Posts Tagged ‘office space’
Thursday, March 28th, 2013
A techie is asocial. If not that, he is an introvert. And why is that? Noted psychologist Dr Laurie Helgoe says it’s because the work of IT professionals suits the introverts best. For instance, they mostly sit before a computer and not people. They interface more with technology than people. They are mostly hooked to cubicles. And hence they are happy in their own worlds.
So where’s the problem? Well, quite a few times, organizations want people to be team players and introversion doesn’t help. What is ironic is that IT culture promotes introversion indirectly and expects people to be with others. The fact remains that quite a few number of extroverts are also IT professionals. Does that mean they prosper more in their jobs? Absolutely not. Research has shown that a great team is a mix of both introverts and extroverts. And getting a label of ‘introvert’ is not harmful at all. It’s a personality type and no introvert must try to change that.
Introverts have a distinct advantage. Since they don’t usually seek out the approval of the people, they are focused on their tasks. The fact that they are introverts doesn’t mean they are not good in communication. Whenever required to speak, introverts turn out to be very good communicators too. The idea is to change the perception of people around them about them.
One good thing about IT industry is you will not go unnoticed if you are good at your work. Your work speaks for yourself. So introverts must never feel insecure about their counterparts for their networking skills. In a typical IT set-up, an introvert can do networking online if not face to face. He has an equal chance of influencing people through his networking. All he probably needs to learn is a few points of courtesies to show at the right places. Other than that, he is good enough to compete with extroverts.
Introverts must keep in mind that they don’t need to talk to every person in their company. They just need to be cordial with people who are directly related to their work, team or project. For the rest of the staff, they can get by with some basic courtesy.
Dr Helgoe says that introverts do not have the opposite qualities that the extroverts have. For example, extroverts are described as energetic. This doesn’t mean introverts are lethargic. The whole perception that extroverts have a quality and introverts have the lack of it, is false. An introvert is also an energetic person, he or she just doesn’t share the excitement with others.
The bottom line is introverts must never feel that they have to be extroverts to get ahead in their careers. IT world may be brutally professional but that is also something which goes in favour of introverts. They will always be rewarded for their focus and accuracy. They need to learn to enjoy their introversion and instead of trying to copy the extroverts, they must adapt to change and be open to learning.
Tags: all about inroverts, introversion, introversion is not a sin, introverts and techies, IT and introverts, IT in India, IT professionals in India., office space, techies, why IT professionals are introverts
Posted in Office Space | No Comments »
Tuesday, February 15th, 2011
Hello from the HR desk. Hope you missed us. This month we are so excited to share with you an interesting research conducted by the Stanford University on management practices. We definitely have a reason to brag now. But before that, lets find out what it was.
The said research has measured an increased productivity rate in a company if it adopted good management practices. The research found out that the core set of practices increases the profit and productivity in an organization. During the study, the researchers compared textile industries which adopted few ‘best’ practices to those which didn’t adopt the same. There was an improvement in productivity by 10 percent within a few months of adoption.
And what were these practices? Yeap, almost the same as we do at AnyLinuxWork. Things like incentives based on the performance, clear job assignments and preventive maintenance were also encouraged in an organization. The research even suggested little things like observing, recording and meeting. Ofcourse there can never be a comparison between a textile company and a software company, yet, the principles of good management are quite cosmopolitan and pretty much the same. The practices adopted by the ALW management are well thought-out and properly implemented.
First of all, our team really understands and truly values time. We have encouraged them to smartly work their way up to their targets instead of sitting for late hours or taking work at home. We follow the five-day work module so that everyone gets to have a good time with family and friends. And so an average ALW employee is excited to come back to work on Mondays and that too with a fresh mind and loads of energy.
Secondly, we believe in encouraging our team members to improve quality of their life. We conduct personal grooming sessions from time to time, invite their family members to attend office functions and parties and encourage them towards cultural or creative activities.
Thirdly, our monthly ‘Meri Fitness’ adventures evoke the sports side of our team. We go for trekking, picnics, swing resorts etc so as to make our team keep fit and healthy. In addition, there are desk top exercises being practiced right at the work place apart from educating them on Yoga Asans and other health tips.
And the latest in the list is our Hi5 initiative that deliberately and consciously ensures that our employees are stress-free and they enjoy their work. The Hi5 team keeps organizing fun events at work place to create a friendly and warm environment.
Only last year, we shared with you our several management practices. And now the research seems to only ‘authenticate’ them. Yet, we were the first to know. Yay!
Tags: amazing working environment, AnyLinuxWork, client, client delight, culture, desktop exercises, Employees, Everybody says we’re fit!, fight stress, fitness, fixed office timings, forget boring days, fresh and happy employees, future endeavours, get rid of stress, global meltdown, good management practices, great work culture, happy days, happy employees, happy hours, health of employees, healthy food, Hi5, Hi5 moments, how to fight stress, how to relieve stress, Human resource, in-between meals, Indian IT company, IndiaSoft, Internet project, IT companies, IT companies in India, IT services, joomla, management practices, meri fitness., nutritious food, office infrastructure, office space, open source software company, oversees business, php, physician check up, pleasant, recession, recreation games, regular health check up, Stanford University Research, stress free work.
