GEETHA RAO
13 Nov, 2006 2251hrs IST Times News Network
With the constant diversion caused by mobile phones at work, we now have interrupt-driven workstyles.
You are in the middle of the meeting, discussing an important point with your client, when your mobile goes off; you excuse yourself, take the call, get back, but then... where were you? You lose the thread of the discussion and take some time to continue from where you left off. Interruptions at work, something that happens to many of us in these instant-connect days, can be frustrating. But that's the "interrupt-driven" workstyle, as Dave Molta, senior tech editor with a networking mag, puts it. So you're at your mobile's mercy, and there's no way out. Or is there?
Neurosurgeon Dr NK Venkatramana is at the receiving end every so many minutes, he says. For him, it's a dilemma whether to take the call or ignore it. "When I'm in the operation theatre, I switch my mobile off because I get calls every two-three minutes. When I'm seeing out-patients, I give my mobile to my secretary." Otherwise, he'd find himself right in the middle of examining a patient and being disturbed by a call. "My work gets disrupted. Everyone who calls says it's urgent."
But Dr Venkatramana feels guilty about switching his mobile off. "It could be an emergency. My advice could be crucial. It's a big dilemma."
Artist Yusuf Arakkal usually switches off his mobile while he's working on a painting. If the calls come during the initial stages of his painting, like at the conceptual stage, it irritates him. "Because the thought process can change, and you may need some effort to go back to where you stopped. But after that stage, it's alright."
Suhas Gopinath, CEO of an IT company, says such mobile calls hinder productivity to some extent. There are times when he's in a conference, and he gets a call, only to find it's a telemarketing call. "When you get back to the conference, you have missed some important points of the discussion."
There are times, too, when some employees get calls from HR companies asking them for salary details and work profiles, all on company time. Not only are the employees using company time, but even after the call, their concentration wavers.
Or, the project manager may be explaining something important to the team, when he could get a mobile call, and that would disrupt the continuous flow of thought.
13 Nov, 2006 2251hrs IST Times News Network
With the constant diversion caused by mobile phones at work, we now have interrupt-driven workstyles.
You are in the middle of the meeting, discussing an important point with your client, when your mobile goes off; you excuse yourself, take the call, get back, but then... where were you? You lose the thread of the discussion and take some time to continue from where you left off. Interruptions at work, something that happens to many of us in these instant-connect days, can be frustrating. But that's the "interrupt-driven" workstyle, as Dave Molta, senior tech editor with a networking mag, puts it. So you're at your mobile's mercy, and there's no way out. Or is there?
Neurosurgeon Dr NK Venkatramana is at the receiving end every so many minutes, he says. For him, it's a dilemma whether to take the call or ignore it. "When I'm in the operation theatre, I switch my mobile off because I get calls every two-three minutes. When I'm seeing out-patients, I give my mobile to my secretary." Otherwise, he'd find himself right in the middle of examining a patient and being disturbed by a call. "My work gets disrupted. Everyone who calls says it's urgent."
But Dr Venkatramana feels guilty about switching his mobile off. "It could be an emergency. My advice could be crucial. It's a big dilemma."
Artist Yusuf Arakkal usually switches off his mobile while he's working on a painting. If the calls come during the initial stages of his painting, like at the conceptual stage, it irritates him. "Because the thought process can change, and you may need some effort to go back to where you stopped. But after that stage, it's alright."
Suhas Gopinath, CEO of an IT company, says such mobile calls hinder productivity to some extent. There are times when he's in a conference, and he gets a call, only to find it's a telemarketing call. "When you get back to the conference, you have missed some important points of the discussion."
There are times, too, when some employees get calls from HR companies asking them for salary details and work profiles, all on company time. Not only are the employees using company time, but even after the call, their concentration wavers.
Or, the project manager may be explaining something important to the team, when he could get a mobile call, and that would disrupt the continuous flow of thought.
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