Work is hard. It's frustrating trying to work within the constraints of your job, your projects, and with the people around you. We all seem to have conflicting needs and desires, and often clash over when, why, and how we should meet our goals. Work is also long, a place and task at which many of us spend a large percentage of our waking hours.

When we feel bound by rules, or limited by restrictions, it can be even more frustrating. I know many people that reconsider their choice of an IT career, not because of the work or even workload, but more because of the way they are treated. It's especially true for many companies that place heavy restrictions on equipment. I tried to negotiate for two monitors for one job in the interview, but the manager said he'd never get approval from his boss.

My employer, Red Gate Software, takes a different approach, as shown by Simon Cooper in this blog. Need another monitor, just ask. Want a faster, or bigger, drive, just ask. Need a book, just buy it. Really, if you want something reasonable to help you do your job, it's allowed. I know people in other companies that not only can't get approval for buying a book for work, they get chastised for even asking.

I know that costs are hard to contain, and there likely will be people that abuse their privileges, but that's easy to handle: revoke privileges for that person. There's no need to do that for everyone, despite what most HR departments think. Telecommuting options ought to be the same way. Let employees try it and if they can't get work done, remove the privilege for that person only.

If more managers behaved reasonably, and allowed their employees more freedom, they might be surprised just how much more work, at a higher level of quality, would get finished.

Steve Jones

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