The amount of travel going on at my work is diminishing dramatically and videoconferencing is going up a lot. Mostly due to economic pressure. The videoconferencing kit was all good to go back in 2008, but it didn't get the use back then. See, the top-level oldsters where I work watch Mad Men and think it's a new-fangled hipster office environment. But even they must eventually succumb to economic reality. My job before this one was at a company that was very new and extremely focused on cost savings. When I first came here, I was appalled at the amount of cash they blew on travel. At the last place, people would get fired if they pulled the kind of shit the senior executives here expect of people (and enforce!).
Has the New Reality(R) affected your work like that too?
In Alberta all the prisoners are kept inside their jail and make all but trial and bail appearances via videoconferencing. I gather there's also a much bigger willingness to have witness in trials appear by videoconferencing. I gather this saves the system a huge sum in transportation costs.
In Yukon the travel distances are vastly greater. Yet every prisoner is personally escorted out to make every single appearance in court. I could never get judges to agree to video conferencing (except the one time my witness was quadrapalegic) because they wanted to see the whites of their eyes. It was stupid to be honest. But so much government money was floating around that no one raised a fuss over it.
Oh, also in Yukon, you would routinely have about 4 separate vehicles travelling out to circuit court: 1 defence counsel, 1 Crown, 1 probation officer, and the court party (judge, clerk, sheriff). And no, nobody was allowed to double up or give rides to people in different departments. :rolleyes:
Quote from: Barrister on July 13, 2011, 05:06:54 PMOh, also in Yukon, you would routinely have about 4 separate vehicles travelling out to circuit court: 1 defence counsel, 1 Crown, 1 probation officer, and the court party (judge, clerk, sheriff). And no, nobody was allowed to double up or give rides to people in different departments. :rolleyes:
Why is this a bad policy?
Quote from: Ideologue on July 13, 2011, 06:41:31 PM
Quote from: Barrister on July 13, 2011, 05:06:54 PMOh, also in Yukon, you would routinely have about 4 separate vehicles travelling out to circuit court: 1 defence counsel, 1 Crown, 1 probation officer, and the court party (judge, clerk, sheriff). And no, nobody was allowed to double up or give rides to people in different departments. :rolleyes:
Why is this a bad policy?
Yeah, I ain't riding with the Crown.
Defence is the only one that will let you bring the bong.
If they all piled into one van, the entire province's judicial system may have been taken out in a car crash.
Quote from: Ed Anger on July 13, 2011, 06:51:52 PM
If they all piled into one van, the entire province's judicial system may have be taken out in a car crash.
FREEBARRISTER!!!!!!111
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We make extensive use of videoconferencing, but I work with plenty of people who feel that VTCs can't replace face-to-face meetings, because they feel too many side discussions will go on that they won't know about. I personally think its an overly paranoid position, but I can see how they might arrive at that conclusion.
We don't seem to do much videoconferencing at the new place, but plenty of conference calls, GTMs, and shit like that. We're making our ERP client relationship guy come out here from California for a week at the end of July. :nelson:
I'll have to go to Chicago every couple of months or more, and probably out to California where we did a huge acquisition in Newport Beach. Also, it's likely I'll visit our ERP vendor too... they're in Santa Barbara.
Quote from: Barrister on July 13, 2011, 05:06:54 PM
In Alberta all the prisoners are kept inside their jail and make all but trial and bail appearances via videoconferencing.
They use "The Skype" for arraignments here as well.
For anyone not dealing with the Asian market, travel has been replace by conference calls, shared dev environment & skype.
Those that deal with the Asian market are fucked & travel alot. It's probably more of timezone issue then anything else tho. Unless the Chinese really hate Videoconferencing.
I don't know the little things about travelling tho. Except visitors that come here expect free lunches(and get it).
I travel all the fucking time for Uncle Sam and I personally spend 15% of my week filling out all the paper work to get all my travel expenses reimbursed. We have massive amounts of video conferencing capability but an almost unbelievable aversion to utilizing it.
Quote from: Ideologue on July 13, 2011, 06:41:31 PM
Quote from: Barrister on July 13, 2011, 05:06:54 PMOh, also in Yukon, you would routinely have about 4 separate vehicles travelling out to circuit court: 1 defence counsel, 1 Crown, 1 probation officer, and the court party (judge, clerk, sheriff). And no, nobody was allowed to double up or give rides to people in different departments. :rolleyes:
Why is this a bad policy?
Pretty fucking huge waste of money?
Oh - I mist-spoke, because on anything further than 2 hours from Whitehorse, the court party would
charter an airplane to fly in and out, while defence, Crown, probations and the like would drive. Yeah, judge, your time is hardly that valuable that you need a private aircraft to avoid a 5 hour drive...
Quote from: MadImmortalMan on July 13, 2011, 04:46:44 PM
Has the New Reality(R) affected your work like that too?
Italian companies have still difficulties to adjust to the Old Reality, go figure to the New One...
