Multitasking Excess.. Productivity May Be Up, But Quality Is Down
Multitasking Excess.. Productivity May Be Up, But Quality Is Down
I multi-task constantly. While I am writing this article on my laptop, I am also talking to my husband, half watching television, and cuddling with my dog. When I eat breakfast in the morning, I am also perusing my Blackberry messages, looking through snail mail and flipping through new magazines.
This trend of multi-tasking excess follows me into work and seems to run rampant among anyone with a Manager title or higher. And, it’s directly related to the wonderful inventions of instant messenging, air cards, Blackberries, laptops etc.
When we get out of work, we see multi-tasking everywhere we go. Cell phones in movie theaters, laptops in airports, texting in malls.. we can’t get away.
Although these inventions help to make us more productive, I also feel that they negatively impact the quality of our work, the quality of customer service and our “work – life” balance. You may have heard the term ‘Work Smarter, Not Harder”. All of these gadgets give us the appearance of working smarter, but maybe we need to get back to working harder.
The Work Day Never Quite Ends
As a direct result of the invention and then popularity of “the Blackberry” a leader’s work day never ends. Most Managers already work long hours and pre- Blackberry there was a set ending to your day, even if that was 8PM. When we had just cell phones, you could get an after hours call from time to time, but only for very urgent things,
Now, any leader with a company paid for Blackberry is expected to check email through out the evening into the next morning, before the next work day starts. If you don’t, you will be left behind and may even miss critical deadlines. This holds true for expectations over the weekend.
I know for me, this impacts my ability to fully relax and “de-stress”. If I am having a great time with friends or family and then I check my Blackberry, I can sometimes feel my adrenaline start to pump if I read anything that I don’t particularly like.
When I went on my two week honeymoon last year, I left everything about work including my Blackberry behind. It was the first time in years that I was able to completely clear my mind from work and I came back to the office fully refreshed and productive.
Lots Of Meetings- But Not Enough Attendee Engagement
I can’t think of a recent meeting I was in where every attendee was fully engaged. For example, an average meeting might have ten attendees. One or two are attending the meeting via the telephone and are driving in their car at the same time.
Another two are sitting in their office with the phone on mute, also reading email and sending and receiving instant messages. Of the remaining seven attendees participating in person, at least four are checking their Blackberry messages or have their laptop activated with an “air card” and are reading email or surfing the internet, while the meeting is going on. That leaves about two people full engaged, and usually one is the meeting facilitator.
Restaurant Patrons Ignored While Workers Read Texts
My husband and I go out to eat frequently and have noticed a new trend - restaurant workers reading and sending text messages while they are supposed to be waiting on patrons.
On New Year’s Eve, we were waiting to get served at a bar and the Bartender was too busy reading her texts. Last week, we stopped to grab some appetizers at a mid-scale restaurant and saw two different waiters walking across the restaurant while gazing down at their telephone screens.A friend of mine was recently waiting in line at a popular coffee chain and the line was delayed while the cashier finished sending a text.We keep hearing about how restaurants are struggling in this bad economy, so why are Restaurant Managers allowing their staff members to ignore patrons?The President's New Blackberry- Revealed!
Obama, The First President With a Blackberry
While Obama was running for office he got a lot of press for his Blackberry addiction. He was quoted saying that administrators would have to "pry it from my hands" after becoming inaugurated.
Now, as President, he’s been given a super special, extra secure, military grade PDA. You can read more about his PDA here.
I am actually happy about this development. I wonder how the leader of our nation could get by without reading his email and staying in touch 24 hours per day. I officially endorse Obama’s multi-tasking!!
Even Babies Are Multitasking!
Multitasking Up- Quality Down
When I discuss this topic with friends and family, I learn that this not unique to me or employees at my company. These trends are happening everywhere.
Here are some related articles: "Your Brain on Multitasking", from the Head Rush blog, "is Multitasking a Good idea", by Sandi Smith and "Why Multitasking is a Waste of Time" by Toby Somerville.
I was inspired to write this article after catching myself talking on the phone, answering instant messages, reading email AND trying to complete a self-paced online training module- all at the same time.
So....Do you agree? Has multi-tasking driven down quality OR do the advantages of multi-tasking outweigh any downside?
Please share your comments below.
Copyright 2009, M. Reynolds, All Rights Reserved
