Quoted by Matt on December 8 2009:
So maybe it’s time for you to join the movement. Why not carve out an hour or two a week, tell your colleagues and customers that you have cleared your schedule, that you’ll be sitting in your office, and that you hope to hear what they’re worried about, excited about, or confused about. It’s nothing fancy, nothing all that cutting edge, but it may be your most productive time of the entire week.
—
William C. Taylor in Should You Hold “Office Hours”? [Harvard Business]
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11 comments so far
anonymous 08 Dec 09
wish my team and company does such things…they just dont understand how many complex problems could be solved by just listening to people.
Blue Sail Creative 08 Dec 09
Well in the service business, we speak with our clients on a daily basis anyway. This seems more applicable to business models that generally shelter the executives.
Good idea though.
Jamie, Baymard Institute 08 Dec 09
Listening (and perhaps even interacting!) with your colleagues and customers is always a good idea. You shouldn’t do it to join a movement though.
Joshua Dance 08 Dec 09
I love the idea. Having “office hours” changes your mindset about people you need to interact with. Wish every leader had office hours.
Jagath 09 Dec 09
Agree with Jamie. I know managers who maintain an “open door policy”. Usually, it is just a sham. Just a pretense to show that “we listen”.
What is more important is what you do with the feedback people give you – whether it is your customers or your employees.
At most companies, employees disregard “open door policies” just because they know their opinion is not going to be valued.
Don’t just join the movement, practice the spirit of the idea.
Bill 09 Dec 09
@37signals
Do you mean like youre “CEO Office Hours”
http://37signals.com/officehours
Which, ironically, I’ve noticed is no longer linked anywhere on your site.
JF 09 Dec 09
Hey Bill: Nothing ironic about it. The office hours link is visible right at the top of the 37signals.com home page while office hours are open. Just like the day we launched.
Bill 09 Dec 09
Why would you only display your office hours when your office is OPEN ?
Especially since most of the day and week it closed.
J 09 Dec 09
Bill, where are your office hours posted? I’d like to call you and take 4 hours out of your week. Maybe I’ll ask you why I can’t have more of your time to answer my questions.
Bill 09 Dec 09
@J
You have missed understood what I meant to say.
All I’m saying is … you should post “when” your office hours are at all time, even if it’s just 4 hours per week.
I’ll use an analogy. Let’s say I go to a bakery, but the bakery is closed. Unfortunately, the bakery (like 37signals), does not post when they will reopen. So I have no idea when to come back to visit.
Make sense now?
JF 09 Dec 09
Bill: I like that Office Hours are a little quirky. More about discovery if you happen to be browsing at that time. More like a K-Mart Blue Light special – it’s only advertised when it’s on (but hopefully higher quality).
Comments are closed