Work Place Impressions

[BJCooperIT]

As I sat down this morning, I noticed my desk and monitor were getting rather dirty so I pulled out my bottle of cleaner and got busy. Then I flipped over my keyboard and shook out a disgusting amount of crumbs (I like pretzels). As a consultant, I usually eat at my desk since the employees at my client site do not ask me to join them in the cafeteria.

This started me wondering, what sort of impression do we make in the workplace by:

1. Isolating ourselves socially (something IT folks are prone to do occasionally)

2. Keeping a messy work space (think: half eaten bags of chips, empty soda cans, dirty coffee cups, general filth)

Do we perpetuate our own IT stereotype of the guy hunched over a keyboard, talking to himself, surrounded by stacks of papers, manuals and yesterday's fast food trash?

^{Beware of false knowledge; it is more dangerous than ignorance. ~George Bernard Shaw}
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[Dollie]

Do we perpetuate our own IT stereotype of the guy hunched over a keyboard, talking to himself, surrounded by stacks of papers, manuals and yesterday's fast food trash?

Yes.

 

[SkipVought]

Hey!

How did you see my desk!

Do you have a gate pass?


Skip,

_{[red]Be Advised![/red]
A wee deranged psychic may be runnin' around out there!
SMALL MEDUIM @ LARGE}

 

[CajunCenturion]

In many ways, we came by the stereotype honestly, so anything we do along those lines perpetuates the impression.

==> 1. Isolating ourselves socially (something IT folks are prone to do occasionally)
Occasionally?

To be more specific to the intent of this forum, not only do the indicated behaviors come into play, but also, we can further contribute to that isolation by improper language use. Language IS a social construct, whether it be the dialect of a neighborhood or professional business language. If you don't use language consistently with the expectations of that society, you probably won't fit in. If you use professional business language in the neighborhood, you'll certainly make an impression, but perhaps not the one you want. By the same token, if in the business world, you don't use appropriate language -- and that includes spelling, grammar, punctuation, capitalization, and the like -- you contribute to that isolation, and in so doing, help perpetuate the 'geek' stereotype.

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[grande]

My desk is clean when I get here in the morning, and I put everything away when I leave, but in between there are papers everywhere.

-------------------------
Just call me Captain Awesome.

 

[BJCooperIT]

I once worked a contract at a cable television IT headquarters. They were apt to bring through a CEO of a prospective advertiser or a movie star without warning. We were expected to keep our desks neat at all times. The "neat" policy brought on more grumbling from employees than any policy I have ever experienced.

As far as language in the workplace, I clearly remember in the 80's when a project leader introduced a "cuss jar" for our team meetings. If you cursed, you were supposed to put a dollar in the jar. I refused to participate since I do not curse at work and the money was to be used to the Friday lunch at the local bar (which only the project leader and his buddies attended). My how times change!

^{Beware of false knowledge; it is more dangerous than ignorance. ~George Bernard Shaw}
Consultant Developer/Analyst Oracle, Forms, Reports & PL/SQL (Windows)
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[sleipnir214]

I think a little filth and social isolation could be predicted.

Our culture holds dear the archetypes of the creative person so intent on his mode of creating that he doesn't bother to spend thought on other things: the paint-splattered painter; the ink-stained poet; the absent-minded scientist.



My son's pediatric neurologist claims (about 3/4-seriously) that "Computer Geek Syndrome" is actually a mild form of autism. And she makes a compelling argument. We're talking about something where the victim has problems socializing, difficulty expressing himself verbally, and strong preferences for formal systems that don't support a lot of exceptions to rules. The question is, does the previous sentence describe a computer geek or a person with autism?

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[jebenson]

I had a boss at one job who resisted management's attempt to make the "geeks" (programmers, network techs, etc.) wear more "businesslike" clothing - i.e. slacks, button-down shirts, ties. His argument was that any "techie" dressed like that was not working, or was looking for another job. The funny thing is, my boss dressed like that every day! Management relented, and I was able to continue wearing the geek's uniform (jeans, sneakers, t-shirt).

I used to rock and roll every night and party every day. Then it was every other day. Now I'm lucky if I can find 30 minutes a week in which to get funky. - Homer Simpson

 

[tgreer]

Hmmm. I'm self-employed, and work at home. I never subscribed to the "geek" mythos. Maybe that's because programming is my second career. I was originally a salesperson, then went into management, then abandoned that for programming, then into IT management, and finally self-employment.

Of the employees I've had who matched the stereotype, it was precisely those who matched it that didn't work out. It was if they were too self-conciously preoccupied with cultivating a persona, rather than cultivating any particular SKILL.

I wouldn't hire anyone who couldn't communicate well.

Thomas D. Greer

http://www.tgreer.com

 

[Chopstik]

Since I tend to defy stereotypes (not a word, SilentAiche), I think this may be something of an oversimplification. The characteristics you have described above (which could also include speaking GeekSpeak) could also be attributed to people who are constantly busy. For example, my desk typically looks like a paper bomb exploded nearby and littered it and I typically have several water bottles on my desk (though, admittedly, food is not such a major issue in my case), but it looked that way before I ever got into IT. Most of my team (non-technical staff) are similar to me. The one member of the team who is a complete neat freak (as well as very sociable) also happens to be the only other technical person on the team. I think the stereotype goes only so far...

