did come up during our recent (disastrous) 'team building' exercise - it seems some people have difficulty concentrating in our open plan office.
We now have rules which state how many people can discuss something at someone's desk (no more than 2), and for how long (no longer than 10 mins), before a proper meeting room should be used........*sigh*

In the case of our IT support department, it's all via a ticket system now, which works well.

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With IT support , it is understandable. I am talking about an environment in which many technical projects coexist and communication both for compatibility and knowledge reuse is vital.

The visitor should basically ask if it is ok if it is anything other than a short request, and respect the rights of the other to decline the discussion until a time more convenient. People that don't do this should be "guided" by their manager.

BigD

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Good grief, that concept is so alien to me, in a previous life I worked as a nurse so had constant interaction with other people. On the other hand, I can understand, up to a point the reasoning behind this.

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I misread the times. The time for "free" fraternisation is 1100-1400. Which means than as lunches are flexible, your chances of having any meaningful discussion during this period are slim unless you both want to postpone lunch, which given the cause of all this, it is unlikely...

BigD*

* I'm here until Tuesday: available for Barmitzvahs and matinee performances between hours of 0800-1800 or other times by appointment.

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What I did at one time was to stick a notice on the office door with my "Surgery Hours". This was when I was supporting an IT development team with a new (to them) technology so the interruptions were constant.

Agreed. On a time critical project a few years ago my boss actively intervened to reduce interruptions. He was pretty good as a boss, in spite of the fact that the position had been forced on him. Does the same apply to bosses as politicians, I wonder (no one who wants to be politician should be allowed to be one)?

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...and, if I may ask, how is the free speech experiment going? Do your software colleagues feel more productive......? Just reminded about this after handling 3 skype and 1 gmail chat at the same while trying to check my mail...

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