In his new book, The Year Without Pants: WordPress.com and the Future of Work, author Scott Berkun outlined what he learned while working as a manager at the major blog company.
On today’s Morning Media Menu, Berkun shared insights that can help editors, publishers and writers cope with the rapidly changing digital workplace. Press play below to listen, but here’s an excerpt:
Working remotely at all is considered taboo at some companies, but I think that is foolish. It should all be focused on the results instead of these superficial characteristics. If someone can work well remotely, then where they are in the world shouldn’t really matter that much. It should be focused on their output and their results.
Berkun continued:
Everyone at WordPress.com works remotely or works from home, which means there are no office hours, no set place to go to work. One of the big discoveries in the book is about co-working and finding places where other independent workers are working. There are social benefits that come from being in a room with other people who are working. Even if you are not working on the same thing. Wise managers or employers should be open-minded about allowing their employees to experiment and try co-working spaces.
He concluded:
So much of what goes on in any kind of work–whether it’s journalism or making software or anything–we are superficial creatures and we get hung up on superficial things like who has the corner office or who stays late. But that’s rarely tied to being productive. One of the big advice I can offer any manager is that times are changing and technology has empowered people. It forces anyone in a leadership role to reevaluate what it is they actually provide. If you are a manager of writers or journalists, these are pretty independent tasks.