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"I am not young enough to know everything."
Oscar Wilde (1854-1900)

 

[chiph]

I recognize my tendency to leave a mess on the desk, and so I clean up on Fridays.

Sure, no one is there to see it in it's pristine glory on the weekends, but at least it stays somewhat under control this way.

Chip H.


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[Dollie]

OK, I don't like being stereotyped, so I've been inspired to clean up a little.

I JUST FOUND OUT MY DESK IS WOOD! Here I was thinking it was made out of stacks of paper, books, and miscellaneous computer parts.

 

[SkipVought]

Dollie,

Did you find the wood just below the Memozoic Layer? ;-)


Skip,

_{[red]Be Advised![/red]
A wee deranged psychic may be runnin' around out there!
SMALL MEDUIM @ LARGE}

 

[Dollie]

I would have sworn that I would be finding the Mohorovicic discontinuity.

 

[SamBones]

When explaining my stacks of paper, I say that I'm actually very highly organized. I just file things archeologically. That is, the deeper it is, the older it is.

 

[sleipnir214]

SamBones:
Someone recently pointed me to the Noguchi file system, which sounds like your filing system set on its side:

http://www.lise.jp/honyaku/noguchi.html

All:
I am reminded of the line from the Walter Matthau/Jill Clauburgh movie, "First Monday in October", in which Matthau's character's desk is piled whichever way with various legal briefs and writs and the character has the knack of reaching into the piles and pulling out exactly the document he needs. His line is, "To you this desk is a mess. To me, it's a wilderness of free association."

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[SantaMufasa]

Several years ago, I leveraged effectively the "Geek-noid" sterotype...I was the keynote speaker at a world-wide convention of non-technical executives for one of the world's largest credit-card/financial companies. We met at an amazingly lavish retreat near the shores of Lake Michigan in a former-monastary-turned-conference center, in Lake Forrest, Illinois. (My colleagues and I figured that the net personal worth of the 100 executives in the room was many, many billions of dollars.)

The convention objective was to help the generally techno-phobic participants understand how they could leverage technology to improve their professional and personal lives.

Being unfamiliar with the technical world, they had no clue who I was. Preying upon their impressions of techno-geeks, I walked into the roomful of three-piece Italian suits, with my hair slicked up and parted down the middle, black horn-rimmed glasses, white shirt with top button buttoned (no tie), pocket protector jammed full of pens and pencils, black slacks hiked up to the bottom of my rib cage, leg cuffs too high, exposing my white socks and black oxford shoes.

As I walked to the front of the room, my arms were motionless at my sides, upper body motionless as I strode, my feet preceding my upper torso by about six inches, taking geek-shuffle steps.

I stood at the podium, dead-pan, looking out on the sea of stunned executives. I donned a voice reminiscent of "Squiggy" of Laverne and Shirley crossed with Fran Drescher of "The Nanny" fame. (Apologies to those of you that are not familiar with low-class American TV fare.)

My monologue was, "I welcome you all here today for this fine occasion during which we shall explore how much technology has to offer you, personally and professionally. I trust that you have all prepared appropriately for today's discussion by completing refresher courses in Trigonometry and The Calculus.

"If you have not taken those refreshers, then you should consider carefully whether you should be in this meeting today."

The room was silent, the color disappeared out of several executives' faces, and most looked nervously at their equally stunned colleagues, as if asking, "Okay, so why didn't I get the memo?" and "Did you take the refreshers?"

Once the silence had become very-comfortably deafening for about 30 eternal seconds and they had squirmed just long enough, I then continuedremoving the "dork glasses"; whipping a maroon tie into a nifty 3/4 Windsor knot; removing the black trousers in favour of the khaki pair underneath, lowering the trousers to a normal belt line; toussling my hair into a non-geeklike hairdo; removing the shoes and outer layer of white socks, exposing the real layer of black socks; donning my brown penny loafers that I had pre-hidden behind the podium, and slipping on my blue Ivy-League blazer) "Either that or you can see technology for what it really is...a tool to simplify our lives and raise the standards of living for people world wide, regardless of their levels of education or background. That you don't need Trigonometry and The Calculus to understand how Technology can improve lives."

You should have heard the laughter and relief roll through the crowd and witnessed the standing ovation. You would have thought that I was their candidate and I had just won them the election!

Isn't it amazing the Power we Geeks wield over humanity? Ain't Geek-dom Great!!!

Mufasa
(aka Dave of Sandy, Utah, USA)
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[Toshilap]

YOU DIDN'T...O...M...G..................

 

[CajunCenturion]

Yeah, he would!

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[BJCooperIT]

I love it!

^{Beware of false knowledge; it is more dangerous than ignorance. ~George Bernard Shaw}
Consultant Developer/Analyst Oracle, Forms, Reports & PL/SQL (Windows)
My website: Emu Products Plus