Mike McBride Online

Career | Links

Linked: The problem isn’t remote working – it’s clinging to office-based practices
ByMike McBride June 28, 2021June 28, 2021 Reading Time: 2 minutes

Most things that I hear managers and CEO’s complain about remote working, like how their team feels disconnected, or suffers from “Zoom fatigue”, or might not be spending every minute of the 9-5 working for the company, are things that should have been true for those of us who worked remotely prior to 2020, but it wasn’t true.

When you design, and manage, for remote work, instead of forcing everyone to be in more meaningless meetings just so you can “see” them, or track their activities every minute of the day, these issues don’t exist.

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Career | Links

Linked: How Different Personality Types Cope with an Always-On Culture
ByMike McBride June 26, 2021June 26, 2021 Reading Time: 1 minute

The issue in mid-2021 is that there are a lot of people who have found ways to balance that suits them, and they are all a little different. So, after a year of figuring out the best way to handle our work and personal lives, individually, companies are forcing everyone back into the same template. The flexibility we had to find what works best for us as an individual, is gone. We all have to adjust back to whatever works for the CEO making this decision, as opposed to what works for us as individuals.

It’s hard to imagine that there are so many managers and executives who don’t understand this. Or maybe they just don’t care?

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Links | Tech

Linked: “I’m totally screwed.” WD My Book Live users wake up to find their data deleted
ByMike McBride June 25, 2021June 25, 2021 Reading Time: 1 minute

I hope the folks who lost data can somehow get it back. Losing data to a failure of any kind is a pain in the ass. On the other hand, if the ransomware plague has taught us anything, it’s to have backups, online and offline. Because anything connected to the infected device is at risk, but if I have a copy that isn’t connected to anything, it’s safe.

Yes, it’s more work. Yes, it takes time and effort.

So does figuring out how to deal with losing all of your data.

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Links | Security

Linked: This Phishing Email Almost Got Me
ByMike McBride June 23, 2021June 23, 2021 Reading Time: 1 minute

Doug’s experience tells me one thing, they’re getting better, and phishing emails are less obvious.

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Career | Links | Mental Health

Linked: Gallup: U.S. workers are among the most stressed in the world
ByMike McBride June 21, 2021June 21, 2021 Reading Time: 2 minutes

In the end, maybe that’s the take away I would want any manager to have. That each of your employees is an individual, with individual issues in their own lives in and out of work. Don’t assume you know, and don’t assume they are all OK. Consider some of the larger points about how you can contribute in a positive way to support your employees.

After all, you can either do what you can to help, and keep them with you, or lose them when they realize that the job that does nothing but cause additional stress, with no support, isn’t worth their mental health.

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Career

How Work From Anywhere Could Help Repair a Broken Employer – Employee Relationship
ByMike McBride June 19, 2021June 19, 2021 Reading Time: 4 minutes

So, I left, for a job I could do from anywhere. And, most of all, I appreciate the fact that I can do this job from anywhere, even if the pandemic has meant doing it from the same exact spot in my house for the last 15 months. Because, when the time comes, I can be where I need to be, and continue working. That matters. That shows that the company trusts me, and I want to continue to earn that trust by meeting deadlines and getting my work done.

That kind of relationship, or culture if you will, seems to be missing from many companies based on what I’m seeing other people talk about, online and off. Yet, every company out there like top brag about their top-notch “culture”.

Culture isn’t what you say you do, culture is what you do together. And if, together, you have no trust between employees and management, well that’s your culture, regardless of what your mission statements says.

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