My Love/Hate Relationship with Deadlines

In this post, Tavia discusses her relationship with deadlines...

Deadlines. Where do I begin? Let me start here: I don't like them. They loom like a thick dark cloud over my head, pressuring me to get the job done. In this line of work, deadlines are a given. They happen everyday. Each morning, I go over my list of projects and get direction on what is due first. And then the work begins.

I am constantly trying to hit the mark, not only with time, but with the right design. If I miss a deadline, I have to explain why. Maybe a more urgent project came in. Or maybe the creative process took longer then I anticipated. Consequently, my coworkers are affected, because they can't complete their portion of the job. When projects and deadlines pile up, I sometimes feel overwhelmed.

This past week I was met with a little extra time and some breathing room with deadlines that were not as urgent as past weeks. I thought to myself that it would be a great time to get ahead on some internal projects as well as a bit of professional development. Unfortunately, that didn't work out as well as I thought it would, and I got to thinking about why. I realized that I had too much time in between projects. Time to be sidetracked. Time to not stay on task.

Here's the thing: I like deadlines. They push me. They give my workday structure. And if I don't have them, I have a harder time staying focused. I thrive on knowing exactly when a project is due. I like having a list and checking things off. And I love the feeling of accomplishment when I send out an email knowing a project has been done on time. So although the amount of deadlines can sometimes get overwhelming throughout a workday, I'm glad I have them to keep me on my toes.

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Employee Posts Become Even More Controversial

You may have read the news today and saw the headline Labor board: Facebook vent against supervisor not grounds for firing, but not have clicked on it in lieu of Mobile phones may diagnose STDs. However, I encourage you to go back and take another look ...

As a former recruiter (many years ago now), I was pretty up-to-speed in the whole HR legal side of business. Today, I just keep my ear to the ground and do some limited speaking engagements on the meshing of HR and social media. So, while this headline may not have peaked your interest ... it did mine.

And what a piece of news it is! Wow. This may be a defining moment in social media should it come to pass. So let's recap:

(Legal note: The following is paraphrased and editorialized and should not be misconstrued as actual fact in any way shape or form. For full coverage, valid reporting and balanced coverage, visit www.cnn.com.)

• Employee blasts supervisor many times on Facebook - it gets real ugly.
• Other employees chime in, too, adding equally unflattering remarks.
• Employee gets fired.
• Employee goes to union labor board and questions firing decision.
• Labor board goes bonko and states that the posts are a "protected concerted activity."
• Everyone's up in arms and it's goin' to trial.

Or close to that scenario, but you get the drift.

Here's the thing. It is possible that the court will find her unprofessional rantings not just cause for firing based solely on the fact that she is considered to be a union employee (or in a position that could be a union employee). Her comments, while defamatory, were conducted on her own time, not at work. And, here's the real kicker, because the other employees added their comments in as well, it is considered to be "water cooler" talk. If they hadn't chimed in, it would be a different scenario.

Now, what does this mean for business' highly crafted social media policies? For the most part, not a lot. Professionals and supervisors can still get sacked if they pull that same stunt if there is a social media policy in place that states as such. But for other positions, it may mean something all together.

Of course, until the courts decide, we won't know for sure. But, this is a critical issue. Because it isn't truly just "water cooler" talk now is it? It's viral. It's employees and all of their friends and their friends of friends.

I think HR professionals will want to keep close tabs on the result of this battle. It may significantly influence future social media policies, but more than that, no one wants a lawsuit should this case be found in favor of the plaintiff.

That being said. I do just want to point out the ridiculousness of this situation. Why would anyone lambaste their supervisor or employer on Facebook in the first place? Where have common sense and manners gone?

I mean, really. If we would simply all follow our mother's advice: "If you have nothing nice to say, then say nothing at all." Then, we wouldn't even need those pesky lawyers and our world would be rainbows and unicorns.