Monday, November 23, 2009

Broken Bridge, Snowstorms, and the Flu

A couple of months ago, a friend of mine wrote a blog post on her experiences during a big Northern California storm several years ago.  I also remember that storm, and, although we didn't work at the same company at that time, I also had previously figured out how to successfully work from home (although I really only did that on weekends and late nights). That day, I started out driving to work (from San Francisco to Mountain View). The storm was so awful and frightening, that I finally reached a point where I felt I was endangering my life by staying on the road. And I hadn't even reached the freeway! All I could picture was my dad sitting by my hospital bed, asking me why I thought it had been a good idea to drive in those conditions. In my imagination, I had no answer for him, so I realized how foolish I was being out on the roads that day. I turned around, and had a successful work day from home.

Not only did I find working from home worked just as well for me, I got in my usual full workday. I realized that any of my co-workers who might have made it into the office probably only worked a few hours, as their commutes were at least doubled, if not worse, and they were also worried about their experiences on the drive home. 

I know many managers, and companies, are uncomfortable with their staff working from home. The common concern seems to be that, if workers can't be seen, they are probably goofing off. Personally, I think that people can goof off whether or not their boss can see them, so this may actually be a different problem.

But, even if your team works together in an office every day, there may still be times when your manager or company are really okay with people not coming into the office for the day, due to dangerous or unusual conditions. In fact, the manager probably can't or doesn't want to come in on those days, either! A few weeks ago, during the span of just a couple of days, I noticed three situations where workers were unable to drive into work. How many of those workers were able to just work from home? And how many companies just had to close, because no one was there, and not conduct business that day?

Here is a round-up of what happened on those days:

Transportation

 
http://www.infrastructurist.com/2009/09/08/the-daily-dig-cracked-eyebar-edition/
In the San Francisco Bay Area, a piece of the Bay Bridge broke and fell onto the roadway. The bridge had to be closed in both directions while the damage was first inspected, then repaired. This bridge is the busiest in the Bay Area, averaging 280,000 vehicles crossing it each day, including buses and carpools. What happened to all of those vehicles (and workers)? Were they able to fit onto the other bridges, or alternative mass transit? How many started out one way, but had to give up and try another? And how long did it take, assuming they eventually did make into the office? 

Weather
 (AP Photo/Ed Andrieski) 
The same week, Denver got several feet of snow in just a few hours. Dozens of roads were closed, and driving was certainly treacherous for those who ventured out onto the roads. Accidents in those conditions throughout the area also slowed commutes. Although snow storms in Colorado are certainly not uncommon, it's still not possible for most people to drive through several feet of snow. It's certainly dangerous to try to drive in those conditions. How many of your workers may decide they'd rather not risk driving on those days? And do you really want them to? Do you want to?

Health Emergencies
 
Another incident that week was different in that it was not transportation related. As the H1N1 flu pandemic works its way throughout the country, many schools and other public buildings decide to close when the risk becomes to great, rather than expose people to possible other contagious people. Your company may decide that is also the smart thing to do, if the flu is prevalent in your area. But, what do your workers with children do when suddenly the schools are closed for a week, or more? Bringing the children to work is definitely not an option, in this case! And, even if your workers have adequate sick leave to cover their absence, they very likely will need that leave later, when they or their family members are actually sick over the cold and flu season. What percentage of your workforce has children? How many people in your office would be affected by this? What would your office even look like, on a day when all the parents have to stay home with their children? 

Even if the managers and company are unsure they are ready to handle a formal, regular, work from home program, it would be foolish to not come up with a plan to handle unexpected situations, such as these. While we all enjoy an unexpected day off (snow day!), most of us have too much work to do to close the business for even a couple of days. 

To see my other blog posts on ways to work with a distributed workforce, click here (in reverse chronological order).

Posted via email from dianaf's posterous

Thursday, November 19, 2009

Unicycle Basketball

Prelude to the Big Game this weekend. This was amazing, and fun to watch. The Stanford-Pepperdine women's game was fun, too.

Go, Cardinal!

