Mohan Ramamoorthy

mohan.ramamoorthy@thebanyan.org

At Banyan, the IT that rattles everyone is not the income tax variety. It is the Information Technology kind that people keep grumbling about… (at one point, Syed was the most sought after male in TBC…)

Suddenly, Microsoft was thrown out, and with it went the outlook mail… (mails in many accounts were never rehabilitated…!) and in came google apps and the professional initiation by none other than the irrepressible Vaishnavi…

Lotsa things happened – many of them embarassing unmentionables which cannot be recorded for posterity in this blog…

But never-say-die in-house IT guru sent this mail (with some great insights into human behaviour – see point 4)…

“Please follow these practices henceforth

1. Always remain signed into chat

2. Whether free (green) or busy (red), pls indicate in status message which centre you are in and whether you are in a meeting etc – this helps avoid unnecessary queries / phone calls as to where a person is etc

3. ….

4. If a file is not of use to all and is just for one-time reading pls embed copy into email instead of sending attachments – people postpone opening things – human tendency

5. Label your mails – they are more dynamic than folders and Inbox becomes more organised – work is easier to follow up on

6. Indicate your schedule in advance on your Calendar – scheduling a meeting is taking too much time otherwise and too many phonecalls”

(Her mail incidentally has this disclaimer

“This email and any files transmitted with it are confidential and
intended solely for the use of the individual or entity to whom they
are addressed….”etc. But this time I hope she will waive it in the public

interest…!

Also, she is the only one in The Banyan I know who will dutifully activate the out of office autoreply – rarely even when you can spot her at TBC)

I dont know about the other diktats, but Banyanites took the first suggestion seriously and suddenly, despite a character restriction, some great poetic, philosophical, confessional, existential, inane, cryptic status messages began to appear…

Here’s my pick:

B’day girl on Sept 12: older but not wiser

Another one from Vaishnavi with (Bob) Dylanesque flavor: blown’inwind
Damsel in distress Vanitha Venkat: Dont know where I’m

Creative communicator Ranjitha: In transit

(which reportedly got Vaishnavi’s Wow)

Forever on the move Ashok Sir: On ECR

CMHP big boss Porkodi: In Psych OP

Another gem, though cant remember the identity: “Poori’s old cabin”

Mine, the inane one.. “At Home” (with bosses asking Why??)

(Pssst… Some always have the busy sign on – making poor me very envious of them…)

Please send your favourites to Ranjitha or if tech savvy post it directly on this blog….

How about giving a prize for the best one…? Please vote…