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Oracle Tips by Burleson |
Appearance
Many companies have a dress code that
requires adherence. At a minimum, failure to comply with proper
work attire can be a distraction in the workplace. IT employees are
professionals, and that includes how they maintain their appearance
in the work environment. Appearance reflects upon the basic
character and work ethic of an individual. Isn’t it conceivable
that someone who does not take the time to present a decent
appearance or wantonly flaunts indecency would have the same
attitude carry over into their work activities?
Specific dress code and appearance
requirements should be documented for all IT employees. The
employer should ensure that all employees have access to the
information and that they understand it. Many computer professionals
started out as the geeks who enjoyed spending days upon days in
computer labs solving programming or hardware problems.
Dress Code and Appearance - Shatz
There was a college student who was called
Shatz. He was large, drank soda pop like water, emptied the vending
machines daily, and basically lived in the computer center. He wore
his pizza and snacks on his t-shirt every day.
He and a buddy use to play pranks on each
other in the lab to see who could mess up the other’s computer
projects the most through legitimate remote intrusion. Shatz’s buddy
kept sending him code that kept blanking his screen, and he could
not get any work done. Well he got back at his buddy in a big way.
He initiated code that started locking his buddy’s computer files.
Shatz was one of the smartest students in
the computer science curriculum, but his knowledge was not always
applied to the objectives set forth in the class. He had a careless
attitude about what he should work on. As a result, he would often
not do what he was assigned by the professor.
His appearance and unprofessional demeanor
also kept him from finding a decent job soon after graduation. His
buddies knew how smart he was, but prospective employers could not
see past the long hair and untidy appearance. Could they have
possibly been thinking about how this person would work out in a
professional office environment? Probably.
The same is true for currently employed IT
professional. A professional environment should have some level of
professional appearance. Structure begets structure. Professional
appearance and decency tend to beget a professional work ethic. Not
only is appearance important, but so is professional demeanor.
The above book excerpt is from:
You're Fired!
Firing Computer Professionals
The IT
manager Guide for Terminating "With Cause"
ISBN 0-9744486-4-8
Robert Papaj
http://www.rampant-books.com/book_2005_1_firing.htm |
