What is Digg?261 Comments
- Iwantawii, on 10/12/2007, -3/+187In other words, allow the geek to love his job instead of dreading work the next day.
The relaxed office schedule is key. I, for one, do not like programming at the crack of dawn. I'm not lazy, and I'm not afraid to work long hours, but my biological clock is tuned differently than the 7am - 4pm world. I will give you 200% performance if you let me work from, say, 10am - 8pm or even later through the night if need be. If you want me to hate working for you, make be be there for a meeting at 7am prompt.
Good article! - Staxx, on 10/12/2007, -2/+77Copy-Pasted
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A Note To Employers: 8 Things Intelligent People, Geeks and Nerds Need To Work Happy
March 12th, 2007 by Nomadishere
There are many reasons to let geeks work the way they want to work. Today they work in every industry. They are the knowledge base, blood and sweat equity of many businesses. They work harder than most. They work longer than most. Their job isn’t a separate “thing they do” while they look forward to going home and relaxing. Geeks *live* what they do. They eat, sleep and breathe it. They are your systems administrators, your IT team, your programmers, your web developers, your designers… and sometimes even your customer service and sales people. Anyone who understands how to leverage todays technology to increase intelligence, productivity and efficiency; anyone who stays up nights working to get better at what they do; anyone whose job is their life - is a geek. These are the most important asset your company has. For this reason, its important to give geeks what they want. Best part is, if you do, they most likely will not leave your company to work for someone who will.
#1. Let them work when they want
Geeks work almost every moment they are awake. They are online before they go to the office. They are home working after the office closes. They work weekends. They are even sometimes working in their dreams. Employers should understand this and more importantly appreciate it. Don’t force geeks to work 8 - 5 if there is no real need other than “company morale.” Meetings are one thing (, so is socializing with coworkers, but a relaxed office schedule will do wonders for the contentment levels of your employed geeks.
#2. Let them work where they want
Geeks prefer to have a couch around to nap on if they are tired. Some like no windows, others want to stare out into a city or landscape. At home, geek’s offices are usually more lived in, more comfortable and enjoyable than anywhere else in the world. This is because they love what they do, and they do it so much of the time they need to be comfortable where they do it.
#3. Let them control their lighting
There is nothing more annoying than working in bright crappy fluorescent lighting if you prefer to work in the dark, or vice versa. Geeks usually have sensitive eyes from staring at CRT monitors for too long. The last thing you want is your geeks to have headaches. Most geeks aren’t very pleasant to work with when they have headaches.
#4. Let them wear headphones
Geeks are experts in the arts of “focus.” Focusing takes removing all unnecessary distractions from your environment and creating a state where nothing else is going on but what they are working on. The harder the problem they are trying to solve or the more creative they have to be, the more they need to focus. Headphones, or simply a lack of ringing phones and talking sales people allow geeks to focus much easier.
#5. Do not expect them to wear a suit
Geeks find arbitrary activities that lack real and meaningful purpose, a waste of time and energy. This includes attire. Most companies today are aware of this and even practice casual dress so as to make everyone more comfortable, but geeks are a special case. “Suits” (the kind of person) usually represent a business man who lacks most things other than a nice smile and great negotiation skills.
#6. Do not make them participate in company events (unless you are sure it is geek-friendly)
Most geeks will not be jumping up and down with joy to attend a company party to celebrate the local football team, unless of course there is beer, and they can hang around and talk to each other about geeky things. Keep this in mind when planning company events. Geeks like to have fun, just not the same kind of fun as your typical non-geek.
#7. Do not hold a lot of arbitrary meetings that could have otherwise been handled through email or IM
This one is important. Like I said, geeks need to focus to be happy and able to focus. Nothing is more of an interruption than someone walking into their space unexpectedly and saying “hey do you have a minute?” The answer is usually going to be a disgruntled “Sure.” The truth is geeks are fine with attending planned meetings (and will happily be there if the meeting is really a necessary one for them to attend in person), but are usually most happy communicating through email and IM. These forms of communication are most appealing to geeks because they do not interrupt you, and polite geeks will even respond with a quick “hold on a sec, I’m in the middle of something.” Email and IM are recorded, searchable records of conversations. They are efficient and to the point. This also makes geeks happy. Geeks can discuss anything through email and IM and will usually be more willing and thorough with their response. Face to face meetings are important, geeks know that, but I would guess that 90% of conversations and meetings held face to face, would be more efficient and end with happier people, if they were held in a recordable, written, virtual space.
