Mediums create expectations around availability, presence, and response times.
Phone (excluding VOIP): availability is not expected, but once call is picked up, response is immediate.
Email: availability is guaranteed (if you know their email), and a response times range from minutes to next day.
IM / Slack: Availability is known and a response expected in the seconds / minutes range if you are available.
It comes down to using the right tool for the job@ "hej Jeb, you in the office?" - use IM.
Then go over to Jeb's office to continue the discussion on whether to go with solution A or solution B. Its an indepth discussion that takes over an hour and Jeb closes his door so the two of you can discuss without interruption.
Back in your own office, you email Jeb with a summary of the discussion and the points agreed.
Jeb calls back saying "hey, i'm not sure about para X"... You discuss it over the phone, issue is resolved in a couple of minutes. You post the updated document to the internal wiki and email the team.
Feeling productive, you decide its time for a coffee, you slack the channel asking who would care to join you.
When a company normalises the expectation of getting a response to anything in seconds, interruptions happen all the time and productivity takes a hit.
Also, I hate open offices and thank heavens I only have had to work in one for a few months. The only true progress we ever made was going through the lunch menus of all the nearby restuarants.
On the other hand having say, a handful of people in a room (three or four) is a good balance between the chaos of open office (and real estate cost efficiencies) and giving everyone their own (potentially isolating) office.
Phone (excluding VOIP): availability is not expected, but once call is picked up, response is immediate.
Email: availability is guaranteed (if you know their email), and a response times range from minutes to next day.
IM / Slack: Availability is known and a response expected in the seconds / minutes range if you are available.
It comes down to using the right tool for the job@ "hej Jeb, you in the office?" - use IM.
Then go over to Jeb's office to continue the discussion on whether to go with solution A or solution B. Its an indepth discussion that takes over an hour and Jeb closes his door so the two of you can discuss without interruption.
Back in your own office, you email Jeb with a summary of the discussion and the points agreed.
Jeb calls back saying "hey, i'm not sure about para X"... You discuss it over the phone, issue is resolved in a couple of minutes. You post the updated document to the internal wiki and email the team.
Feeling productive, you decide its time for a coffee, you slack the channel asking who would care to join you.
When a company normalises the expectation of getting a response to anything in seconds, interruptions happen all the time and productivity takes a hit.
Also, I hate open offices and thank heavens I only have had to work in one for a few months. The only true progress we ever made was going through the lunch menus of all the nearby restuarants.
On the other hand having say, a handful of people in a room (three or four) is a good balance between the chaos of open office (and real estate cost efficiencies) and giving everyone their own (potentially isolating) office.