Path: bloom-picayune.mit.edu!snorkelwacker.mit.edu!americast.com!americast.com!americast-post Newsgroups: americast.twt.life From: americast-post@AmeriCast.Com Organization: American Cybercasting Approved: americast-post@AmeriCast.com Subject: Welcome mat replaced by security peepholes Date: Mon, 16 Nov 92 17:03:26 EST Message-ID: \SE D;LIFE;WAY OF LIFE;WORKSTYLE \SS (WS) \HD Welcome mat replaced by security peepholes \BY Paula Bern \CR SCRIPPS HOWARD NEWS SERVICE Q: When a woman lives alone and installs a one-way peephole in her front door, I can understand the reasoning. But when a downtown advertising firm checks out visitors through a peephole in the door of its office suite, I think it's very unbusinesslike. Who are they hiding from? - On the Outside A: Well, if you really want a list, we can start with panhandlers and robbers. As for other possibilities, how about bill collectors, tax collectors or even an angry former spouse? It's a difficult time for many companies, and the open-door, everybody-welcome policy is disappearing as fast as the spotted owl. One-way peepholes in the workplace may not be your idea of a warm reception, but the practice is spreading. And sometimes for very good reasons. Q: A friend of mine who corresponds with me from Nova Scotia included in her last letter a reference to the "thrill" of experiencing a telephone vote. She's very active in politics there and apparently was impressed that they held a phone vote throughout the province and got many more voters to cast ballots than with the traditional methods. The idea sounded fantastic to me, too. I'm a single father of two and, while I'm ashamed to admit it, my job and family responsibilities as well as a secondary part-time job often prevent me from reaching the voting booth. Could phone voting happen here in the good old U.S.A? - Tired in Tennessee A: It just might! The idea has been around for a long time, and it's not too far-fetched when you realize that we easily bank and shop by phone. It would be marvelous for people like you who have difficulty getting to the voting booth. Also, don't forget the disabled or those without transportation. There is no question that we have the requisite technology, but the big problem is the lack of privacy and the possibilities for fraud by computer hackers. But just imagine how voter turnout would increase if you could pick up the phone at your desk and dial a toll-free number! My crystal ball says it's coming. Q: I despise talking to answering machines, yet everyone seems to have one. If a real live person doesn't take my call at a place of business, I simply hang up without leaving a message. A friend of mine who runs a one-person office says bluntly, "You're an impossible boor for hanging up. It's the height of impoliteness." Do you think I actually have an obligation to speak to her stupid machine? - On Hold A: Only if you enjoy talking to yourself. I personally have the same negative feelings toward answering machines, but for some entrepreneurs or free-lancers, answering machines are the only contact these people can maintain with their clients. Q: Several weeks ago I accepted a middle-management position with a company that requires me to rate my subordinates on a monthly basis. In other words, I'm supposed to turn in a written record (my boss calls it a "performance review") on the four women and two men who report to me. I've discovered that two of the employees I inherited from the previous manager are completely undependable. Do I wait until the end of the month to tell them they're going to get a poor review, or do I throw the book at them now? A: Control yourself! Perhaps your new subordinates are having difficulty adjusting to your new management style. So why not give them a break? Speak to each employee privately and try to be truthful. In order to be fair as their new boss, I believe you ought to give both people a chance to hear what you expect of them and then a chance to correct their faults before you submit a report grading their services. Paula Bern is a publicist and author of "How to Work for a Woman Boss." Questions may be mailed to Dr. Paula Bern, 1090 Vermont Ave. NW, Suite 1000, Washington, D.C. 20005. Questions can be answered only through this column. This article is copyright 1992 The Washington Times. Redistribution to other sites is not permitted except by arrangement with American Cybercasting Corporation. For more information, send-email to usa@AmeriCast.COM