Pimp Your Work

Work rules to keep your geek happy

by Tris Hussey on March 16th, 2007

Nomadishere had this awesome post (lots diggs and comments) with 8 “rules” to keep geeks happy and a follow up that he didn’t mean to say geeks are elitists:

#1. Let them work when they want

#2. Let them work where they want

#3. Let them control their lighting

#4. Let them wear headphones

#5. Do not expect them to wear a suit

#6. Do not make them participate in company events (unless you are sure it is geek-friendly)

#7. Do not hold a lot of arbitrary meetings that could have otherwise been handled through email or IM

#8. Do not make them do anything other than work 
Hat tip to 901am

These points give you some real insight into what makes geeks tick.  Like #3, lighting.  My eyes are very sensitive to light.  In my case it comes from frying my eye staring into a microscope for two years, but staring at a computer all day (and night) doesn’t help.  When I get a headache/migraine I can’t stand light and I know when to quit because I can’t stand to look at even a computer or TV (I’m borderline right now and pushing to finish this post).

One key point to understand about geeks is that many of us (myself included) have ADD.  This is a good thing in reality.  See it’s ADD that often makes us good at what we do.  It let’s us:

• multitask
• hyper-focus (I know this seems contradictory, but it’s true)
• juggle complex stuff in our heads

Unfortunately it also tends to make us a tad oblivious, scatterbrained, and messy.  Hey, you have to take the good with the bad.  This is one big reason I listen to music while I work.  Music keeps the right-side of my brain distracted and happy while the left side can focus.  When I really need hyperfocus, the headphones come out.  I’ve even done this in a meeting when I needed to use a whiteboard to rough out some thoughts and idea.  Yeah a bit strange and anti-social, but you know you pay me for my brains so let me unleash it how I need to!

If you manage geeks or are a geek, read the tips/rules over. Maybe post them on your cube wall (the outside … like read these before entering).

Doing what we can to help you pimp you work man!

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POSTED IN: Staying Sane, Workplace Wellness, Survival Skills