Posted in Office Space | No Comments »
Friday, February 11th, 2011
The latest gossip on the IT-insel world has been what? No prizes for guessing. Stress of course. And the recently released Harvard Business Review has made it all the more clear that stress ‘needs’ a handling. It cannot be dismissed as a mere gimmick or fashionable gossip. It needs to be addressed. If the review were to be believed, stress has a direct effect on an employee’s productivity. Ofcourse, the doctors have been telling us since long that it severely affects our health.
So what’s so much to discuss? Well for one ALW has been following quite a few tips that the Review has recently posted. First, the Review cautions against worrying alone. Instead, it suggests, an employee must talk to peers or someone he/she trusts. Share the burden by talking. And that’s what we do at ALW. Our team members and seniors are like a family. We can spill our heart out to anyone around and this keeps us going through a rough day.
The Happy Working or the Hi5 initiative of ALW has been making a positive difference towards creating a stress-free environment. The latest offering is to bring smiles on everyone’s face. The HR cell recently invited childhood pictures of employees to be submitted at the cell and displayed. The most interesting part was guessing as to who was who. The exercise eventually burst into a riot of laughter as team members cracked jokes about childhood. It was almost unbelievable as to how a little thoughtful deed could make everyone’s day.
ALW work culture has yet another characteristic that sets it apart. We believe in logical analysis of things instead of getting too personal with work. What Harvard has suggested now, we have been practicing for ages. This means that one can easily avoid or beat stress if he/she gets the facts right. Often our worries our not logical. They stem from incomplete pieces of information. At ALW, we never believe anything at first sight. We always try to find out the what, where, when, why and how of a situation to avoid stress later, something that the Review also suggested.
Lastly, ALW team is a happy team. Why? Because we accept disappointments the way we celebrate successes. We usually let it go when it is gone. We don’t regret or worry about it. For us, every experience is a learning experience. And so there’s nothing like a failure at ALW.
Tags: ajax, amazing working environment, AnyLinuxWork, beat stress, bust your stress, client, client delight, desktop exercises, Everybody says we’re fit!, fight stress, fitness, fixed office timings, forget boring days, fresh and happy employees, future endeavours, get rid of stress, global meltdown, great work culture, happy days, happy employees, happy hours, Happy Working, happy working hours, health, health and fitness, health comes first, health of employees, healthy food, Hi5 initiative, Hi5 minutes, Hi5 moments, how to relieve stress, human resource initiative, in-between meals, Indian IT company, IndiaSoft, Internet project, IT companies, IT companies in India, IT services, joomla, keep fit, keep healthy, office infrastructure, office space, open source software company, oversees business, php, physician check up, pleasant, recession, recreation games, regular timing, stress free work., stress-busters, stress-free office, work happily, working environment
Posted in Everybody says we are fit | No Comments »
Tuesday, January 11th, 2011
It all begins with a small idea. Idea that is a culmination of the then unrealistic imagination and that takes off for a shape and size that get bigger with implementation.
One such idea struck us recently and what timing- the New Year’s. It’s the same old spirit of innovating newer work practices but it’s the newest way to practise the practice.
The newest news in the new at the much new spirit-filled AnyLinuxWork is the Happy Working Campaign kicked off with much zeal on January 4th. It is an HR initiative to maintain a stress-free work environment. More importantly, it’s a campaign to make people love their work, workplace and live a stress-free life in general.
In the words of ALW CEO Vivek Singhal, “I want to see my people enjoy work like never before. I want them enjoy it like it’s their life and enjoy it like it’s their love. I want them to enjoy it without stress. That’s our Happy Working Campaign for the year 2011. “
For older teammates, however, this is not very surprising as we have always believed in and have encouraged a culture of healthy work and healthy life. The only difference this year is that we are going to see it get implemented in deeds and activities. We are determined to ensure that our people are happy at work, not just working for the sake of it or under pressure. The entire year will witness programs on the theme focusing and making people really implement a stress-free work life. Doesn’t that sound exciting?
Well it already generated a lot of enthusiasm among the team mates. The first activity started with the writing on the wall. And what did they write? Well, answers to an interesting question. ALW team mates geared up to think of witty replies to ‘Why a cycle can’t stand alone?’ and painted the ALWS wall with their thoughts. The Happy Working Campaign would have more such events and activities during the year. Watch this space to get more updates.
Tags: ajax, amazing working environment, AnyLinuxWork, beat stress, bust your stress, client, client delight, desktop exercises, Everybody says we’re fit!, fight stress, fitness, fixed office timings, forget boring days, fresh and happy employees, future endeavours, get rid of stress, global meltdown, great work culture, happy days, happy employees, happy hours, Happy Working, health, health and fitness, health comes first, health of employees, healthy food, how to relieve stress, human resource initiative, in-between meals, Indian IT company, IndiaSoft, Internet project, IT companies, IT companies in India, IT services, joomla, keep fit, keep healthy, office infrastructure, office space, open source software company, oversees business, php, physician check up, pleasant, recession, recreation games, regular timing, stress-busters, stress-free office, work environment, work stress-free
Posted in Everybody says we are fit | No Comments »