#8. Do not make them do anything other than work
This one isn’t completely accurate all the time. Geeks are team players, but they are also easily insulted by being given a task below their level of expertise or outside of the scope of their position. They’ll do it, but they won’t be totally happy. This includes: answering phones, taking out trash, going shopping for company supplies, and “filling in” for a sales person.
I hope this summary helps employers further understand the world of geeks, and how to keep them happy. I also hope this helps other geeks out there approach their employers with a list of what they need to work happy. - grav80bong, on 10/12/2007, -11/+79I hate being complimented on my work; I think it's patronizing. I am there as a paid employee to do a job. Don't verbally compliment me for doing what I'm supposed to do. If you want to compliment me, do it via my paycheck, otherwise they are hollow words.
- newpose, on 10/12/2007, -8/+54As the wife of a geek this list is genius! My poor guy has mentioned every one of these issues at least a million times. If the geek ain't happy, ain't nobody happy. Wait. Let me rephrase... It's more like "If the geek ain't happy, he ain't coming out of his home office after work except for some beer and to pee." Personally, I like my husband and would love more face time with him. If someone starts an "Allow the geek to love his job instead of dreading work the next day" foundation, let me know. I'll be in charge of marketing.
- nicepants, on 10/12/2007, -0/+46The last company I worked for violated EVERY one of those rules:
#1 - Let them work when they want - We were limited to 40 hours, if you were getting close to going over, you were forced to take a 2+hour lunch on friday so that you didn't leave before 4pm.
#2 - Let them work where they want - Just try providing tech support over the phone when someone is shrink wrapping a pallet 10 feet away. Also we had windows next to our desks but were not allowed to open the blinds.
#3. Let them control their lighting - See #2 about blinds. The working area was more like a warehouse with a few cubicles. No lighting control.
#4. Let them wear headphones - Headphones were not allowed, even for programmers, who all had to share a small office with no partitions.
#5. Do not expect them to wear a suit - Business Casual dress was required, but if we had salespeople or customers visiting, we had to wear a company shirt (which we had to buy)
#6. Do not make them participate in company events (unless you are sure it is geek-friendly) - Company events aren't mandatory, unless you want your bonus. Christmas party was $40/person, and if you didn't want to pay/go they considered it an insult.
#7. Do not hold a lot of arbitrary meetings that could have otherwise been handled through email or IM - Weekly meetings pulled every tech off the floor for 1-2 hours, only to tell them they weren't getting enough work done.
#8. Do not make them do anything other than work - Daily cleaning duties for technicians (they didn't hire anyone to clean). Weekly intensive cleaning (1 hour), and twice-yearly all day saturday mandatory cleaning days. - Sithlrd, on 10/12/2007, -0/+44"Work ethic" - circa my father's age and prior: You should get the job done because if you take care of the company, then they'll take care of you.
"Work Ethic" - circa today: You must work 12-18 hours per day 7 days a week without comp-time or overtime, no bonus despite a growing company, no promotions, all the while having your job being backhandedly threatened by seeing and hearing of your co-workers being fired and outsourced just in time for Christmas. - othersomethings, on 10/12/2007, -1/+41I typically work 10-7 or 8, and am so relieved that my boss follows many of these principles.
Don't quite have the meeting one down yet...some weeks are meeting overload central.
And if we don't get a couch in here soon, I will turn into Clobberella and all their carefully laid plans will backfire. - ImYourRealDad, on 10/12/2007, -1/+40Why do people keep assuming everyone on Digg is smart and/or intelligent? Have you read any comments users have posted, EVER?
