HACKER Q&A
📣 nicdc

Should managers be asking employees to multitask?


I suspect that more and more managers will demand that they need someone "who can switch gears as time-sensitive items come up and juggle a few things at once".

Thoughts? Where should the line be drawn?

  👤 elmerfud Accepted Answer ✓
I think that line is different for each person and very task dependent.

Personally I have no issues multitasking when I'm doing coordinator , oversight, or review type work. I can handle many requests coming in, provide answers to different people on different projects, etc...

When having to do development work I find it almost impossible to multitask. It takes time to review and get in the right headspace to start. Any interruptions break my flow and it takes time to get back in rhythm. Something that should take a few hours of dedicated time can take days if there's constant interruptions.

While multitasking is something we should all be able to handle a good manager should know their team and work styles to allow them to be most productive.