In a conundrum over wireless

[gaman]

I'm looking for some advice for how to handle a situation at work. I'm in IT and a couple of years ago our company started rolling out wireless technologies for the warehouse and office. This was under the IT leadership of someone who had some pathological and narcissistic traits. I voiced concerns about wireless effects to both the IT leader and the operations/warehouse leader and my boss made light of it and started calling them "toaster ovens". Even though he kept trying to involve me in the project, I managed to avoid it by saying that I'm not an expert in the commercial deployment of the technology (which I'm not) and couldn't really help much. I didn't really offer any corrective advice when they were mounting the access points too high and setting a lower power level -- a form of passive resistance I guess.

A few months ago, the IT leader was finally let go (all his bad/hidden decisions and cover ups caught up to him) and I was put into that role to serve in the interim until a new one is hired (side note: I really didn't want that role). So, as the wireless systems have been adopted more and more in the warehouse and offices, it has become apparent that there are dead spots and the signal is weak. It was causing so many operational problems that I was forced (by business impact circumstances) to turn up the power and now engage an outside agency to optimize the wireless. I know they are going to lower the access points to get better signal coverage and possibly leave the power turned up.

I should have brought this to the forum earlier (I haven't been interacting heavily in a long time -- working on my obvyatel and personal issues) but I'm wondering if anyone has any advice or feedback. Should I have done something differently? What to do when you job has forced the circumstances? I'm not sure if my job would have been jeopardized if I refused to address the issue. I know at least a part of me not refusing was self-interest and not wanting to look bad or eccentric while trying to impress senior management to get out from under the stigma left by the previous IT leader.

Any thoughts are appreciated.

 

[Lan8r]

gaman,

I have no advice! I just came upon your post and it resonates with me. I often wonder myself, if being a good obvyatel sometimes means 'just doing what you gotta do, whether you like it or not'. I will be very interested in the feedback on this thread. Much appreciation for your post.

 

[darksai]

The only thing I can think of would be to use your new position to try and lessen the overall EM, at least as much as possible. For example, since the points will be lowered and made stronger, perhaps fewer points will be needed and the company can save costs and power and maintenence. Depending on the area and your overall situation, maybe do some analysis on the space you need to cover with signal, taking into consideration line of sight, range of a signal at given strength, the density of devices in different areas and possibly other factors. Exact numbers aren't entirely necessary, except maybe for the signal ranges. Lastly, I'd also recommend setting up a way that others can provide you with feedback, possibly even send out a short survey to begin with.

Hope this helps :)

 

[LQB]

Is going wired really not an option gaman? I understand if the terminals need to be mobile. But a good router/switch will drive wired lines to 350 feet or more. So maybe a compromise between the two methods might reduce exposure?

 

[seek10]

I should have brought this to the forum earlier (I haven't been interacting heavily in a long time -- working on my obvyatel and personal issues) but I'm wondering if anyone has any advice or feedback. Should I have done something differently? What to do when you job has forced the circumstances? I'm not sure if my job would have been jeopardized if I refused to address the issue. I know at least a part of me not refusing was self-interest and not wanting to look bad or eccentric while trying to impress senior management to get out from under the stigma left by the previous IT leader.

Any thoughts are appreciated.

I am sensitive to cell phone radiation, I can feel headache with 2 to 3 minutes of usage or ears gets heated . You can do some research on EM senstivity and use that as a strategic enclosure ( separating your self from your responsibility for wifi quality but don't expect that wifi will go down, if some body else does that). Unfortunate reality is every body seems to be have happy to have blue tooth in ears most of the day and managers are happy to have smart phone to use as a office mail box( so that they can check emails 24 hrs a day or can save a LOT of time in responding to emails ). when business gets impacted, No other excuse is going to work ( again depends on your specific situation), when every body thinks radiation is safe. So measure the reactions of your superiors and surrounding world carefully. If you use cell phone as a office mail box, probably you have to change the habit and come up with that better narrative.

