One aspect of the workplace that bugs me is the perception that a person sitting at his (or her) desk is actually working. Another perception that bugs me is that anyone talking by the water cooler is either taking a break, killing time, or goofing off.

These false perceptions so permeate the workplace that I believe they can actually hinder productivity.

One work environment of which I’m aware had a boss who never stopped to find out what you were working on, but by golly if you weren’t at your desk then you weren’t working. Even if people were talking in the hall, brainstorming innovative ways to solve a looming problem, the boss would walk by and say “let’s get back to work, guys.”

Where is the excellence in that?

Synergy and increased communication from visual cues are invaluable, and any wise supervisor should encourage these things. Better for a manager to clearly set expectations and equip workers with the knowledge and skills they need to succeed than to simply be a presence enforcing the (sometimes unwritten) rules.

Reality isn’t always perception. Apparently, when it comes to reality, some people need to get a grip.

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Filed in Business, Opinion, Motivation, Management, Leadership, Team Building