- quantumHobbit, on 10/12/2007, -2/+369) Compliment geeks on their work. The best way to piss off a geek is to let them think that no one appreciates the 10 extra hours of work and massive brainpower required to complete the task they are given. Sort of like Prima Dona Star Wars fans.
- SilentBobSC, on 10/12/2007, -3/+36@ resplence - "You guys think you're so special. How is that different from "allow the single mom secretary to love her job instead of dreading work the next day"? "
You're obviously a clueless asshat because the single mom secretary:
-CAN'T code a SQL Query to save her life
-WON'T wake up at 2am with an epiphany that will keep your company from having to buy another vendor's *****
-WILL NEVER work for 20hrs straight on a diet of twinkies and Bawls on a weekend because the project can't have any downtime
-HAS NO CLUE why her computer can't connect when she's plugged the phone line into the NIC
Just face it, you should have paid more attention in math and science... Revenge of the Nerds biatch! - CitizenDuck, on 10/12/2007, -2/+30Preparing for Ye Olde Mod Down, but as a geek, and an employer, I feel compelled to list my 1 Thing Geeks and Intelligent People Need to Know About Employers:
1. they sign your paycheck
Seriously, if you don't like the setting you're working in because they don't let you wear headphones or expect you to wear a suit, it's probably not the best place for you. Move on and find a more enlightened work environment. Or better yet (like most geeks I know personally) just work for yourself! - tomarocco, on 10/12/2007, -0/+26d3c0yn4m3l355's articulation just oozes competent leadership. I only wish I could code for him.
- evilTak, on 10/12/2007, -9/+34At any kind of technology-based company, geeks do the work. They *should be* the gods.
Not some ***** sales guy whose job solely consists of filling the clients' ears with buzzwords while taking them to $100/plate dinners. - OmegaNine, on 10/12/2007, -1/+25Yeah, he signs my paycheck, but i get him the money to pay me with.....Sure he can get someone else to do it. But not at the wages he is paying me. :-P
- evilTak, on 10/12/2007, -4/+28Without the geeks, the sales guys would have nothing to sell and nobody to schmooze.
- jsballardx, on 10/12/2007, -6/+29You're a loser.
- Flamekebab, on 10/12/2007, -1/+23I like being complimented on my work.
I guess it depends on the geek! - nomadishere, on 10/12/2007, -7/+29"If you want me to hate working for you, make me be there for a meeting at 7am prompt." - I'm keeping this quote for my records :)
- blinkfink182, on 10/12/2007, -2/+22Did you seriously just mean that? You try coding middleware that connects a FORTRAN system to a C# system. Hardly "monkey work." Jackass.
- Baorc, on 10/12/2007, -1/+21That's not the point, this is how to boost productivity without having to pay more. You have to remember that when speaking of innovation it is in the employer's best interest to stimulate and motivate his employees or else they all just become drones and no one is happy. It is best to hire a small team of highly motivated and stimulated programmers than to hire 50 at the same cost from the other side of the planet.
Nothing should always be black and white. - jgzman, on 10/12/2007, -1/+20Myself, I want to be complemented on my work, but I certainly don't need anything big made out of it. A sincere "well done" or "good job" is all I ask.
- nowayhoseb, on 10/12/2007, -1/+20Guys, i've got a TPS report due in 2 minutes so can someone bitch for me while I'm away. Thanks.
- kylebrothert, on 10/12/2007, -6/+24resplence said: "Why should companies change in order to accommodate you, but not every other member of their workforce?"
Because it lets geeks be more productive, which makes the employer more money. - Cyber_Akuma, on 10/12/2007, -0/+18#9: If your site has something interesting to a geek and Slashdot or Digg manages to catch it, geeks will pour into your site like a waterfall, make sure your servers can handle the flood.
- jimmiss, on 11/02/2007, -2/+20"You guys think you're so special."