Personally I say "I get headache " to switch off phone or giving land phone number. Many people seems to be surprised to that.

 

[Buddy]

Hi gaman.

I should have brought this to the forum earlier (I haven't been interacting heavily in a long time -- working on my obvyatel and personal issues) but I'm wondering if anyone has any advice or feedback. Should I have done something differently?

I guess that depends on how well you know wireless technology for industrial operations. I hesitate to address that "should" WRT your ex-boss and senior management because I'm not sure if I'm seeing in you a preference for a subservient rather than active role in handling your company's wants or needs.

What to do when you job has forced the circumstances?

For me, it's do what the job requires. Unless you're in rapport with someone in management who is willing to listen to your concerns and has enough influence to make decisions for the company. Despite the health hazards, there are plenty of whitepapers in circulation that make a strong case for the money-saving, efficiency-enhancing benefits of wireless technology and I don't see any business holding out if they plan on staying in business. Wireless seems inevitable, and I would think the only way to reduce people's exposure is for you to be the one in charge. Understanding the specifics of why your company wants wireless in the first place and what they will be using it for in specific locations and whether an alternative is possible at that location in the business would be your main concerns, I think.

I'm not sure if my job would have been jeopardized if I refused to address the issue. I know at least a part of me not refusing was self-interest and not wanting to look bad or eccentric while trying to impress senior management to get out from under the stigma left by the previous IT leader.

Any thoughts are appreciated.

Why don't you want to be IT leader now that the position is available?

 

[gaman]

... Lastly, I'd also recommend setting up a way that others can provide you with feedback, possibly even send out a short survey to begin with.

Hope this helps :)

Thanks, Saiden. I will keep that in mind.

[quote author=LQB]
Is going wired really not an option gaman? I understand if the terminals need to be mobile. But a good router/switch will drive wired lines to 350 feet or more. So maybe a compromise between the two methods might reduce exposure?
[/quote]

I couldn't work out an option that would work for the business leaders. I helped design the network architecture, and we have fiber out to distributed switches which feed fixed stations and the access points. The problem is that we have a 200,000 square foot facility (hundreds of rows of products) with hundreds of personnel constantly working to deliver products (our facility was smaller when this topic first arose) and they use wireless scanners with keypads and hip printers (over 200 each). There wasn't a way that I could identify that wouldn't have safety problems (long wires running everywhere because the scanners etc. have to be portable to walking people) and huge efficiency and quality problems.

[quote author=seek10]
...
No other excuse is going to work ( again depends on your specific situation), when every body thinks radiation is safe. So measure the reactions of your superiors and surrounding world carefully.
...
[/quote]

Thanks for the advice. Maybe this is another chance to introduce the topic again to a different audience because the IT leader and operations manager from that time period are gone. I'll look for some of the important articles and papers on the subject.

 

[3DStudent]

I sit less than a meter from a wireless router at work. There are other routers throughout the building. And most employees have a phone or two, with cell repeaters in the building as well. I haven't worried about it much (maybe I should worry more). I've worn silk pajamas as an undergarment for many months now, and I don't notice a difference really.

I can feel a long cell phone call. But more so when I switch the wireless on a device and it starts emitting. Sometimes I can feel a heat sensation if the device is touching my skin.

Soeks sells an EMF detector. I'm not familiar at all with them, as I've done no research on EMF, but here's the web page .

 

[gaman]

Hi gaman.

I should have brought this to the forum earlier (I haven't been interacting heavily in a long time -- working on my obvyatel and personal issues) but I'm wondering if anyone has any advice or feedback. Should I have done something differently?

I guess that depends on how well you know wireless technology for industrial operations. I hesitate to address that "should" WRT your ex-boss and senior management because I'm not sure if I'm seeing in you a preference for a subservient rather than active role in handling your company's wants or needs.

