Management Bits and Tips

Downflooring / upflooring could be the mild version of downsizing, promotion or demotion, depends on the office space plans for your next office move. It could also mean nothing if staff streaming is rotational, as mathematicians say, div rot S = 0 or it might say which employee team or a functional unit is important if streaming was done relative to some non-movable office. It might also mean team compression, to minimize staff gradient, like mathematicians say, grad T = 0.

- Dmitry Vostokov @ ManagementBits.com -

Have you ever been worried about managerial amnesia? There are two types of it: the full amnesia and the partial one. The latter one is the most dangerous. Being selective, it provokes worries. The full amnesia, on the contrary, might stem from the current organization focus in other functional areas and could be even a confirmation of trust. Here is the story. I was made redundant in one company long time ago. A month before that, I asked to replace a light bulb in the room because I used to work very long hours. However the light bulb had never been changed and only after redundancy I realized that it was one of the warning signs: there was no need to replace the light bulb - I was one in the office room and after my redundancy the room became empty…

- Dmitry Vostokov @ ManagementBits.com -    

If you move to work in another country it is always useful to read about local workplace norms, redundancy regulations, various employment acts and other smart knowledge. If you happen to be the native of that country then you should prefer to read such books as well. More than 8 years ago when I moved to work in Ireland I bought this guide (one of the previous editions):

Working And Living In Ireland

Today I was visiting a local bookshop and browsing the bargains section where I found this book written by the same author and immediately bought it. “Exit” chapter is recommended to read during the current turbulent times in Irish economy.

Smart Moves at Work in Ireland

- Dmitry Vostokov @ ManagementBits.com -

The title of this post employs an operating system metaphor for a team member as a thread in a process (team).  I recalled this morning a book that I was reading 3 years ago and dug it from one of my dark dusty office corners:

My Job Went to India: 52 Ways to Save Your Job (Pragmatic Programmers)

I think it is relevant in this economic downturn if you replace India as an empty set or empty string: My Job Went to ”".

- Dmitry Vostokov @ ManagementBits.com -