Am I Still On The Call?

By KAREN NEOH

karen.neoh@leaderonomics.com

Excellent. SPOT ON! There was a time when this video would have been totally lost on me. And it is only now that I have extricated myself from the world of midnight – 3 continent conference calls that I find it hysterically funny. Organising events with team members in 2 other countries, and the event in a third, didn’t faze us but did occasionally have us throwing our hands up in the air (synchronously I would bet!) and in fits of giggles.

I have had conference calls with people as they drove home from work, as they bent down and cooed gently to toddlers and once, just once, I am pretty sure someone on the call was at a football game.

Of course, there is still value in conference calls, even if you hear your colleague’s dog barking thousands of miles away. In fact, I sometimes wished for the goofy and unexpected, just so that the disembodied voices felt real.

In light of the recent ruling in France as well as Germany to protect employees from work email outside office hours, it is worth considering (rejoicing!) if late night conference calls will go down the same path.

In my humble opinion, having conference calls isn’t an ideal way to stay connected, however team alignment and bonds can still be forged. And just as importantly, projects can progress without the risk of lost and/or misinterpreted emails.

Emails! Don’t get me started on that :o)

Karen has rather bizarrely maintained a childlike side to herself – always keen to see, learn and do new things. Yet she has remained grounded on finding the best way to help people – especially those who have the skills and heart to do incredible things. Write to us at editor@leaderonomics.com. For more leadership articles, click here.