This was my first substantive exposure to wireless technology in industrial operations. Regarding the "should", there are a couple of things I can think of to share.

First, historically I've somehow switched behaviours several times between subservient and leader depending on the circumstances and I think authoritarian influences and lack of personal confidence have played a role. I've performed just satisfactorily (i.e. results delivery and general moral) when explicitly granted authority over a group. When leading a group whose members mostly tend to be subservient (sometimes this was cultural) the results have been better and moral *seemed* pretty good. When in a group where several others are assertive (without anyone being explicitly the leader) my stress is much higher because it seems confusing, I don't think I'm what you would call a natural leader, and because of insecurity I mostly tend to think others are right rather than me so I'm not usually very assertive or confrontational. Note that I'm not super passive, my nature just seems to change to more passivity in some circumstances.

Second, as far as an active role, I do play a very active role and take the responsibility seriously. This job has just been hard because it was somewhat of a bait and switch hiring, and I've never gotten to engage very deeply in the role I was hired for and which this company sorely needed. I continue to be pulled in other directions that are far from my sweet spot of skills and abilities and what I would see as my maximum effectiveness.

What to do when you job has forced the circumstances?

For me, it's do what the job requires. Unless you're in rapport with someone in management who is willing to listen to your concerns and has enough influence to make decisions for the company. Despite the health hazards, there are plenty of whitepapers in circulation that make a strong case for the money-saving, efficiency-enhancing benefits of wireless technology and I don't see any business holding out if they plan on staying in business. Wireless seems inevitable, and I would think the only way to reduce people's exposure is for you to be the one in charge. Understanding the specifics of why your company wants wireless in the first place and what they will be using it for in specific locations and whether an alternative is possible at that location in the business would be your main concerns, I think.

Your statements pretty much reflect the situation and my thought processes but it still bothers me about the effects on everyone in the building and that wireless seems to be by far the best solution to the business requirements, but ignores the human impact.

I'm not sure if my job would have been jeopardized if I refused to address the issue. I know at least a part of me not refusing was self-interest and not wanting to look bad or eccentric while trying to impress senior management to get out from under the stigma left by the previous IT leader.

Any thoughts are appreciated.

Why don't you want to be IT leader now that the position is available?

I could probably write a book here about all the things that drive my thinking in this area. Here are a few:

• One can never focus on one thing for very long and I work best when I can focus on something more than a few hours. There is constant, massive multi-tasking needed and this is a great stressor.
• The work load is tremendous (I'm working days, nights, and many weekends) and just keeps piling up deeper. I'm also not a great time manager
• It isn't in the career I love and am pretty good at. All of the administrative overhead and trying to coerce people without acting like a dictator is really straining.
• Self confidence.
• My ego would probably get overinflated.
• The work/life balance isn't good and I want to continually do better at home and being a good husband.
• When I'm doing "management" in the traditional sense, I don't feel like I'm accomplishing anything.
• There is constant pressure to cut many corners, which leads to a build up of problems in the long run. We've already experienced this severely.
• The whole situation doesn't seem to give me any sense of accomplishment.

 

[gaman]

I sit less than a meter from a wireless router at work. There are other routers throughout the building. And most employees have a phone or two, with cell repeaters in the building as well. I haven't worried about it much (maybe I should worry more). I've worn silk pajamas as an undergarment for many months now, and I don't notice a difference really.

I can feel a long cell phone call. But more so when I switch the wireless on a device and it starts emitting. Sometimes I can feel a heat sensation if the device is touching my skin.

Soeks sells an EMF detector. I'm not familiar at all with them, as I've done no research on EMF, but here's the web page .

hmmm... I haven't thought about silk pajamas. We are required to have cell phones to receive alerts but I keep mine on my desk as far away from me as possible and leave it downstairs at night. I'll have to look into ways to protect myself more at work. But that still doesn't help rest of the people in the building and particularly the warehouse area. There are young people of child bearing age as well as older and there is no telling how badly they are being affected.

