The Hat Rack

Like many, I enjoyed the dramatic look back to the 1960's, a time when cigarette smoking, drinking and sexism were the norm. Men dominated in the work force and for a woman, being pretty helped get you on the ladder. Some say times were simpler. Maybe.

One of the things I do like about the 1960's, or at least what I know about the era, is the issue of hats. A man wouldn't leave the house without his long-brim fedora. Don Draper would always wear his brown fedora with the black grosgrain ribbon low on his forehead, yet as he stepped into his office he would always doff his hat, careful to hang it up on the hat rack. Doffing one's hat was a required social norm, a sign that you were ready for business.

So what does this have to do with us and the modern workplace? The hats of yesteryear have been replaced, yet today's workers still manage to create physical obstructions, hiding behind the screens of their cell phones, laptops, iPads or other gadgets. These obstructions not only indicate a lack of readiness for business, but also spells out how we're separating our attention between the people in the room and the device in our hands. Somehow, it's become socially acceptable, yet every time I see a coworker playing around with their cell phone during a meeting, their lack of respect and attention drive me nuts. Add in the excuse of "taking notes", we let this behavior continue. 

Contrary to popular belief, numerous studies have shown that we are terrible at multitasking. Our brains can't absorb information when we aren't paying attention. Applied in meetings, our brief digital escapes take our focus away from the content of the meeting, having us rejoin after we may have missed something while we were mentally away. For fear of revealing that we were not paying attention, our participation drops, only to serve in making meetings less productive, less interesting and more boring. Conveniently, our devices safe us from this boredom and the cycle continues. 

Like an addict, the first step is to admit that we have a problem. We need to take steps to keep workers from bringing digital devices into the conference rooms. Back in the 1960's you'd hang your hat on the rack. Now, in 2014, leave your cell phone in your desk drawer. Surely there are specific exceptions, the mother with a sick kid at home or the husband who's wife is in the ninth month, but the only thing we really need in a meeting is paper and a pen. And while I don't support the idea of superfluous meetings, if a topic is important enough that it requires physical participation, let's ensure that we're there in both body and mind. It's time we gain control over our habits before we discover that they have control over us.