IM the time thief?

What is time theft? Time theft is when an employee uses time being paid by the employer to engage in tasks not involving work or simply not doing tasks assigned while at work.

In the case of instant messaging, it can certainly become a time thief. Beware the co-worker who wants to turn your day into a chatathon.

So you're at work, in the zone and all of a sudden your IM notifies you of a message. You check it and it's Chatty Cathy. She's a great work friend and you often spend your lunch hour with her but she has a habit of making your lunch social hour extend into the rest of the afternoon. Unintentionally or not, Ms. Cathy is stealing time. Time from her own work day and now yours by monopolizing your time via Instant Message. Depending on your work environment, this can be a big no no and lead to disciplinary action if you're caught.

How do you handle the time thief? Keep your IM's short and sweet. Keep them work focused and if it gets into social territory gently let them know that you're working on a project/deadline and that you'll discuss it with them at lunch or after hours.

Another option is ignoring social messages. I don't recommend this as it can come off as rude and if the work relationship is otherwise good, it could really sour your environment. The best course is to be honest and let them know you're busy. It's polite, it's to the point and hopefully your time thief will take the hint.

As an employer, you do have options for monitoring time theft. There are programs available to track how time is spent by your employees.Great programs will allow you to track time spent on emails, IM, and how people generally spend their day while working.

On a final note, I leave you with a scene from The Office.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8_isgn5JMVk

What's in a Name?

"What's in a name? for which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet." - Wlliam Shakespeare

Speaking of names, I thought now would be a great time to discuss all the different IM programs out there. There are a LOT of business related apps and messengers available for business today. At last count, there were well over 150 for business related communication. I'm not going to run down the full list but I am going to go over a few noteworthy apps/programs.

Before I give you the rundown, it bares mentioning that not all apps are created equal. As such, some apps are better suited for small business, while others are better for larger companies.

So what makes a great app for small business? Well, primarily, free. Free is good and when you're a small start up or struggling to get things off the ground, free is GOOD. Did I mention free is good? Okay, I know. You got it. Moving on.

There are some great free apps out there. First up is Google Hangouts or Gtalk (different but amalgamating in the near future). Most people know about Google and most have at least one Gmail account these days. This is one of the reasons that Hangouts can be a great way to start your business off with IM, it's convenient! You can see when co-workers are online, you can send offline messages and they'll receive them when they get back online. Sort of like a text message. That said, it's a bare bones messenger, you won't get any extra frills here.

Others worth mentioning that are free include Spark, Jabber and Adium. Adium is for MAC platform only so if you're working with PCs or anyone from your team isn't on a MAC, they'll be left out. Sort of like the last kid picked to play freeze tag at recess. Spark was specifically made for businesses and the messenger has the ability to link to the business server so employees can access IM with their company ID and passwords, just like email. This provides a little more security for the small business owner as well. Lastly, Jabber offers your company IT the department to control the messenger so that if you have any technical issues, you go to them, not a third party.

As far as paid apps go, there are quite a few to choose from but I'd like to focus on one in particular. An app called Slack. This app is relatively new to the market but it's been taking the market by storm for the past six or seven months and does so much more than just IM. The great part about this IM app is that it allows the user to create channels of communication. Channels include things like messaging, files, comments, projects, etc. and it provides users the ability to integrate things like DropBox and Google Drive which many companies use every day. Of course, awesomeness does come at a price. Also, if you've got time, check out this article on the creators of Slack, it's pretty serendipitous how it all came about.

Here's a great video on how Slack works in the workplace. I'd love to hear what you think about it. I personally think that apps like Slack are going to take the business world by storm in the next little while.

IM & Texting Etiquette

So your workplace has decided to use IM (instant messaging) and texting as a way to communicate more effectively. Fantastic! This will make conversations with your cube mate much easier, as well as the co-worker who telecommutes and is working on a project with you right now.

But not so fast there. There are a few things you should know before you start IMing your fellow employees.