L.
I've only ever videconferenced for a job interview. I do have very regular teleconferences, and nearly all my interviews are carried over the phone. However, to get unique stories, I really have to travel and see stuff, and talk to people I wouldn't normally approach to find breaking news.
Quote from: MadImmortalMan on July 13, 2011, 04:46:44 PM
Has the New Reality(R) affected your work like that too?
To an extent.
After working at the state (which had no money) then medical academia (which had tons of money, just not for security), I still get surprised at the sheer digits Fortune 500 throws away at the silliest shit. That includes a shitload of useless travel.
Quote from: CountDeMoney on July 14, 2011, 04:42:36 AM
To an extent.
After working at the state (which had no money) then medical academia (which had tons of money, just not for security), I still get surprised at the sheer digits Fortune 500 throws away at the silliest shit. That includes a shitload of useless travel.
"Friendraising." I lol'ed.
I do business with people all over the state...but have never seen what any of them look like. I do not really see the point to be honest. We just have to agree on a contract and pricing not hair styles. The phone and e-mail get the job done fine.
Which is good because the University budget got cut again. The State of Texas now provides us with a whoping 10% of our budget. I say we should just become a private school then we could set our own tuition.
For my projects I still insist on meeting my clients in person for the project kickoff. That usually means flying to some other part the country & an overnight stay for just a 2-2.5 hour meeting, but I've found that the projects go much more smoothly if make the trip. I usually have a bunch of forms for them to sign and they seem to be a lot more responsive for the project deliverables I need from them if they've spoken with me face to face.
Then for most conversions I need to be on site with the bank to help bring their ATMs online with my network and provide on-site support.
One thing I have started to do remotely with some success is training. If I can't combine the training into my conversion trip, I'll do their training remotely via Webex. I generally prefer to do training on-site since I can tell if they're paying attention or ignoring me, but scheduling gets tricky with everything going on the week or two before a conversion and there's more flexibility doing the training remotely.
Theoretically, I should be able to do everything remotely, but each time we've experimented with that it's had negative effects. Bank employees get too entrenched in their routines and are resistant to any kind of change. So I need to be on-site to 1) strike the fear of God into them and 2) hold their hands as they cope with change.
Travel expenses are written into the contracts, so I'm immune to any internal pressure to cut costs by reducing travel.
Quote from: CountDeMoney on July 14, 2011, 04:42:36 AM
After working at the state (which had no money) then medical academia (which had tons of money, just not for security), I still get surprised at the sheer digits Fortune 500 throws away at the silliest shit. That includes a shitload of useless travel.
I've had similar experiences just moving from one part of the company (operations, where you do everything possible to cut costs) to another (sales/marketing, where the cash flows freely).
Quote from: Valmy on July 14, 2011, 08:07:47 AM
I do business with people all over the state...but have never seen what any of them look like. I do not really see the point to be honest. We just have to agree on a contract and pricing not hair styles. The phone and e-mail get the job done fine.
Which is good because the University budget got cut again. The State of Texas now provides us with a whoping 10% of our budget. I say we should just become a private school then we could set our own tuition.
I think it is much easier to do business with someone if you have met them before.
Quote from: Valmy on July 14, 2011, 08:07:47 AMI say we should just become a private school then we could set our own tuition.
It'd be easier once that sweet sweet TV cash starts flowing in.
Quote from: MadImmortalMan on July 14, 2011, 03:04:48 PM
It'd be easier once that sweet sweet TV cash starts flowing in.
Yeah the athletic department is a totally separate organization financially. Whatever they make they keep and we give them nothing and vice versa. However supposedly ESPN is going to do something for us....like they might televise some of the fine arts productions and famous lecturers and such. Might get some cash there.
Quote from: Valmy on July 14, 2011, 03:07:48 PM
Yeah the athletic department is a totally separate organization financially. Whatever they make they keep and we give them nothing and vice versa. However supposedly ESPN is going to do something for us....like they might televise some of the fine arts productions and famous lecturers and such. Might get some cash there.
I read somewhere that ~50% of the money from the new network is going to go to the school for the first...I think it was 5 years of the contract. Might have been 10.
Anyway, OT, I do everything via phone and email. My wife, who works for the UT system (Health Science Center SA) does as well for the most part. She occasionally has to "travel" up to Austin for various things, but no biggie.
My job makes me go everywhere. :(
I do know the 'paperless office' is a load of bullshit.
Quote from: Ed Anger on July 14, 2011, 06:54:58 PM
I do know the 'paperless office' is a load of bullshit.
Which is why I drive people nuts with paper staff reviews, 3-ring binders, log books and printed emails that are signed and dated by my underlings as a read receipt.
Being a Luddite means never having to hear "I didn't get that email".
Quote from: Ed Anger on July 14, 2011, 06:54:58 PM
I do know the 'paperless office' is a load of bullshit.
Damn nuisance if you take a dump, apart from anything else.