The promise of unified communications can be ruined by bad management practices. Employees are starting to push back on the model of always on/always reachable.
Promised productivity gains are infringing upon worker family time and at-work concentration to critical tasks. Some companies, such as Intel, have begun to institute "communications free" time where email, IM, and phones are turned off in response to work complaints about being constantly interrupted and unable to find quiet time for work.
UC proponents say the answer is not mandatory communications blackout periods, but better user control and training of employees to set boundaries of when they can and can't be interrupted. They also suggest some old fashioned training on time management rather than blaming UC and setting up rule sets so they don't get calls after 6 p.m. or at home.
For more
- SearchUnifiedCommunications.com piece on UC
ruined by bad management [1]
Related articles:
Carriers can clarify UC
confusion [2]
UC
Confuses SMBs [3]
Marketing mudding
VoIP and UC [4]; getting creative
Links:
[1] http://searchunifiedcommunications.techtarget.com/news/article/0,289142,sid186_gci1318924,00.html
[2] http://www.fiercetelecom.com/story/carriers-can-clarify-uc-confusion/2008-06-16
[3] http://www.fierceenterprisecommunications.com/story/uc-confuses-smbs/2008-05-31
[4] http://www.fierceenterprisecommunications.com/story/marketing-mudding-voip-and-uc-getting-creative/2008-05-05