I love hearing stories like this. That's one of the hard parts when a company gets bigger: escalating issues efficiently so it gets to the right person fast gets more difficult. Nice solution. - Ginger Makela Riker

I applaud this type of "open" support, but I have to say (honestly) in managing 130+ people, that individuals are forgetting how to appropriately address problems. This is, I believe, directly related to new open communication that is now available to almost everyone. I had a newer employee directly email my superiors before giving me a chance to resolve the issue. Individuals must be cognizant of how to approach certain situations with technology and when not to. - Vince DeGeorge

Vince, I think chain of command is very important in organizations (just how I think human editors are very important on the web, even with all the kick-ass technology). I think technology can help managers deal with information overload, especially when companies start to scale really fast (what would happen if your direct reports doubled very quickly?) If I can alert my manager to an issue that needs escalation with very little friction, and in a way that doesn't slow her down, I'm all for it. - Ginger Makela Riker

Ginger, I completely agree, which is why I personally built a messaging system at work for my employees... BUT it sometimes works against me. People naturally know that sending something directly to me will get it solved quickly, whereas most things should probably go through their direct supervisor first for the sake of continuity. The good (and bad) thing about technology is the lack of barriers. We're on the same page, but I have concerns. - Vince DeGeorge