Too many emails can make you a bad boss

Overflowing Inbox Overwhelm Managers, Makes Them Neglect Their Leadership Roles

Washington:20.09.2018

Keeping up with emails may be preventing bosses from achieving their goals and being good leaders, a study has found.

The research published in ‘Journal of Applied Psychology’ is one of the first to examine how distractions from email impact managers, their productivity and their role as leaders. According to the researchers from Michigan State University (MSU), employees spend more than 90 minutes every day — or seven-and-a-half hours every week — recovering from email interruptions.

“Like most tools, email is useful but it can become disruptive and even damaging if used excessively or inappropriately,” said Russell Johnson from MSU.

“When managers are the ones trying to recover from email interruptions, they fail to meet their goals, they neglect manager-responsibilities and their subordinates don’t have the leadership behaviour they need to thrive,” said Johnson.What further makes managers different from other employees is that when feeling overwhelmed and unproductive because of email demands, they recover by limiting leader behaviours and pivoting to tactical duties. This action is strategic and intentional so that they feel more productive, Johnson said. “We found that managers scaled back ‘leader behaviours’ more so than initiating ‘structure behaviours’,” Johnson said.

“The former behaviours relate to motivating and inspiring subordinates, talking optimistically about the future or explaining why work tasks are important; the latter are more concrete and task-focused, such as setting work goals, assigning duties or providing feedback,” he said.

Not only are managers not managing — but they are also focusing on smaller tasks for the sake of feeling productive. To test how email demands hinder managers, researchers collected surveys from a group twice a day for two weeks. Managers reported their frequency and demands of emails, their perceived progress on core job duties, how often they engaged in effective transformational leader behaviours and initiating structure leader behaviours.

“We found on days when managers reported high email demands, they report lower perceived work progress as a result, and in turn engage in fewer effective leader behaviours,” Johnson said.

Beyond failing to complete their own responsibilities, email distractions cause subordinates to suffer from a lack of leader behaviours, or those that motivate and inspire.

“When managers reduce their leader behaviour and structure behaviours, it has been shown that employees’ task performance, work satisfaction, organizational commitment, intrinsic motivation and engagement all decrease, and employees’ stress and negative emotions increase,” Johnson said. PTI


BOXED IN BY THEIR INBOX: The study found that employees spend more than 90 minutes every day — or seven-and-a-half hours every week — recovering from email interruptions

MP teacher gets death penalty 3 months after raping 4-year-old

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Bhopal:20.09.2018

Three months after a four-year-old girl was raped and brutalized on July 1 night, a court in MP’s Satna district handed her rapist — a guest teacher at a village school — the death sentence on Wednesday. The conviction is unique in that the survivor’s statement was taken via videoconferencing which proved vital in the trial.

The child was still at AIIMS-Delhi, recovering from the horrific injuries caused by the rape. Part of her intestine had to be removed and she was now dependent on a tube fitted to her stomach for excretion, sources said.

The state government flew the survivor to AIIMS on July 3 and chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan spoke with the doctors treating her the very next day. After the judgment, Chouhan tweeted: “I express my gratitude towards those people who have contributed to ensuring justice to the innocent and protection of society.”

This is the ninth death sentence for child rape in MP after the new, tougher law came into force in the state in April this year. While sentencing the 25-year-old convict to death, additional district judge Nagaud said: “In Indian social system, daughters are considered heritage of the nation. Incidents like this cannot be allowed in any civilized society.”

“He brutalized the child in such barbaric manner that there was no scope for mercy. We had produced all the medical reports before the court. I am confident that the higher courts will uphold the judgment,” said DSP Kiran Kiro, who investigated the case.

For full report, www.toi.in

IN BIZ FOR NOW

HC allows firm to operate cab services at Central for 6 months

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Chennai:20.09.2018

Noting that nonoperation of cab services at the Chennai Central Railway Station would lead to exploitation by other operators, including autorickshaws, the Madras high court permitted the current contractor to continue the service for six more months while calling for a fresh tender in the meantime.

Justice S M Subramaniam passed the interim order while rejecting pleas moved by Bharathi Cabs and Fast Track to quash the tender awarded to ANI Technologies.

According to the petitioner, tender notification was issued by Southern Railway on August 2, 2017 for parking and operation of call taxi stands at Moore Market complex in Chennai Central Railway Station.

The reserve price was fixed as ₹2.17 crore exclusive of GST for one year. Tender was finalised in favour of Ani Technologies for ₹60 lakh originally and subsequently, Southern Railway enhanced it to ₹70 lakh through negotiations, the petitioners said.