Yes, but that's not the point. You have to allow a geek to love their job because they WILL love their job if you let them. You can go ahead and take out ALL the stops for a secretary to love their job, and it's still pretty damn unlikely for that to happen. - blinkfink182, on 10/12/2007, -0/+17I'm not saying that we should be considered special, but what programmers (and other geeks, nerds, whatever) do is a skilled position (unlike management). It takes a certain level of talent to code something that will perform as needed/expected. Are we replaceable? Of course, so are you. Does that mean that what we do isn't difficult? No. Just because our market is saturated doesn't mean that we are dispensable. You can go ahead an fire me and hire Joe Schmoe programmer, but does that mean he'll do as good as I did or anyone else? No. This article is saying take care of the geeks that love their job, do it well and live up to expectations. Managers like you, are well beyond a dime-a-dozen. I took my crack at management, and its not as easy as it sounds to most people. I admire the people that do it well, treat their employees well and can handle playing the political game. I can tell by your two comments that you are NOT one of those people. Welcome to mediocrity d3c0yn4m3l355.
- sysoprock, on 10/12/2007, -2/+19#9: Every two years your entire workforce will disappear for 1-3 days, beginning on a Tuesday. This phenomena is known as "Blizzard fever."
- TriSight, on 10/12/2007, -0/+16I personally enjoy getting compliments as well. What's real fun is when you are dealing with people that think you are a god just because you can show them how to copy a file. Those people are my favorite.
One thing I really like though is when someone is talking to me about a program at work and telling me how much they love it, and then I say "I wrote that" with a big smile. That makes everything worth while. - dafragsta, on 10/12/2007, -4/+20@santiago1
Yeah, guys who work their asses off and possess a rare gift for absorbing information, processing it, and turning it seemingly into magic before the eyes of people who don't get it should be thankful they aren't breaking their backs digging ditches. Some people chose to not learn in school, some people soaked it all up, even if they got bad grades.
Innovation is rewarded, not repetitive manual labor, which we could all do if we had a gun to our heads. I know that just pisses off some people because it shatters that illusion (or reinforces it if you choose to lock in on the wrong words that feed your bitter envy) that geeks think they are better than everyone else. No, geeks aren't better than anyone, but they don't get paid like doctors and lawyers while at the same time producing equally substantial (in some cases more so) work.
Geeks aren't prema donas. They might be ***** coworkers sometimes, but they are also rare talents. The main reason that a lot of coding jobs came back to the US is that most outsourcing work is done by undertrained and apathetic workers who are looking to cash in on a financially solid industry. - Heiios, on 10/12/2007, -1/+17d3c0yn4m3l355:
Does it really matter what time we come and and work? As long as the work is done on time and done well screw it. 9 to 5 isnt necessary for the type of jobs this article is referring to. - 8bit_Hero, on 10/12/2007, -1/+16"now your Grandma runs Ubuntu"
My Grandma doesn't know wtf Ubuntu is. My Grandma doesn't know wtf Windows is. A Computer is just another TV to her. How old is your grandma? - Sithlrd, on 10/12/2007, -2/+17"In other words - let geeks have special treatment. So egotistical. I suppose you think you are more irreplaceable than the sales guys who also have to be at a meeting at 7, but who also have to be out shmoozing clients til all hours of the evening, and who actually bring in money."
Translation: "I don't know what you do, so that means it's not important in the least. My paycheck is a GIFT to you because whateveritisyoudo all day can't possibly be as important as playing golf and drinking beer while selling widgets. Back to work and make my cashflow flow, scum! ::whip cracks::" - cJw314, on 10/12/2007, -0/+14"Seriously, someone paste that bastard. "
Seriously, scroll the fook up. - MusicalGenius, on 10/12/2007, -3/+17I CAN'T BELIEVE THIS CRAP!!
All of you people who are "Stop complaining" ARE FULL OF IT!!
I was written up the other day for being 1 minute late.. ONE!! Is that intelligent or stupid. THINK ABOUT IT!! - Not only that but I have a REALLY hard time with sleep but does my employer care about that? NO! and they never will... Big businesses don't care about people, they care about money and how much of it goes up top. Some of these replies are ridiculous.
8 hours of a day is ridiculous enough as it is. I like to enjoy my life, read Shakespeare, travel, compose music, etc... You think I'm full of it!? Why did my friend have to QUIT to get is WEDDING DAY OFF!!!!??? No no no, This is unacceptable that people can be THIS stupid.. You are morons.