Posted via web from dianaf's posterous

The virtual body illusion and immersive Second Life avatars : Neurophilosophy

"the participants reported that the virtual arm felt like their own, and that the sensations they experienced were caused by the ball on the screen rather than by the wand"

I have experienced slight disorientation in-world, such as when I move my avatar and expect to see one thing but see something else. This is especially true when I am familiar with something in "real life" but am experiencing it in the virtual world. I agree that our brains can be fooled into thinking that we are someplace we are not really.

Posted via web from dianaf's posterous

Tuesday, November 17, 2009

How an Economist's Cry for Ethical Capitalism was Heard | Fast Company

"Her concept of "co-op capitalism" -- an idea she plans to develop further over the next year -- calls for businesses, governments, NGOs, and the public to experiment together to design new, more-adaptive business models and financial structures that take both profit and larger social goals into account. Companies should be financially motivated to behave in ways that benefit everyone. "

I also like where she points out how "messy" the world is, and how hard it is to reduce it to mathematical equations.

Posted via web from dianaf's posterous

Thursday, November 5, 2009

Good Dog, Smart Dog

"Their apparent ability to tune in to the needs of psychiatric patients, turning on lights for trauma victims afraid of the dark, reminding their owners to take medication and interrupting behaviors like suicide attempts and self-mutilation, for example, has lately attracted the attention of researchers."

Very cool, and I think dogs do think differently than humans...

Posted via web from dianaf's posterous

Disney Will Give Mickey Mouse a Makeover

I can't wait for Epic Mickey, I wish it was coming out sooner!

Posted via web from dianaf's posterous

Monday, November 2, 2009

MPK16 in the Virtual World: Even More Enhancements!

In previous blogs (see MPK16 in the Virtual World: Enhancements! and MPK16 in the Virtual World: More Enhancements!), I discussed the various configurations of the MPK16 Break Area and Multi-Purpose Room. Now, I'll demonstrate the last two areas in the workspace that have multiple configurations. 

Also, we'll now be conducting the Guided Tours of our virtual workspace on the first Tuesday of each month, including tomorrow, November 3. If you’d like to join us, meet at the Sun Employee Island (slurl:http://slurl.com/secondlife/Sun%20Microsystems%206/117/110/26) at 10am SLT (PT). (Note: your Second Life avatar must be registered as a Sun Employee; register or get an avatar here.)

Collaborative Studio Configurations
The Collaborative Studios are used by a team, or possibly more than one, to work together. Each desk is self-contained, and only has one connection to the raised floor, for power. It may also have a LAN drop, but that is optional in our Wi-Fi-enabled space. Since each desk is movable, and shaped to allow various configurations of the desks, there are many arrangements possible. Two configurations are illustrated below in screenshots, as well as a video:

1-Studio Row Configuration

2-Studio Pod Configuration

(see video below; also at https://slx.sun.com/1179275739)

Download now or watch on posterous
Studio RoR.m4v (1752 KB)

Team Room Configurations
Team Rooms are used by the groups in the adjacent Collaborative Studios. It can be used for "tiger team meetings," team brainstorming or other collaborations, meeting room, or even as a temporary overflow space for one of the teams in the studio. While it doesn't have all of the A/V equipment that a conference room might have, it has at least one wall as a whiteboard (that is usually only erased by the occupants). The rectangular adjustable desks in this space can be arranged as desks, or with a conference table instead.

1-Team Room Desks Configuration

2-Team Room Conference Room Configuration

(see video below; also at https://slx.sun.com/1179275759)

Download now or watch on posterous
Team RoR.m4v (1795 KB)

If you'd like to read any of my previous blog entries on the Second Life version of MPK16, you can see all entries here (reverse chronological). The other reconfigurable spaces are described in these two entries: MPK16 in the Virtual World: Enhancements! and MPK16 in the Virtual World: More Enhancements! You can read the rest of my posts, on collaboration and distributed teams, here.

Posted via email from dianaf's posterous

Sunday, November 1, 2009

Disney Cruise Line: Ride the AquaDuck « Disney Parks Blog

this looks great, although it seems almost a little too scary to swoop out "13 feet over the side of the ship... with the ocean 150 feet below." Still, great fun to do virtually, just make the video full screen.

Posted via web from dianaf's posterous

Stanford Basketball!

Posted via web from dianaf's posterous