Accordingly, the acceptance certificate was issued on October 26, 2017 in favour of the company. But on account of status quo granted by the high court, the company was unable to operate services.

“On account of the interim order, Ani Technologies was unable to operate cab services. Allowing the company for a further period of one year will also cause loss to Southern Railway. Entirely preventing the company from operating cabs as per the selection will cause prejudice to the company. Thus, in the interest of all concerned, a balanced approach is required to protect the revenue of Southern Railway and honor the process of tender already conducted. Ani Technologies is permitted to operate for a period of six months,” the judge said.

According to the petitioners, Southern Railway finalised the tender far below the original reserve price. Though the petitioners had not participated in the tender process they had loco standi to challenge the tender because of the revenue loss to Southern Railway, their counsel said.

Paperless boarding at airport from 2020
Terminals To Have Biometric And Facial Recognition

Ayyappan.V@timesgroup.com

Chennai:20.09.2018

Boarding flights from the city airport will be a breeze for travellers from 2020, as the airport management is set to establish camera-enabled e-gates which use facial recognition technology to verify passengers’ identity. The system will be introduced by the end of the next year.

As part of the DigiYatra scheme, the Chennai airport is gearing up to introduce a biometric and face recognition system for paperless boarding of passengers from entry gates of the terminal to the boarding gates. The scheme aims to develop a digital ecosystem that will offer a seamless, consistent and paperless service experience at airports.

As part of the system, e-gates with cameras and scanners will be installed at entry gates of the terminals, checkin area, security check gates and boarding gates where passengers will be allowed based on face recognition technology. The e-gate at the entry gate of the terminal will capture the QR code of tickets and face of the passengers and will match it with the database to allow entry through the gates at check in, security and boarding.

A senior official at Airports Authority of India (AAI) said, “The scheme will be introduced in two phases and Chennai will get it in the second phase. A tender will be floated in a month to install the system at Pune, Varanasi, Kolkata and Vijayawada. This will act as a pilot. Once it is found to be hassle-free, it can be introduced at other airports quickly.”

Bengaluru will be the first airport to have it in the first quarter of next year. Chennai has a chance to get it some time after midnext year. He also said that the tender would be awarded in such a way that the same company could be asked to install the system in a few more airports. But there will be a separate tender for phase 2.

Passengers will have to register in DigiYatra to use the e-gates. They will get an ID number and submit it to a desk at the airport when they travel for the first time after registering. The photo of the passenger and biometric details will be captured one-time at this desk. Passengers can then walk in through the e-gates paperless for subsequent travel. “It is voluntary. We cannot force everyone to register,” he added.

However, the benefits are many. “Passengers can beat the queue. The airport operator can find out where the congestion is while airline staff will be able to locate a passenger inside the terminal."

The system will also ensure high security as passengers will be verified before entering the terminal.

Passengers can beat the queue. The airport operator can find out where the congestion is while airline staff will be able to locate a passenger inside the terminal.

Senior official | AAI

Vellore MBBS doctor becomes a ‘specialist’ with ₹6-lakh fake PG

Tamil Nadu Med Council Suspects More Such Cases

Pushpa.Narayan@timesgroup.com

Chennai:20.09.2018

A Vellore-based undergraduate doctor, who has been practising as a surgeon with a fake post-graduate degree, is being investigated by the Tamil Nadu State Medical Council, which suspects there could be many more such practitioners who could put lives at risk.

Tamil Nadu Medical Council president Dr K Senthil said Dr P Shankar, the doctor in question, had got the certificate by paying ₹6 lakh through a broker in Pune. “During inquiry he told us he did not attend classes or training. He wrote an examination and was given the certificate the same day,” said the council president.

Dr Shankar produced a “passing certificate” from University of Seychelles — American Institute of Medicine dated February 26, 2017. A give-away, however, was the degree certificate he produced: It was dated two days ahead of the date on the passing certificate. “We’ve asked him stop displaying this as a PG degree. We don’t know how many more are practising speciality medicine with such degrees,” Dr Senthil said.

Fake degrees from this university aren’t entirely new. In 2016, the Maharashtra Medical Council (MMC) barred 21 doctors from displaying their postgraduate qualifications obtained from the Seychelles varsity terming their courses as “dubious”. The state medical council, which was in a legal muddle for more than a year, failed to track similar cases within Tamil Nadu.