You realize that I had to quit a job to go to Europe for 3 weeks. Oh well find a better job right? Guess what, not EVERYONE'S school was paid for.. when I have to work my way up it takes time and I will do so... but for the time of my life that it will take should it be lived this way? One of you said to buy the company...you do realize that there are few rich and many poor in this world... Not everyone can go around buying companies...
At my place of work people really aren't paid for their hours... I have had jobs before this and every single one has it's problems. I griped about it forever and no one cared. I PROVED that I should have been paid for it and PROVED that it was an error in their system and had people (INCLUDING people higher than myself vouching) and the reply I got was to pipe down cause I shouldn't fight it or worse would happen. What kind of life is this?
No one would survive if it wasn't for the geeks and yet they are treated so badly.
WE ARE WATCHING
YOU WERE A SECOND OFF
YOU DIDN'T FOLLOW PROCEDURE (by one miligram)
YOU MUST WORK MORE TIME TO COMPENSATE
YOU DON'T GET VACATION
YOU WANT A RAISE???
YOU'RE FIRED!!!
Those of you who actually BELIEVE that we are griping... If you can't move an inch without getting yelled at and in danger of loosing your job (which is the means of taking care of those you love and providing for any sort of living style!) than what does that say, you shouldn't complain or your employer represents the grime and corruption this world has??
Think about it. - missflibbles, on 10/12/2007, -0/+14I got a ton of things done the other night at work, I did it on my own initiative, and there were other people who weren't exactly giving it 100%. At the end of the night my boss thanked me for working so hard, which felt good, but I have to admit that it wouldn't feel as good if I wasn't getting some kind of raise every six months. I don't want a big production, but it's nice for someone to recognize that you're doing a good job.
- DivisibleByZero, on 10/12/2007, -2/+16"Do not hold a lot of arbitrary meetings that could have otherwise been handled through email or IM"
I had to schedule a meeting at 9:00AM just so a guy in Bangalore could call in and confirm that there's nothing he has to do for the project. - simpleid, on 10/12/2007, -1/+14Actually, if people as animals are designed by evolution to require a certain amount of sleep to function perfectly, and our function entirely depends on our ability to focus and concentrate on any given task, then the well being of people themselves should be held in highest regard over the delusional 'work ethic' from the industrial revolution. In this modern society, an hour difference in start/end time is absolutely meaningless and should not be held as the strictest of policy. Especially if your workers are better able to perform later in the day.
It's smarter and more efficient even from a business perspective to exploit a persons happiness in order to obtain the best working habits out of your employee's. If you get more work out of your programmers when they are happy, why wouldn't you take advantage of that?
Just because you as an individual have a better tolerance to strict policy, doesn't mean -everyone- else does as well. The world should revolve around the statistical average in specific fields, this would give the most result. ; )
It's wiser to be understanding, than an ignorant jackass calling names. - kaykfrink, on 10/12/2007, -0/+13I'm not going to justify the god complex of geeks, but I do think that in the long run a company is going to have more headaches out sourcing than just putting a comfy chair in a geek's office and letting him work from 10 to 7. Probably the most important aspect of having a programmer create an application for a client is communication (which I think both sides usually fail to realize.) A programmer needs to clearly understand what is desired, which requires close and clear communications between the two parties. At the same time, a programmer has to be able to explain where he is on the project, and what can and can not be done. These two things are pretty difficult to accomplish already, and they will just become an even bigger headache when dealing with somebody who is thousands of miles away and does not natively speak your language.
- simpleid, on 10/12/2007, -3/+15The sales guy has nothing to sell if I don't wrack my brains around the clock for the software you want so badly to sell. What matters more, selling nothing, or having something to sell?
@drewish
I can write my own software and stick it out in a public place, and anyone that wants to make money off of it will come to me. I don't need a sales guy to do ***** or think they have claim over anything. You are obviously a sales person. - fintheman, on 10/12/2007, -1/+12I love how the business world is supposed to change around the schedules of "geeks" because they say so.
