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Sounds like your manager is a micro-managing fool. The monitor is surplus so there is no additional cost other than the electric to power it. I don't understand how having two documents/programs up at once is going to "slow you down" as opposed to having to open them as needed.
On the flip side the person is your boss and seems to have made up their mind.
I'm curious about this. I work in accounting and I've been begging for a second monitor since I started. Someone else finally got a new monitor, and I was given his old monitor. Dual monitor bliss. Well, for a very short time because my manager thought that a second monitor was completely worthless and just wasteful. He thought having two monitors would actually slow you down... I got the monitor taken away...
But that made me curious. I've always felt a two monitor setup for any computer usage, especially work, is EXTREMELY beneficial. Doesn't matter if you're a programmer or an office assistant, there is lots of benefits to be had. But I wanted to see what other people think. Does anyone else think having a second monitor is wasteful or useless? I would disagree.
I'm curious about this. I work in accounting and I've been begging for a second monitor since I started. Someone else finally got a new monitor, and I was given his old monitor. Dual monitor bliss. Well, for a very short time because my manager thought that a second monitor was completely worthless and just wasteful. He thought having two monitors would actually slow you down... I got the monitor taken away...
But that made me curious. I've always felt a two monitor setup for any computer usage, especially work, is EXTREMELY beneficial. Doesn't matter if you're a programmer or an office assistant, there is lots of benefits to be had. But I wanted to see what other people think. Does anyone else think having a second monitor is wasteful or useless? I would disagree.
Unless that monitor was given to someone else who had none - this makes no sense to me from a financial stand point. You got a 'hand me down' - so there was no extra expense (again, unless it was recycled to a new person instead of buying them a new one).
And anyone who forces their perspectives on others is a d-bag. It may slow him down, but to say you can't have one because it slows you down (without any evidence) is ridiculous. Just my .02 of course.
I personally have a laptop, and two external monitors. So three total. Albeit I will say that I'd rarely use the 3rd one. When my laptop is connected to the two monitors, I would only use the laptop display for dashboards or even just having my music player on there. It's rarely being used as an "active" display.
2 24" monitors, plus my 17" laptop screen. The new Dells can be configured to run 3 monitors at once, with two connected to the docking station. The guy next to me worked strictly on just his laptop for several years, with the same mindset - "Why does anyone need more than one? I know how to use ALT-TAB just fine!!!" Then recently finally gave in, and added an external monitor, and saw the proverbial light, lol. He has since put in a request to replace his Thinkpad with a new Dell to get the 3 monitor setup like I have
That said, we also work for a VERY large company, with our department having a budget in the 10s of millions of dollars, so the couple hundred bucks each we drop on these Samsung monitors really is chump change in the grand scheme of things. We both routinely make purchases of several thousand each on our corporate credit cards too, so I could likely go on a shopping spree at Fry's Electronics and no one would bat an eye at it, lol.
I could see it being a bigger issue with a smaller company, especially if the entire company of comprised of those 12 people, instead of just being a department. One smaller electrical contractor firm I worked for several years ago with a total employee count of about 10 people would closely inspect every single charge we made on our cards, regardless of how big or small the charge was. One of my guys inadvertently charged a $2 soda to the company card one day (easy mistake - our cards and his bank card looked nearly identical), and the owner had a fit over it. Whereas now, I don't think my boss even looks at anything under $300, much less makes me justify it.
I'm in accounting, work with several programs at once and use a 4 monitor configuration. Unless you only use 1 software program all day long having 2 or more monitors is far more efficient than only having one. The people who say they aren't just say that because they haven't tried it yet. Companies who have measured productivity of adding monitors have found that increasing to 2 or 3 causes a significant uptick in productivity. There's no way I could ever go back to one at this point.
Someone else finally got a new monitor, and I was given his old monitor. Dual monitor bliss. Well, for a very short time because my manager thought that a second monitor was completely worthless and just wasteful. He thought having two monitors would actually slow you down... I got the monitor taken away...
Your manger sounds like a huge A-hole. I've had two monitor in my last several jobs and it's very useful and productive. I can have two excel spreadsheets up at the same time to compare information, instead of flipping back and forth between spreadsheets. (The secret is out open one excel spreadsheet normally, and for the second, open up a command prompt and type in excel, and open the second spreadsheet). I can have my email program up on one screen and a word document on the other. Monitors are cheap, other than limited desk space, there's no reason why every employee shouldn't have two monitors.
Quote:
Originally Posted by wintersbone
it just depends on what you do. Working in IT i can tell you most people don't need 2 monitors and just waste money.
I work in IT too and can't disagree more. Two monitors it a huge increase in productivity, I don't work with excel spreadsheets that often, but when I do, it's very convenient. As for having enough monitors, our computers get refreshed every few years, and we get new monitors every time. The older computers get recycled, but we keep the monitors unless they break, we have enough monitors to give every employee three monitors if the computers supported them.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Workaholic82
I had two monitors and then 3 monitors.
I'd like to get three monitors, but my laptop at work doesn't support that many, I may get a desktop instead, I really don't need a laptop, I never take it home anyway. I have another company laptop at home if I need to do support from home, and I grabbed another Laptop to configure network switches, being in IT has it's perks.
Last edited by TechGromit; 06-13-2015 at 03:50 PM..
Your manager has to weight the cost vs benefits. He has a budget to run with and that budget is typically set with an aggressive low target to begin with. If he spends $300 on a monitor and he has say 12 people in his department, that's $3,600 that he will not be able to spend on something else, plus he would need to defend the decision to give his employees two monitors.
I'll sell you all the 17 inch monitors you could want for $250, each you'll save $50 a monitor! That's after I buy them for $75 each and pocket the profit. Monitors are cheap and any modern desktop should be able to support two monitors. If it's a laptop, you'll need a docking station usually.
Dang! Shades of "Office Space", here (taking away Milton's red stapler)
Quote:
Originally Posted by the_grimace
I'm curious about this. I work in accounting and I've been begging for a second monitor since I started. Someone else finally got a new monitor, and I was given his old monitor. Dual monitor bliss. Well, for a very short time because my manager thought that a second monitor was completely worthless and just wasteful. He thought having two monitors would actually slow you down... I got the monitor taken away...
But that made me curious. I've always felt a two monitor setup for any computer usage, especially work, is EXTREMELY beneficial. Doesn't matter if you're a programmer or an office assistant, there is lots of benefits to be had. But I wanted to see what other people think. Does anyone else think having a second monitor is wasteful or useless? I would disagree.
Wow, the_grimace... they actually took your second monitor away?! That's cold. Seriously, yes, I think a second monitor is important. In my job (I'm a videographer and video producer/video editor) I use my 27" Apple retina primary monitor for my video editing, and a second Mac (20"?) monitor to display my Excel sheet that I use to keep track of where I'm at in the production and editing process (e.g., what parts of each production is pre-produced, what parts are still outstanding/need work that I'll do to them, etc). I couldn't do my work as efficiently without my twin monitors.
I can't believe everyone doesn't have 2 monitors! Priceless!
Exactly! Where I work I would say 90% of users have dual monitors (many also have a laptop on a docking station) and very few are accountants. They are beneficial to EVERYONE. As has been said, once you try it, you won't want to go back to one. Whether he see's it as beneficial or not, why would he deny you of it (especially since it was an extra anyway)?
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Dang! Shades of "Office Space", here (taking away Milton's red stapler)
