When Should We Put Technology Aside?


I woke up to a text the other morning from one of my employees. The text had been sent at 12:30 AM! Now, I turn my phone off at night (other than making allowances for emergencies), so it did not wake me, but I have to admit to being a bit annoyed when the text was received. The message was sent from an individual I hired about a year ago. I hired them but they are supervised by someone else, so we do not talk every day. This person is from Gen Z. I am mentioning it because I believe this incident has to do something with the age and the generation they belong to.

Now, a few days prior to the text, I had received a message in my office that this individual wanted to talk to me. I reached out to them and told them that I am available from that time till I leave for vacation. Everyone at my office knew when I will be leaving, because we have had discussions over it. This person also knew that I would be leaving in a few days.

The morning I would be leaving for vacation is when the text was sent. The text stated several important things about them and the things they felt they needed to change in their work. That individual apologized for sending a text this late, but still chose to send it.

Now, I ended up picking up the phone and calling this individual to discuss her needs. We had a pleasant conversation, but the whole incident got me thinking.

We live in the information world. There are plenty of ways to communicate with our team. Sometimes text or WhatsApp might be appropriate. Email is still a very useful tool as well. However, there are just some times that a good old fashioned phone call (or a face-to-face) meeting is more appropriate. When it comes to important matters with your team members, perhaps I am old fashioned, but a conversation using your voice just seems like the professional
thing to do.

I love technology, but technology sometimes needs to takes a backseat to real human interaction? What happened to those good ‘ol sitdown conversations with another human
being?

For more information on this subject, please download and listen to The Appraiser Coach Podcast Episode:

 

7 thoughts on “When Should We Put Technology Aside?”

  1. I would’ve canned her.

    She was a not a rookie after a year, not under your direction and all the other things that an adult must know/be/do in our world.

    Don’t know her age … as if that matters.

    But, I’m old school.

  2. LaydeeAppraiser

    Wow. 😳 Someone would have “canned her”? For sending a late text or for texting in general? I’m old school too & believe that a text is the most casual, familiar way to communicate, not necessarily the most professional way…but I see more clients communicating this way now. (because they believe we check texts much more often than emails or even voicemail) and brokers pretty much never answer calls or emails & decidedly prefer texting now.

    While I do think we are losing our ability to communicate in a real professional way, it amuses me that this subject would be brought up by someone who has berated us for not getting on the “new technology train”. Lol!

    As for the lateness of the text, I used to also get a little irritated at late emails & texts from clients…I don’t consider it an issue any longer. I can always just silence my phone if I need to.

    People in general work at vastly different schedules now, especially since C19. And time zones can also be a factor. People with kids will often work late after everyones in bed & there’s peace & quiet.

    Let’s just say that the days of my youth when my parents had a strict “no phone calls after 9 pm” are waaayyy over. Back then if the phone rang after 9 it was either an emergency or really bad news that couldn’t wait. 🙁

    If we honestly are bothered by this stuff, it’s only fair to implement into our “policy manuals for employees” & make it crystal clear what we expect.

    P. S. Did you respond to that late text then or the next day?¯\_(ツ)_/¯

  3. “I am mentioning it because I believe this incident has to do something with the age and the generation they belong to”. Stereotyping a bit???
    By that logic you should be only utilizing a fax machine and a flip phone.

  4. You can put your phone on silent and it will still allow for designated contacts to reach you after hours. I see texting as the same as sending an email. Would you be upset if someone emailed you after hours? As much as we would all love it, especially my wife, this is not a 9 to 5 profession. For those lucky few who can keep it between those hours, I’m super jelly!

    I prefer talking to a person over sending them a text, but I won’t call after 8:30 pm unless I know the person is okay with calls that late. There have been many late-night texts to Real Estate agents when I needed to confirm a property’s condition or a concessions amount.

  5. Technology in business is a growing need. Technology helps us keep important data safe and less vulnerable to vulnerabilities. Or, for example, viewing anyone’s messages without installing software.

  6. Considering the majority of your key staff is from the Philippines where there is a 15 hour time difference, would seem par for the course. For the record, I thought hiring a bunch of people and delegating responsibilities was to supposed to avoid such encounters. In the future, just have them stick to the script where every location is neutral, every condition is C3. and quality of construction is Q3 and or Q4 across the board.

    Hope this helps, and seek the truth.

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