I am happy to report, that people who are in IT that HAVE social skills are running out the wankers that can't form a logical conversation.
Warning to you social isolate nerdy WoW playing geeks, there is a new breed of geek coming. This geek understands management, business, how to be professional, how to address people, how to look damn good in a tie/suit. Guess who will get hired? - Sithlrd, on 10/12/2007, -3/+14What kind of a pointy-haired ***** wouldn't let me wear headphones? THOSE people need to seriously get a grip and go back to management school.
- wyrmwood, on 10/12/2007, -0/+11DigDownAble Statement: If I was going to kiss anyone's ass, it would be the salesman... Having attempted to "run my own show" I had quite a sobering experience when I learned about the necessity and difficulty of getting out there and closing sales. Maybe it's just me, but I just plain and simply suck at the job of glad-handing, BIG smile, talk about the weather, always be "on", adapt to the conversation style of your "mark", convince him that he needs your service, talk about money without flinching, and get that signed contract and check.
I didn't miss the point of the article, salesman can be geeks too: "people who LIVE their job" - but I've met some mind blowingly talented salesman who can turn it on or off like a lightbulb, and go home without the slightest interest in work.
As far as the special treatment - man would I LOVE it, but I have to agree with the folks who say "You're not chained to your desk - you can quit if you want to"... - hockey, on 10/12/2007, -2/+12The more specialized the work the harder it is to find people.
The harder it is to find people the more you should be willing to get rid of standard "convention" in treating those people.
Where is it written that everyone MUST be in at 7 am?
If a person works 40 hrs per week for you why is it wrong to work those hours from 12 - 8 instead of 7 - 3? - theragu40, on 10/12/2007, -3/+13The reason geeks are 'special' and have to be catered to is that unlike a secretarial position (which can be filled by just about anyone), a geek job can only be done by a geek. True, in reality tech stuff isn't that difficult, but the average person is terrified of their own computer. The average person is not terrified of filing papers. This is what makes geeks less expendable than any other position.
- qbix, on 10/12/2007, -0/+10Sales guys, IT, and the people creating the product are equally important. The thing that sucks is how profits are not equally distributed. Single people in the sales department shouldn't be the only ones who can afford to buy a nice house and a decent car. I would be more than happy to show up every morning at 7:00 am if I knew that after a productive day I could go home, my very own home, and the car I'd use to get there was a bit nicer. All of this without waiting get married for that second source of income. Just saying.
- ImYourRealDad, on 10/12/2007, -1/+10Exhibit A.
- bofhcabbit, on 10/12/2007, -1/+10The company I work for follows through on seven out of eight of those, with the eighth (lighting) coming soon apparently. I win!
- karmajunkie, on 10/12/2007, -3/+12I swear if I have to read one more "woe is the poor geek whose bosses misunderstand his needs" article I'm going to change careers. Oh, I'm sorry--you don't like coming to work by 8 or 9? Guess what?
NEITHER DOES ANYBODY ELSE.
I've been a geek most of my life, and I've outgeeked every tech, engineer, CTO, and developer at every shop I've ever been in. And guess what else? Somehow I still manage to be socially functional. Every wonder why geeks don't seem to gel in the company spirit activities like tail-gating or what have you? Its because most geeks are ***** *****.
People who write this sniveling tripe have little if any grasp of the way business works. You know why your network guy has to be in the office at 8am? Because that's when everyone else gets in and finds out that he ignored the dozen-or-so pages from the exchange server that's down while he was geeking out over the new WoW expansion.
Work isn't a negotiation. Your employer has a job he needs done. You're hired to do it in the manner he wants it done. if you don't like that manner, quit whining about how miserable it is having to work in an environment that requires you to *gasp* interact with PEOPLE and go find one that doesn't. And quit making the rest of us look like socially dysfunctional prima donnas. - WillyWonka, on 10/12/2007, -2/+11I've worked at a place where they didn't let people wear headphones "If you're listening to music, you're not working!"
- transeunte, on 10/12/2007, -14/+22Most geeks I know have specialness issues, so it comes as no surprise that they make their own set of rules where, of course, they only benefit from.
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