The Water Cooler

The water cooler has long been a topic of debate.  Some managers seem to think that it has a negative effect on productivity or the bottom line.  I like many love to "chat around the water cooler" with fellow employees and even management.  It seems to me that managers in my old job were more okay with side chat when they were involved in the conversations.  On the other hand, if employees were talking amongst themselves it was seen as less productive.  This is something that I have found to be not so true.  As the following link shows, a professor at Arizona State University agrees.  Here is the link.  The article talks about how managers should encourage the interactions between coworkers.  He says that it is more important to employees to have a good working relationship with the coworkers closest to you than it is to have financial rewards or to like the company that you work for.  I agree with this because it is the daily interactions that take the biggest toll on your stress.  The author also makes the comment that it is hard to put a worker in this management position if they do not have proper coaching and training.  I also understand that you can not put all to much focus on this idea.  Too much time spent talking over the coffee maker or water cooler can lead to a lack of productivity.  This boils down to a basic idea that is used everywhere.  "Everything comes in moderation"