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Sweets in the Workplace

I love sweets.  Don’t get me wrong.  But the frequency with which they are planted into workplace break rooms is alarming.  If you’re working on a team of 10-15 people, I think it’s safe to assume that once a month – someone will have some birthday celebration element (cookies, cakes, candy) and you’ll be morally obligated (read: peer pressured) into having one.  And that’s fine.  But the problem is that your business partners have teams with birthdays too.  And their “overflow” sweets will undoubtedly find themselves in a break room near you.  By the time this transitive property propagates out a few more iterations – you’re basically tempted with sweets at least two days a week, 52 weeks a year (even more around the holidays; yikes).

So what am I saying?  Not to stop the celebrations.  Can we just be a bit more mindful of healthy options or try to better consolidate the madness of what/when things are brought in (7 layer chocolate cakes may not be the best idea for 10 AM meeting)?

Til Next Time,

Michael

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The Case For: Recognition

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I’m sure I’ve posted many times about the power of recognition, but I saw a slice of an info graphic the other day on Linked In that made me compelled to reinforce the message here.

I recently started an initiative where I am recognizing coworkers of mine (typically via email but sometimes over the phone, face to face, and through other outlets) for positive praise they receive from customers or coworkers.  I have never felt so proud of my team and it is amazing to get optimistic, positive feedback in return from everyone involved.  It really does make a difference to recognize people for their accomplishments.

A lot of times, due to the operational nature of most businesses, too much time and energy is focused on “what’s broken” or “what we need to do to be more efficient/better/faster/leaner”.  Where are the props for the jobs well done?  I really think it’s time that we as a culture did a better job of rewarding success rather than focusing on failures (and how to “fix” them).

Til Next Time,

Michael

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Oracle Buys TOA

Last week, Oracle announced its plans to buy TOA Technologies, solidifying their capabilities and technology in the (mobile) workforce management space.  Having spent a large part of my career dabbling in both technologies (traditional Oracle stack products as well as some of the TOA solutions), I am excited to see what this acquisition means for both companies.

The realist in me understands that through acquisition, TOA will likely still have many key players of their management team involved and invested in the solution and the future prosperity of the brand/software – but that a bit of the custom/personal feel to a solution like TOA’s ETAdirect will definitely be lost in the corporate madness that can exist at an empire as large as Oracle.

Time shall tell though.  In the mean time, I wish nothing but the best for both brands!

http://www.oracle.com/us/corporate/press/2254950

Til Next Time,

Michael

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How to Improve Recruiting

A good friend of mine pointed me to an article today on how to improve recruiting.  Having opined on the subject before, it definitely seemed like it was in my wheelhouse to take a look and see what it said.  After reading it, I wanted to share with you all as I do think it is a great reflection on the state of the union as it relates to recruiting. I think the concept of trying to turn recruiting into more of an open dialogue on how the relationship between employee and employer can be mutually beneficial is a sentiment that is long overdue.  Acknowledging that all people will move on from their company at some point is just being aware of the facts; optimizing both sides’ return on investment (i.e. making sure the employee and the employer both reap good value) is key.

Enjoy!

Til Next Time,

Michael

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Right of Way

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Recently, it seems like people have forgotten the rules of the road in Atlanta.  Two weeks back, a colleague of mine got in a pretty bad car accident when another driver failed to yield prior to turning at a green light intersection.  I myself have been to a significant number of four way stops recently where a second driver headed in one direction thought “taking turns” wasn’t applicable to them.  What gives?

To draw a parallel to the working world, I am a big proponent of following the rules of the road and giving people the right of way.  Nothing is more frustrating than people that don’t give others a chance, and offer (if nothing else as a common courtesy) someone else the chance to take their turn and speak up on a topic.  I guess some people think that it’s a sign of power or strength to blatantly cut off other individuals.  To me – it’s simply dangerous.  Weaving in and out of traffic (on the road and in the conference room) will ultimately wreck you.  Even if you don’t realize it, you are creating a persona and reputation for yourself that is unpleasant to most of those whom you will encounter.  It’s like playing with fire.  At some point, you will invariably get burned.

So be careful – and try to let others have the right of way every now and then.

