What magical tool will they use to trace a made up throw away email sent from a public computer back to me personally?
Perhaps, but I’m also finding lots of studies (linked above) to the contrary. I don’t really need a study to tell me what he’s asking is a silly idea that will just piss people off.
This is actually a common problem. I’ve dealt with it twice in H/R. The problem is people will have literally HUNDREDS of photos. I’m not kidding.
Both times we’ve dealt with this we decided TWO pictures per desk. And they HAVE to be in frames. This ended the problem immediately and worked out great.
There is nothing that looks worse than a messy desk or cubicle cluttered with pictures, sayings, cut outs of “Dilbert” comics.
I am sure if you google hard enough you’ll find some study backing the OP point. But I disagree, what about all the jobs where you don’t have any desk to put a picture on. They get along just fine.
You’re there to work not to look at photos. If you must have photos keep them on your cell phone.
In today’s economy with everyone desperate for a job you don’t want to be looking, trust me. There are lots of things in life to get upset about, this isn’t one of them.
Keep your desk clean and keep your pictures on your cell phone or upload them to Flikr or imageshack or whatever. You can look at them like that.
You shall get busted. The thing to do, is find out who does the local ‘personal interest’ stories in the papers, alt. papers, and tv news broadcasts. Email the junk to them anonymously. I would think that the ‘don’t complain’ edict would somehow be just as much of a story as the other. If they don’t do anything about it, then you shouldn’t.
At work, please tell everybody that can hear you that you are glad that the CEO finally did something about all the junk that has been collecting over the years, and now you can finally get some work done!
Best wishes,
hh
If you merely send studies written by others, probably none.
If you include a screed of your own composition decrying the new policy, others may be able to recognize your writing style.
But in either case, the offended party may be vexed enough to start a witch-hunt. If you’ve complained a lot, one of your buddies may rat you out. If not, they may rat out an innocent person. If you’re in an at-will state, the rattee may end up at the unemployment office.
Unlikely? Probably. But why take chances? Open a Pit thread and tell your boss to fuck himself or herself.
Look, we realize you weren’t really looking for counsel as to whether you should do this. But you may wish to take note that virtually every respondent thinks what you’re planning is ill-thought.
Ah, so you’re the busybody tut-tutting everyone’s personal work spaces.
I can believe you’re not kidding. What I don’t believe is that it’s a problem.
What’s ironic is that your perception of a “problem” and your corporate-drone “solution” are worthy of depiction in a “Dilbert” strip. What a freaking joke.
Why not create a montage of your favorite photos and install it as your desktop background? Pictures to look at, and no frames to clutter the desk.
Agreed Mark, too many pictures can be a problem. I like the idea of limiting them or maybe just dealing with the individuals who are abusing the rule. I don’t agree with a blanket ban. I also really don’t like the idea of companies using the crappy economy as an excuse to enact unpopular rules because they know you’ll just have to sit there and take it. I’m not saying having pictures are some kind of necessary component to a successful career, I’m saying if I want to have some tasteful pictures of my family on my desk it shouldn’t be an issue. As you say, there are a lot of things in life to get upset about and pictures of my family on my desk isn’t one of them.
How would I be busted? I’m genuinely curious why so many people think that. Have I made a fatal error somewhere?
Also against company policy
My mother-in-law worked for a company in the mid-90s that was taken over by a Japanese firm. They instituted some sort of anti-clutter rule. The employees were given a week to arrange their desk the way they wanted it to be, down to the placement of the stapler, pen-holders, etc. Management then took pictures of each person’s desk and made periodic spot-checks. If the desk was not in the proper arrangement, the person got written up.
I worked in a place once where they dictated that people could not have potted plants above their cubicle walls (the plants would be placed on top of the tiny bookshelf). Most people didn’t like it, and took their plants home. The cubicles were very tiny and there was no room for anything like a potted plant.
However, one guy would put his motorcycle helmet on the bookshelf, because it was the only place it would fit. Eventually, enough of a fuss was raised that the potted plants were allowed back in.
This boss would have a heart attack if he ventured into my building. One person has a huge movie poster on the wall, and everyone has TONS of clutter (pet pictures, random animal pictures, kid pictures, political stickers, calendars, bags of chips). My space is the cleanest and I have three plants, a fan, a calendar and a radio.
On topic: Personally I wouldn’t send the email. Print out the article and leave it in the copy room bulletin board or something.
Hmm, I would think physically leaving evidence inside the building would be riskier than sending an anonymous email, especially with cameras around.
They had them on each wing of Strangeways Prison when I first encountered them. I guess they didn’t want us to feel too alienated from the prison regime.
You’ve made your e-mail address viewable in your profile. I realize that is probably not your work e-mail address, but would anyone from work recognize you from that e-mail address?
If this is such a “common problem”, are you able to actually describe what the “problem” is? Hundreds of photos? Who really cares? Why would you care?
I would love to see the scientific studies that you must already be aware of that show this is a productivity and creativity problem. You do have them, right?
What “problem” did it end? The “problem” of having more than TWO pictures per desk?
But your opinion of the “looks” isn’t really the issue. Is it? If so, why is your opinion of the “looks” a competitive advantage to the company over the person that thinks the opposite? Do you have any data to backup your position?
I don’t have any data because I’ve never looked into it, but my gut tells me that everyone has different styles and actual productivity and creativity is a better measure of productivity and creativity than measuring it by the number of pictures on the wall of your cubicle.
Because this is GQ, I will just say that I am sometimes surprised by what other people think.
Just digg it, really the best method is simply to ignore the directive and create an office revolt. Diciplinary measures work best when people are cowed into meekly accepting the new diktats without a fight.
5S is great if your some robot, and even better if you work at either Toyota or Honda that have their operations setup so that they can garuntee that space will not be filled or that broom closet will have x amount of brooms and a pre set of instructions for every line operator to do.
Other places , you get as good as or indifferent results based on the 5S program. Just like the 90’s when idiot CEO’s got a hard on for IS0 9001. Was there some stranger running around recently doing effiency studies by any chance ?
Either ignore the diktat and dare them to do something , or else wimp out and leave a turd on the dudes desk, I’d concur that the whinemail is going to be anticipated and wont do anything to resolve your new company world order.
Declan
It’s amazing how often management will feel that people posting Dilbert strips in the workplace is a problem and devote considerable effort to “solving” it. But these same managment figures never spend a second wondering what the workplace conditions were that motivated people to post Dilbert strips.
Well gosh, that’s a mature response to the issue. Sometimes I really see why some managers and higher ups have to treat employees like children.
Instead of sending an email, set yourself on fire in protest. One will be as effective as the other.