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Now You're Virtually Working

Posted December 18, 2010 7:00 AM

The latest innovation in working remotely involves sending a robot avatar that looks something like a floor lamp to the office in your place. As long as you are the only robot in your office, it will be a novelty and undoubtedly get considerable attention. Would you want to send an avatar instead of going yourself? What would you do with it? Can you work effectively? How would your coworkers react? Would they find the robot easier to get along with? What will happen when everybody goes to work that way?

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Guru
United Kingdom - Member - Olde Member!! Engineering Fields - Instrumentation Engineering - New Member

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#1

Re: Now You're Virtually Working

12/19/2010 10:46 AM

It may well be the only way a boss would approve of you working at home, if he/she could see that you were at your desk, answering questions and working, it would be ideal!!!

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#2

Re: Now You're Virtually Working

12/20/2010 6:09 PM

I work 'virtually' quite a lot. Not in the movie portrayal, but 'from outside their office space'.

There might be some advantage to placing a virtual me in their space - were it semi-autonomous, able to conduct independent conversations, edit it down to a synopsis and let me know if it's relevant to the project.

Or basically, several, if not many, would 'find the robot easier to get along with'.

It may also be handy for clients who decide what I 'need to know' is strictly the information ranking that ruled out the 'solvable path' they haven't found. Or don't know how to tell me, or don't think I should be 'wasting time' finding out what I actually need to know. I.e. my spy.

In the reverse case - i.e. the 'boss surveilling me, it's not usually an issue, as the flow of emails usually makes it fairly clear what I'm doing and why, the next actioning by them required, or data required, and so forth.

However, one factor in this generally quite solitary existence, is 'lack of interaction distractions' that often facilitate 'unconscious solving' of a problem.

Or, essentially a 'virtual other person' (of choice), to chat to (a bit like I use CR4) would be nice at times.

Or the above is 'the other perspective' to gregarious centered values being the prime reason to go to work.

"What will happen when everybody goes to work that way?"

I think I sense panic building in HR

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