Working remotely has been lauded as a great opportunity–and in some cases, considered better than working in an office. I submit that this isn’t always the case, depending on the work being done and the people involved. Read more on When Working Remotely Fails in Practice…
Workplace
Teaching and Learning with Atomic Roundtables
Recently, Atomic Object Grand Rapids created a new lunchtime practice that we call Roundtables. The concept is (intentionally) simple. Roundtables happen on the first and third Thursday of each month in our café space. We keep a sign-up sheet on the side of our refrigerator. Anybody is welcome to sign up to host on a topic of their choosing.
Read more on Teaching and Learning with Atomic Roundtables…
Onboarding at Atomic: A New Atom’s Perspective
If you’re a frequent reader of Spin, you may have read Jesse’s post about our onboarding guidelines here at Atomic Object. At the end of the post, the importance of gathering feedback from new Atoms is discussed. I’m here to provide that feedback.
Read more on Onboarding at Atomic: A New Atom’s Perspective…
Should I Speak Up?
Regular readers of Atomic Spin probably already know that Crucial Conversations is required reading for all new Atoms. The authors—Patterson, Grenny, Maxfield, McMillan, and Switzler—didn’t stop there, however. They’ve written several books, including the one I’ve been reading lately, Crucial Accountability.
While reading one of the earlier chapters, I was struck by four simple questions to determine whether or not you should speak up at work. Imagine the very plausible situation where a manager walks into a meeting and presents the “plan” that he or she developed in isolation and expects everyone to follow. You may have some reservations, but should you say anything? The following questions can help you decide.
Read more on Should I Speak Up?…
Introducing ENIAC Six: Atomic’s Room Named for the Women who Programmed the ENIAC
The various meeting spaces in Atomic’s new building will be named after designers and developers we value for their contributions to their fields, and to our history as a company. As renovation on our building continued, we realized we had an additional room to name. Atomic’s last meeting room is named after the little-known group of women who programmed the ENIAC—the world’s first all-digital, Turing-complete, general-purpose computer. Read more on Introducing ENIAC Six: Atomic’s Room Named for the Women who Programmed the ENIAC…
The Grad’s Dilemma: How I Found a Software Job that Fits
As a student about to graduate from a large, highly competitive Computer Science program, I felt a great deal of pressure from the university and from my peers to follow one of two career paths: Join a start-up and become one of its heroic, high-risk/high-reward founders; or snag one of those coveted, high-paying positions at a Silicon Valley tech behemoth.
Read more on The Grad’s Dilemma: How I Found a Software Job that Fits…
Atomic Onboarding – What Works in 9 Guidelines
We care deeply about our onboarding process at Atomic. We recognize that work relationships are human relationships and that it’s crucial to demonstrate respect for our new employees, show that we really value them, and that we’re excited to have them joining us. We want to do everything we can to set them up for success. Read more on Atomic Onboarding – What Works in 9 Guidelines…
Improving on the Open Office Environment with Slack
At Atomic Object, we’ve always been big fans of the open office floor plan. Our offices consist of wide-open rooms with table groups where team members can easily work together. This environment allows spontaneous brainstorming sessions and problem-solving discussions to occur naturally throughout the day.
One thing that I really love about the open office setup is being able to hear bits and pieces of what other teams are doing throughout the day. When working on an application, it’s not at all uncommon to run across a problem that someone else has already addressed. If you know the right person to ask, sometimes you can save yourself a great deal of time and headaches just by having a discussion with a coworker. The open office environment helps make this possible. Read more on Improving on the Open Office Environment with Slack…
Better Environment, Better Team – 5 Ways Changing Conditions Can Solve Problems
Fish discover water last. — Anonymous
When Atomic Object was searching for a new office space, it made me think about what makes a good work environment and if there were any research studies that supported my personal experiences. I did some research, and what I found changed the way I view how people work together.
I realized an “environment” is composed of much more than just the obvious physical objects—though they are important too. Things like the layout of your office space, the people you are interacting with, the information you are exposed to, and even the processes you engage in—they’re all parts that make up the larger picture of your unique work environment. Read more on Better Environment, Better Team – 5 Ways Changing Conditions Can Solve Problems…
Balancing Openness and Privacy in Your Workspace
Since 2001, Atomic has enjoyed and promoted the benefits of working in an open office environment. But over the past few years, many of us at Atomic have concluded that a purely open plan can be frustrating and stressful at times. Read more on Balancing Openness and Privacy in Your Workspace…