Doctor will face disciplinary action, says state council

Officials in the state council said it was the first complaint they received. Some doctors, who attended week-long fellowships or training programmes in reputed universities, have displayed the course as their specialty, despite the medical council warning them against the practice. “Two years ago we pulled up some doctors who claimed to cosmetologists and diabetologists without degrees or diplomas in dermatology or endocrinology. We suspect there are many more,” said Dr Senthil. The council says it will initiate disciplinary action against Dr Shankar for violation of the TN Code of Medical Ethics Regulation. Doctors say the problem of unqualified doctors practising medicine can be a public health threat. “The first law in medicine is to do no harm. To practice surgery without training can put people in danger,” said senior orthopaedic surgeon Dr George Thomas, former editor of Journal of Indian Medical Ethics.

BUSTED!

Chennai: Car dealer asked to pay client Rs 2.7 lakh for not issuing documents 

DECCAN CHRONICLE.

Published Sep 19, 2018, 2:14 am IST

On January 11, 2016, Kanniappan went to the dealer to clear the balance amount. 


The bench comprising president K. Lakshmikantham and member D. Babu Varadharajan said that the dealer committed negligence in service. (Representational Images)

Chennai: District Consumer Disputes Redressal Forum, Chennai (North), has directed a dealer selling used car to pay a compensation of Rs 2.69 lakh to a person for not issuing RC book and other documents relating to the car sold to him two years ago.

In the petition, V.R. Kanniappan of Arumbakkam, submitted that he approached Hello Cars, Kolathur, to purchase a used car. Muthukrishnan in the agency made necessary arrangements. Kanniappan decided to purchase Hyundai Elantra (model 2006) car. Following negotiation, the car price was fixed at Rs 1,80,000 including commission.

Kanniappan paid an advance of Rs 1,54,000. Muthukrishnan agreed to collect remaining Rs 30,000 after issuance of RC book, TO Form and others documents in three days.

On January 11, 2016, Kanniappan went to the dealer to clear the balance amount. When he demanded documents relating to the car, the staff informed him that they had not received them from the owner of the vehicle. Even during delivery of the vehicle, the agency had not issued him the documents. Under the circumstances Kanniappan kept car idle in his premise and unable to use the vehicle.

Kanniappan said whenever he visited the dealer, Muthukrishnan used to disappear from the office. Stating that he suffered mental agony and physical strain due to negligence of the car dealer, he sought a compensation of Rs 15 lakh from the dealer for causing him mental agony. The dealer did not appear before the Forum.

The bench comprising president K. Lakshmikantham and member D. Babu Varadharajan said that the dealer committed negligence in service. Hence, the forum directed agency to take back the car from the complainant and to pay Rs 1.54 lakh and a compensation of Rs 1.05 lakh.

Chennai: Challenging surgery done on 69 year-old male 

DECCAN CHRONICLE.

Published Sep 19, 2018, 2:43 am IST
An abdominal aortic aneurysm is an enlarged area in the lower part of the aorta, the major blood vessel that supplies blood to the body.


 
The patient, Ananta Kumar Saha, has been experiencing pulsating mass in his abdomen for the past 20 years, and the intensity had increased over the last two months. (Representational Images)

Chennai: A challenging endo-vascular aneurysm repair surgery was performed on 69-year-old patient diagnosed with abdominal aortic aneurysm at Fortis Malar Hospital recently.

The patient, Ananta Kumar Saha, has been experiencing pulsating mass in his abdomen for the past 20 years, and the intensity had increased over the last two months. The patient was diagnosed with abdominal aortic aneurysm and his ballooned abdominal aorta was 9 cm against the normal 1.6cm with 90 degree turns and twists at three levels, resulting in a very high chance of rupture and instant death.

An abdominal aortic aneurysm is an enlarged area in the lower part of the aorta, the major blood vessel that supplies blood to the body. Since aorta is the body’s main supplier of blood, a ruptured abdominal aortic aneurysm can cause life-threatening bleeding.

Doctors performed Endovascular Aneurysm Repair (EVAR), which is a minimally invasive procedure wherein both the femoral arteries in the thighs are opened with a very small incision and a stent graft is inserted, excluding the aneurysm thereby preventing rupture. “Prevalence of Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm is about 5 to 16 percent in men older than 65 years. But the dilatation of blood vessels occurs earlier and will be asymptomatic in most patients. The rupture rate is 20 percent for 5 years if size is above 5.5 cms causing instantaneous death,” said Dr Balakumar S, senior vascular surgeon at Fortis Malar.