Til Next Time,

Michael

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Customer Service Nightmares

Anyone who has worked in the customer service industry of any kind surely understands there are isolated cases of poor treatment of customers no matter who/what/when/where you look.  It’s always somewhat comical though to hear the worst cases such as this one.  Long story short – a customer is calling in to their internet provider to try and cancel their service.  What happens next is nothing short of awkward, exhausting, and blatantly disrespectful to the customer.

Horror stories like these if nothing else serve as a gentle reminder to us all to continue to firmly place customer service excellence in our DNA and make sure that everyone from the CEO to the support staff understands what these types of negative interaction do to tarnish a brand.

Til Next Time,

Michael

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Women Who Code

I was reading an article the other day about one of Google’s top security engineers (Paris Tabriz) when I stumbled upon another great (albeit older) article on the topic of why we need women coders.  Seeing that I have written before on the power of coding, engineering, and all things that promote penetrating a wider audience for skills that may have “traditionally” been reserved for certain molds of people – I figured it would be another great chance to share a similar perspective that is backed up with some alarming stats.

I found the following excerpt especially compelling:

Why code? Just look at the stats. According to Code.org, jobs in computer science are growing at two times the national average. By 2020, there are expected to be one million jobs in tech and programming. But while 57% of bachelor’s degrees are earned by women, only 12% of computer science degrees are held by women. Resources are being upped across the board to help get non-scientifically minded individuals of all ages and genders involved in the emerging field, but many feel it’s of utmost importance to extend an extra long arm to young women.

Here’s the full article.  Enjoy!

Til Next Time,

Michael

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7/11 Day!

My coworker reminded me that it’s 7/11…  Go get your free Slurpee today!  Growing up in the Midwest,  I obviously have a soft spot in my heart for the brand/chain.  I don’t have nearly as many at my disposal now, so I must say I’m jealous of all you who will get to enjoy this simply joy today.

Til Next Time,

Michael

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Customer Experience Case Study: PHX Rental Car Edition

Last week, I had the pleasure of traveling to Phoenix for work and always have a good time there.  It was wildly hot, but definitely worth it.  Just about the only downside I see with any trip to PHX is the inevitable cluster that is the rental car process.

Let me start out by saying I generally have relatively minimal expectations for these types of experiences.  I’m not a very demanding consumer when it comes to the logistics of obtaining a rental and navigating navigating the process at airport XYZ.  I understand that there are many factors that fall outside of their control (land availability/price, volume of transactions, weather, etc), and usually chalk it up as something that will add a 15-20 minute tax on my trip both ways coming and going.

Sky Harbor airport in Phoenix though?  30 minutes.  MINIMUM.  I’ve even had times that it took 1 hour from the moment I got off the highway airport exit returning my car to when I was getting in the security line at the actual airport.  Absolutely nuts!  It’s basically like you pass the airport – “Oh hey, there it is, we’re pretty close!” – and then a calamity of errors and awful processes will make you want to just walk the rest of the way.  The car compound is at least 5 minutes past the airport (if you drive quickly) and only reachable by awful access roads.  Once you’re in line to return your vehicle, every agency I’ve tried has a maximum of two employees working to check cars back in (mind you – there is a constant traffic of about three new cars coming in every couple minutes – you do the math).  After that, you’re at the mercy of the shuttle buses to get back to the airport.  Those things have no predefined schedule but I swear I’ve waited outside in 110 degree heat for at least 20 minutes for a bus.  Last week I saw four Terminal 4 buses come by before I saw one Terminal 3 (of course, my terminal).  Then, it’s 10 minutes back to the airport drop off location because the bus drives 5 miles per hour.

You get the idea.  Listen, I’m no Customer Experience expert by any means.  But I do understand the do’s and don’ts of it.  And the airport rental car process at PHX Sky Harbor is a total mess.  Shame on them.  But, you know what?  They’re the only option.  So I doubt it’s changing any time soon.

Til Next Time,

Michael

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100 Posts!

Took me a while longer to get here than I’d like to admit, but I’m still excited to announce this post marks my 100th entry on the site!  Thanks again for all the support, kind words, and even the constructive criticisms.  They help make it the site it has become!

Cheers and here’s to the next 100!

Til Next Time,

Michael