Also, I had forgotten about this until now, but there is a cell tower 50 meters from the building :( :(

 

[seek10]

What to do when you job has forced the circumstances?

For me, it's do what the job requires. Unless you're in rapport with someone in management who is willing to listen to your concerns and has enough influence to make decisions for the company. Despite the health hazards, there are plenty of whitepapers in circulation that make a strong case for the money-saving, efficiency-enhancing benefits of wireless technology and I don't see any business holding out if they plan on staying in business. Wireless seems inevitable, and I would think the only way to reduce people's exposure is for you to be the one in charge. Understanding the specifics of why your company wants wireless in the first place and what they will be using it for in specific locations and whether an alternative is possible at that location in the business would be your main concerns, I think.

Your statements pretty much reflect the situation and my thought processes but it still bothers me about the effects on everyone in the building and that wireless seems to be by far the best solution to the business requirements, but ignores the human impact.

I'm not sure if my job would have been jeopardized if I refused to address the issue. I know at least a part of me not refusing was self-interest and not wanting to look bad or eccentric while trying to impress senior management to get out from under the stigma left by the previous IT leader.

Any thoughts are appreciated.

Why don't you want to be IT leader now that the position is available?

I could probably write a book here about all the things that drive my thinking in this area. Here are a few:

• One can never focus on one thing for very long and I work best when I can focus on something more than a few hours. There is constant, massive multi-tasking needed and this is a great stressor.
• The work load is tremendous (I'm working days, nights, and many weekends) and just keeps piling up deeper. I'm also not a great time manager
• It isn't in the career I love and am pretty good at. All of the administrative overhead and trying to coerce people without acting like a dictator is really straining.
• Self confidence.
• My ego would probably get overinflated.
• The work/life balance isn't good and I want to continually do better at home and being a good husband.
• When I'm doing "management" in the traditional sense, I don't feel like I'm accomplishing anything.
• There is constant pressure to cut many corners, which leads to a build up of problems in the long run. We've already experienced this severely.
• The whole situation doesn't seem to give me any sense of accomplishment.

I can relate to this and your points are valid. I felt relieved to get back to the technical side, of course at a price. But, while reading through books related to cultural differences ( mainly eastern cultures and western cultures )and management styles and employee expectations, I came to realize that much of the my stress is related to lack of knowledge and appreciation for other cultures technical and management perspectives. In technical side, you have a feeling of accomplishment ( you allow the managers handle the petty quarrels and do what is asked to do )and at the same time one can identified with job. On the management side, it is too much human dynamics, too much fluidity, often interlaced with pathological dynamics and always on self preservation mode. During one of our training class they told us "If you want to do management and technical stuff, you will not go home". If you happen to work for a technical minded inexperienced manager, they neither sleep and will allow you to sleep . Both are different dynamics.

 

[gaman]

Thanks, seek10. I definitely have trouble on the feeling guilty part that I need to work on. And, I've found that there seems to be no amount of time that would accommodate being both heavily managerial and technical :) Luckily, I think we are close to filling that position.

 

[Menna]

I hear there are things you can wear to help protect from EM exposure a back tourmaline bracelet being one of them. I don't have any person experience with it but that is the word on the street ;) However the street can be wrong so look into it and other things to help protect but keep an open mind

 

[Menna]

and by open mind I mean dicerning mind

 

[hlat]

As temporary leader, you should take every opportunity you have to do what is best for the people under you.

It seems that you knew EM exposure would increase by turning up the power and bringing in a consultant. You rationalize what you did, but you know you are responsible. Personal responsibility is very tough sometimes, and it is something we all need to accept. Perhaps this is a learning experience to not repeat this decision making when you are faced with other situations.

This is definitely an area where we need more knowledge regarding the harm of EM exposure. We know the EM strength decreases by an exponential function against distance.