Water Cooler Confabs: Productive or Not?
OfficeTeam is a staffing agency that frequently issues press releases on surveys it has conducted on workplace or career issues. While statistically not exactly rigorous—the one I'm referencing has a sample size in one group of just 100—these surveys are often interesting.
The latest is on how employees and management differ in their views of water cooler conversations. Here's the breakdown:
Yes, it's predictable: employees say those conversations make them more productive while managers are more skeptical. By itself, the survey is a minor blip, something I wouldn't have taken a second note of. But when I saw it, I was reminded of a comment that Margaret Wheatley made at a small group meeting about the future of associations. She said that she's seeing a return to more command-and-control leadership in business.
I blew it off at the time because I didn't see it happening—I still can't say I see any evidence of it within the association community. But managers who don't see the value of casual conversation, as in the OfficeTeam study, make me wonder. I'm curious what people out there think: Is there too much idle chatter in your office? And perhaps an important follow-up question: How do you know it's idle? I don't learn something useful in every conversation, but I am often surprised that chit chat leads to something that is useful to me personally or professionally (and really, what helps one helps the other). Idle? Put me solidly in the camp that sees value in the water cooler gang.
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Comments
I’m with you, Scott. I think that sometimes it’s easy to dismiss casual hallway conversations as “idle chatter” when you’re just walking by, but I often get great ideas that way. And even if the conversation isn’t at all business related, it helps to build trust and camaraderie among staff, which can be incredibly valuable when crunch times come along.
Of course, if a manager has team members that aren’t accomplishing their goals at work and also spend a lot of time talking … that could be an issue. But if the work is getting done, I think watercooler chats are more helpful than not.
Posted by: Lisa Junker | June 28, 2006 7:41 PM
You know, Lisa, I almost added a paragraph to the post that essentially was going to say what you did--that is, if someone isn't getting their work done and yet has time to chit chat, then something's wrong. But then I thought, "when was the last time I felt like my work was done?" If I ever have, I don't recall it. The point is, management is every bit as much art as science. You just have to know when someone is avoiding work by hanging out the cooler, and take action to correct it.
Posted by: Scott Briscoe | June 28, 2006 11:26 PM
Exactly. That person hanging out by the water cooler may be exchanging ideas with co-workers; may be rewarding herself with a break after completing a major project; or even may be in need of more challenging assignments to work on. As a manager, the important thing is to be aware of how things stand and adjust the person's goals and challenges accordingly.
Personally, I think that's one of the fun parts of being a manager!
Posted by: Lisa Junker | June 29, 2006 8:18 AM