Know the person you're IMing! A general rule is that if you haven't met in person, don't IM them. Even a quick phone call is preferable the first time you talk to someone before you start IMing. After you've established a rapport, feel free to IM.

Start with a short greeting. Offer a quick hello or hi and ask if they're available or if it's a good time for them. Starting off with your question from the get go is abrupt and shows the other party a lack of respect for their time. Also try to keep your message short and sweet. If you need to elaborate, e-mail might be a better format for your query.

The next one is a very important one. Be very careful when using abbreviations while texting or IMing someone. While BRB (be right back) or NP (no problem) may be appropriate, abbreviations like ROTFLMAO, LOL and U (you) may not be appropriate when conversing with a boss or higher up. Another thing to consider is that some people might not know some abbreviations that you use.

Another thing not to do is change meeting times or places via IM or text. The person meeting you may not check their IM before heading to the meeting. In this instance, it's much better to give the other parties a quick call to let them know what's going on. And always end a conversation or someone answering a question with a thank you. A little common courtesy goes a long way!

Finally, in regard to personal IM's, know your company's policy regarding them before engaging in them. If they're okay, don't waste your day on personal IM's. Keep it to a minimum or to your break times.

Etiquette aside, I found this video and thought it was quite amusing. It's actually a good way of knowing what's acceptable and what's not. You wouldn't say "heeeeeeey" to a co-worker face to face, so why would you do it over IM? Pay particular attention to the woman asking a 'quick question'.

I'd love to hear your thoughts and ideas about etiquette in the workplace. What do you find annoying when it comes to IMing at work? What do you think about this video? Share your comments below!

The Good, the Bad and the Ugly of IM & Texting in the Workplace

Ask almost anyone and they'll tell you that they use texting or IM at some point in their day whether for business or pleasure. It's everywhere. But is is a good thing or a bad thing in the business world?

The Good

IM and texting work on real time. They're fast, convenient and allow for workers to converse without leaving their desk. This in and of itself increases productivity and cuts down on wait time for emails. IM and texting offers convenience for those who work from a virtual office or travel for business frequently. They're still able to provide real time answers to co-workers without physically being there.

IM can also improve Customer Service. Some IM services are being installed into websites now so that customers can IM customer service and get answers to their problem instantly. This provides greater customer satisfaction by avoiding lengthy phone calls or emails to address a customer's concerns.

The Bad

The fact remains that some employers still see IM and texting as a distraction in the workplace and it can be if misused. An employee using it to chat to friends on company time can create a problem within the business. It can also been seen as less personal. It doesn't offer that face-to-face experience which means it can be impersonal and tone may be misunderstood as well. As with all forms of written communication, it's important to be clear and concise and watch for tone.

IM/texting misused can lead to  a lack of productivity.

The Ugly

There is always a downside and IM and texting are no exception. There is the possibility of security breech if a user isn't familiar with the possible risks . A person trying to infiltrate company information may send a virus through IM embedded in a link and if clicked, it could potentially leak important and sensitive data from within the company. The good news is, there are IMs out there to combat this risk, which we'll talk about a bit later.

An Intro to Messaging & Texting in the Workplace

In today's business world, Instant Messaging (IM) and texting have become integral to the communication process in the workplace. They provide employees the ability to send and receive information instantly without even leaving their office chair. 

Here's an example of how the workplace can benefit from IM and texting:

Mr. Smith runs a moderate sized company and has recently introduced the virtual office (employees work from home) to his business. Several of his employees choose to work from their virtual office, while some remain in the original office space. With a project deadline looming, staff from the virtual and main office are able to communicate in real time, just as if they had left their desk to talk to another at their desk. Both employees are able to provide information to the other while continuing to focus on their portion of work for the project. 

IM and texting can be beneficial for everyone in the workplace.

As with any technology, there's always pros and cons and that certainly holds true in the business world as well. In my upcoming entries, we'll discuss the pros and cons, do's and don'ts, the technologies available to businesses, and more.