[ryanmcbride]

This is the sort of workplace philosophising that I hate the most. Employees aren't children. They don't need to have artificial bullshit put up in between them and what they need, the person approving just needs to actually pay attention.

If someone wants a new computer they should just have to say why. And if it's a good reason, give it to them. If not, don't. Managers have to manage. They have to do their jobs. I'm a manager and I do my job by listening to the people I manage. I don't put them through humiliation rituals to get new equipment.

[ozim]

Sounds like you did not work all that much.

People want new computer because new hire Peter got a new one.

People want new computer because they just had lunch with a friend that works in a different company and got a new computer and they just need to one up him next time they go to lunch.

That is why I am not going to just give people computers because they ask. Worst crybabies come back because they „spilled coffee” on perfectly fine 2 years old laptop.

[ryanmcbride]

reread the comment you're responding to because I don't think you read it all the way. Specifically this part:

>If someone wants a new computer they should just have to say why. And if it's a good reason, give it to them. If not, don't.

[ozim]

People make up reasons, no one comes in saying „Peter has a new laptop I want one as well”.

[ryanmcbride]

Yes and your job as a manager is to determine whether or not the reason is valid. And it'll be easier to do that if you ask for a 1 sentence explanation instead of 4 paragraphs.

[ctoth]

Wooo I used to think this was how managers work and just ... Was inevitable. I'm so glad to actually be a manager now, because no, it's not. You don't call people who spill coffee, (have you never spilled anything?) crybabies. This is a bad manager.

[ozim]

I don’t call them like that it is just a goof to make comment more interesting.

Not everything you read on the internet is 1 to 1 real life ;)

[watwut]

4 paragraph essay wont solve issue with Peter having better computer. Competitive person will write it and make up a reasons.

If you are awarding computers based on 3 paragraph essays, you are having horribly inefficient process that rewards creative writing rather then work.

Which is why none of it happen in real companies, unless they are someones startup expected to fail anyway.

[nemomarx]

I can say when I wanted to move my desk from one place to another I had to write up the "business justification" (I was already working from both offices on different days and still am, it was a change on paper)

so I'm sure there's large corps that do this for everything. probably ones where you're not asking your manager, but asking finance or IT for everything