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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 use 3 monitors. CPA.
One for prior years workpapers, one for this years workpapers, and one in the middle for what's being worked actively entered into. Every single day when I'm working on larger, complicated corporate work it's necessary to have over 20 windows of information open between excel, pdf, and other programs.
I'm not sure how your "manager" would actually think it would slow you down. A person using dual or more monitors will walk circles around someone doing otherwise in more complicated professional jobs.
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.
IMO, It's not wasteful if it makes someone more productive. Personally, I use multiple monitors at home and in my office.
Edit: Buy your own and put it on your desk. Make sure that your "manager" knows it's yours so that you can take it when you leave (which is probably a good idea if you work for one of those micromanager types).
I actually worked better with one screen in split screen mode in Excel. But I still had two, and most everyone in our finance office had them. I can't see how they'd be less efficient unless you watched videos on one all day.
FWIW, I do believe the monitor was put into an vacant office that traveling employees use, but it wasn't an immediate need or something along those lines. It's more so my manager is really against me having the second monitor thinking it will slow me down and is wasteful. I even asked him did he use one before, because I feel like most people if they tried it would see how brilliant it is, but he said he did and he hates it.
I just don't understand.
Well -- he did, and he hated it, therefore he hates it for you. Because it obviously won't work. Because it didn't for him.
Here's the tack I would try. Ask him to monitor your work with two monitors as compared to the single monitor. He should be able to see that it quantifiably improves your work.
I only use one monitor...but I don't do anything complicated that would require me to use two. I can't imagine using two. But if I were your boss, I'd let you do it. Mainly because if you do well I look good....
Whether you need 1, 2 or even more monitors depends on what type of work you are doing. Obviously someone who is just doing word processing etc. only needs one monitor in anymore would be a waste. That may be what your boss normally does so he doesn't realize how beneficial to monitors can be for certain applications.
I use AutoCAD regularly and there's no way to efficiently use it without 2 large monitors. It seemed as though accounting applications would be about the same if not even more complex because of the number of documents involved.
I see programmers with dual monitors. Some of them with 3.
I'd imagine other occupations would make use of them too, like medical ones, accountants, stock brokers, graphic artists, and folks who otherwise work with lots of data.
i don't like two monitors because the desks we have are very very tiny and there is no room for anything else on my desk with two monitors. Also i have an ergonomic set up and with two screens it was more reaching and turning which was not good from an ergonomic standpoint. i love having a single monitor, a tiny flat keyboard with no numbers pad, and no reaching. I don't even have to reach to answer the phone, i wear a head set and even the phone functions are keyboard controlled. also for me it's quicker to work on one screen. Even in data heavy jobs I've had, I prefer the split screen with Excel.
i agree though that for many jobs it is essential, and the cost (very little) is totally justified in terms of increased productivity and better morale.
you guys needing a monitor for every app open realize windows has the bar at the bottom so you can switch between them right? you can even switch between apps with alt tab.
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