Comments on: Peerdrum: Peering Over the Shoulder of Remote Coworkers

By: Jim Ware

Jim Ware — Tue, 02 Nov 2010 22:59:14 +0000

Tony, just one final note – I’m focused more on large organizations whose employees are working remotely, and that may explain how we’re coming from different places.

But if I were managing remote independent teleworkers the only way I’d pay them hourly is if they have very clear “production” goals. In the Information Age it just doesn’t make sense to pay people for time they spend. Again, it’s the results that matter. I guess I’m a much bigger believer in “piece rates” than in a time clock.

By: Tony Gialluca III

Tony Gialluca III — Tue, 02 Nov 2010 22:43:44 +0000

Great stuff, Jim. I feel we’re on the same page with most things, however a majority of teleworkers charge hourly. I wont blather on gigaom’s dime, but I have a blog post with some thoughts here: http://bit.ly/bo8QOm . Thanks again for the feedback!

By: Jim Ware

Jim Ware — Tue, 02 Nov 2010 22:20:05 +0000

Tony, I appreciate your comments and I have no doubt that peerdrum is well-intentioned. Just remember however that it’s how it is used that will matter. Just as you can use a hammer to pound in a nail on beautiful piece of furniture, you can also use a hammer to pound someone’s finger to mush (sorry about the violent imagery). The tool is neutral, unless it creates a capability for something that didn’t exist before.

I don’t basically object to managers having a quick look at someone’s screen once in a while, though I’m really not sure what it tells them. It’s far more important for a manager to be clear about the results he or she expects from a subordinate – and then spend time helping the individual achieve those results.

Just remember that in knowledge-based work there are plenty of individual pathways to success – many ways to get a job done, depending on individual skill, work style, and ingenuity. It’s entirely possible that an interim look at a screen shot could be entirely misleading.

And – to be provocative, if someone is playing Dungeons and Dragons for 10 minutes at some point but gets the work done on time and at the required quality, why should a manager care? We should be paying people for the results they produce, not the time they put in producing it.

By: Tony Gialluca III

Tony Gialluca III — Tue, 02 Nov 2010 20:44:36 +0000

Thanks for the article, Imran. Technically, it’s not designed to spy or micromanage, (there are tons of MUCH more effective tools for that kind of B.S.). It’s more about being able to stroll through the office and see what everyone’s been up to without having to actually be there, but the idea of this happening over the Internet just freaks some people out. In time, I think people will adapt a more open mindset as real-time, collaborative web-based software becomes more the rule than the exception.
Thanks again,

Tony Gialluca III
http://www.peerdrum.com

By: KJ

KJ — Tue, 02 Nov 2010 15:43:09 +0000

If you don’t trust me enough to do my job then why would you hire me in the first place?

I wouldn’t work for a place that required this type of elementary school behavior / micromanaging.

By: Mike Ferris

Mike Ferris — Tue, 02 Nov 2010 15:17:40 +0000

What are you guys whining about? My boss walks by my desk several times throughout the day. If I get to stay home – even better.

By: Simon Mackie

Simon Mackie — Tue, 02 Nov 2010 12:32:26 +0000

There has to be a better way to bridge the “trust gap” than a highly intrusive method like this. Even in a regular office, I think I would feel affronted if my manager felt the need to have a look at my monitor every few minutes.

By: Jim Ware

Jim Ware — Mon, 01 Nov 2010 21:37:10 +0000

I too am uncomfortable with this attempt to monitor remote workers on such a frequent basis. It makes far more sense to treat them like the adults they are and manage them by the results they produce. Yes, screen monitoring might be helpful in a coaching or troubleshooting session, but this much peering over their shoulder reflects and communicates a basic mistrust.

For more on this topic, read our latest newsletter article on the need for adult behaviors in the workplace: http://www.thefutureofwork.net/newsletter_1010_Feature.html

And anyone interested in managing remote workers should read our free white paper on Best Practices in Managing a Remote Workforce, downloadable at: http:www.thefutureofwork.net/assets/Managing a Remote Workforce_Proven_Practices_from_Successful_Leaders.pdf