Workplace Uptime Is Valued By Measurement
What is most memorable, workplace uptime or the glitches, stumbles, and falls? Sometimes what is the most valued is also the easiest to take for granted.
Focus often starts with a surprise. Even at the birthday party the element of surprise seems to create a lasting impression.
When the shipment is delayed, unexpectedly, it’s considered a surprise. The same is true for the power outage, the broken heating or cooling system, and a shipping container full of faulty circuit boards.
Uptime and downtime are often discussed in technology. It is also relevant for manufacturing plants and traffic lights.
If you’re using WiFi or a wired system for internet access how do you measure it’s success? Is it measured by how long it has been up or is the conversation more about how long it has been down?
The State of Texas recently (Feb. 2021) had a deep freeze, one of the worst on modern record. Measurements of uptime, for decades, didn’t seem to matter. It was the horror of downtime that grasp the most attention.
Workplace Uptime
In the workplace everyone gains efficiency and effectiveness as a result of the system. There is a system of processes, there are rules, procedures, and policies. When everything clicks, it’s usually pretty good.
There is a surprise when it doesn’t click. The flow is gone, the disruption is a threat. It’s an open door for competition, and many fear that if it isn’t quickly managed it may be the beginning of the end.
All of those may be true. The quest to minimize or eliminate downtime is real.
When you forget about the threat of downtime, it makes uptime seem so much less meaningful.
It shouldn’t take downtime to understand the value of what is being created on 99.999 percent of the other days.
-DEG
Dennis E. Gilbert is a business consultant, speaker (CSPTM), and culture expert. He is a five-time author and the founder of Appreciative Strategies, LLC. His business focuses on positive human performance improvement solutions through Appreciative Strategies®. Reach him through his website at Dennis-Gilbert.com or by calling +1 646.546.5553.
