Our 'Stuffless' Workplace

By Barry Stern, Ph.D.

The late comedian George Carlin claimed that all he really wanted in life was a place for his “stuff”. To Carlin, our homes are mainly places to keep our stuff and most of our extra-home activities merely opportunities to get more stuff. I have developed over the years acute “stuff-radar.” It kicks into high gear with new folks I meet and happens with a few stolen glances. The 10 copies of a book that occupy the top shelf of an executives’ bookcase, the Middle Eastern décor of the New York City sales leader, the hiker attire of the senior food exec—these all accelerate my Holmesian mission to establish professional intimacy and, ultimately impact, fast. 

But our stuff sight lines have decidedly changed. With the stroke of a key we can reach our global workforces, but we can’t see their stuff. To add to the challenge, Kindles are replacing bookshelves, associates are in shared “hotel workspaces”, or alone in their homes, or—as George Clooney’s character was in the movie, “Up in the Air”—working from planes, trains and automobiles. Clooney’s character was the personification of “non-stuff”. Essentially he lived out of a suitcase, felt most comfortable in airline clubs and hotels, and his personal discomfort and lack of stuff in his own apartment palpable.

Now, nearly every aspect of human resources has a technological backbone. As the scope gets larger, our view into the realities of our associates and their “stuff,” dims exponentially. We run the risk of further alienating our already disengaged workforces. Ask yourself:

• Despite the “coolness factor” associated with technology, what steps is your company really taking to use technology to drive employee engagement? Are you even thinking in those terms? And what are you doing especially to address the younger workforce so pinned to their phones and text messages?
• What advances has your company made in deepening the organizational understanding and implications of virtual learning or meeting environments? What have you done to compensate for the missing elements of face-to-face connections?

The promise of technology is to create both deeper employee intimacy and engagement while driving greater efficiency and profit. Only through addressing these types of questions in a fearless way, will that promise be realized.

Barry Stern is vice president, Consulting Services and Delivery for Development Dimensions International (DDI). Follow him on Twitter.

Comments

[Barry Stern]

Wally thanks for the thought. And yes, I agree completely that there is another sharp edge. In fact here’s a link to a post I had last year http://blogs.ddiworld.com/tmi/2009/05/turn-off-tune-out-and-drop-in-.html that focused on the other edge. Indeed, one only needs to spend 5 face-to-face minutes with someone addicted to his or her cell phone to witness firsthand one of the myriad of ways technology can impede the intimacy of communication. How do we, as HR professionals both guard against this dilution and leverage the powerful trend?

[Barry Stern]

Chris thanks for the post! Yes I do believe that will and already is in fact happening. For example we know that many recruiters have become very skilled at aggressively looking at this footprint as a routine part of their hiring processes. Right now of course, one has to dig a little more to see such a footprint–bits aren’t as immediately obvious as office décor. But as our habits around technology utilization continue to evolve, perhaps the digital footprint will in fact be the new obvious “stuff”.

[Chris Fox]

I wonder to what extent people's social media footprint will replace their "stuff" as the thing you look for in your "Holmesian" mission?

[Wally Bock]

Wonderful post, Barry, but it seems to me that it only deals with one side of what is a double-edged sword. We DO need to ask whether and how we're using technology to deepen relationships with each other. But we also need to ask if we're using that same technology in ways that block, dilute, and impede relationships.