Posts by Emily Sackett

Before I started at Prosek, it is rumored a rule was made about no headphones in the office. Headphones are a main-stay in many offices these days, beginning, I am sure as a way to enjoy some light tunes while working but not distracting peers at the same time. In addition to wanting to keep personal music tastes to ourselves, at Prosek, we sit in an open-office environment, and all battle for airspace when sitting on competing conference calls or having mini discussions with our teams in the middle of the floor. So it’s not uncommon to want to tune out what’s going on around you and zone in on that deck you have to finish or the press release which is still only one sentence long. It seems that the “powers that be”, however, had the insight long before this article published in INC Magazine. Is there a cost to allowing employees to keep their ear buds in while sitting at their desks?

According to the article, employees even at large companies surrounded by like-minded peers, are lonelier than ever. The author and the bright minds at Prosek think that tuning out what’s going on around you can lead to lost opportunities to forge valuable relationships in the office or to recognize opportunities for growth and advancement. On top of all that, it makes those times where five conference calls aren’t happening at once, eerily quiet, and for some uncomfortable. The article makes another point that without the day-to-day interaction and engagement of employees, be it work-related or not, innovation and creativity are also in danger.

Apparently, we’re ahead of the curve here at Prosek, as the author notes it’s probably a stretch for business owners to make a no-headphones rule. I’ll be honest, every now and then I will sneak one ear bud into my ear if I really need to jam on something or am under a deadline and there’s a lot of distraction, but for the most part, I truly enjoy the side conversations and one-off questions and banter between my colleagues. In many cases, it’s helped me come up with a new idea, brainstorm a better word to use in a document, or just get some ideas on where to go for dinner that night. What do you think? Are there other ways to keep the office humming and engaged on a regular basis while still encouraging employees take steps to be as productive and focused as possible? End of Story

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Written on September 5th, 2012 by
Categories: Communication, From the News, Miscellaneous Musings | No Comments »

With just about everything else in our lives going mobile. . . why shouldn’t food! Well, a different kind of mobile that is. . .

Schnitzel & ThingsSome great resources for the hungry mid- and down-towner are the roving food trucks that troll the streets, tweeting their locations and feeding their patrons on the go. Food trucks used to be the stuff of quick, cheap, greasy grub – and don’t get me wrong, indigestion on wheels still exists – but there’s a whole new truck in town that’s gaining popularity with lunch goers and food editors alike. Over the past few years, popular food chains and independent owners have taken to the streets in their fancy branded trucks to serve customers all sorts of unique eats. From schnitzel to Korean barbeque to ice cream sandwiches, you can find just about anything if you know where to look!

Here are a few of our favorites:

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Written on August 16th, 2012 by
Categories: Unboxed Lunch | 1 Comment »

Since my recent visit to the completely revamped Heathrow, I’ve officially stopped calling the Olympics by their official name. The 2012 London Olympics, set to kick off tonight in a blaze of ceremony that will showcase the very best the Queen’s city has to offer, have been “brit-ified” and are now being universally referred to as “The Games” – a historical gathering of multinational athletes to compete in their choice of “sport” for the world to watch.

It’s really an incredible event. The history of the modern Olympic Games dates back to 1984, but the concept spans centuries, beginning in Ancient Greece and with legends of characters such as Hercules and Zeus. Though the format has evolved over time (chariot racing and hand-to-hand combat has been favorably replaced by Michael Phelps’ clock-crushing 200s and the gravity-defying young ladies that take to the bars, beam and vault as a unified team), one thing remains the same. This year’s Games will unite the world in not only one of the most celebrated forms of entertainment but also an appreciation of economic development, competition and progress. In other words, a celebration of modern global society.

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Written on July 27th, 2012 by
Categories: From the News, Sports | No Comments »

How often do you leave your desk for a lunch break? Upon descending from our perch on the 39th floor of the Empire State Building, it takes elbowing through herds of tourists and navigating an uncreative selection of fast-ish food franchises, to get a brief respite from the office. Not to mention that on a typical day most of us have calls scheduled from morning right through the late afternoon. Sometimes, “lunch” even ends up being those organic animal crackers from the cupboard.

So, on the days we can find 30 minutes to escape from our desks and get some fresh air, we might as well find a place that’s worth it! And as the weather gets nicer, there are plenty of these spots for the midtown office-goer to explore.

Below are a few of our favorites. End of Story


The Church of the Transfiguration (a.k.a. “The Little Church”) – 29th between 5th Avenue and Madison. There are a few park benches in the front courtyard to bring your bagged lunch and relax in the shade. 
Bryant Park – 42nd between 5th and 6th Avenues. Bring a picnic blanket or snag one of the umbrella shaded tables on a sunny and crowded summer day.

Corner of 51st and 6th Avenue. For the midtown lunch crowd, there are a couple larger office buildings in the area that offer a respite just outside their front lobbies.
The Highline Park – 33rd to Gansevoort Street, along 10th avenue. Those with river views might consider relocating from their high rise offices to the nearby Highline Park with plenty of areas to sit or lounge in the sun. 

Outskirts of Madison Square Park – Where 5th meets Broadway (near 23rd Street). Since any NYC park is an obvious recommendation, we might suggest an alternative in the slim shadows of one of NYC’s most famous landmarks, the Flatiron Building.
The Elevated Acre – 55 Water Street. For the Wall Street folk, an elevated park with a couple of tables and bleacher-like seating options offers an escape from the daily grind.
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Written on July 20th, 2012 by
Categories: Unboxed Lunch | 1 Comment »

I read an interesting op-ed this week on women in the workplace. Some may be familiar with frequent Forbes contributor Tim Worstall. He’s written several contrarian pieces in his time (mostly in the tech space) with topics ranging from the pronounced death of Facebook to a potential Apple boycott. His flavor of this week however, is a discussion on whether women in the workplace “can have it all”. His conclusion: they can most certainly not.

Tim’s most recent piece discusses Monday’s news that 37-year old Marissa Mayer, former Google executive, will join Yahoo! as its new CEO (and one of a small club of female CEOs running Fortune 500 companies).  While there have been plenty of articles out this week exploring Mayer’s background and what this means for the company, Tim chooses to focus in on another aspect...Mayer’s baby bump. It was reported by several sources that Mayer disclosed her pregnancy to Yahoo’s board in June before her hire was made official. In her opinion, her pregnancy will have no effect on her position as CEO. In Tim’s opinion, it most certainly will. Mayer has stated she will only take a few weeks of maternity leave and be back in the office to tend to her new role. Tim – and many others I am sure – seem to think Mayer is unfit to make this call, being a first time mother let alone a first time CEO.

Tim’s article continues as a lament on the unfortunate fact that by our very nature, women, must always chose between work and motherhood. He thinks that one, undoubtedly, will take precedence.  He also details that while most have considered the “glass ceiling” to have been shattered and women to have the same pay opportunities that men do, mothers are an exception to this new rule. Of a similar note, Forbes reported earlier this year that women who keep their maiden names may do so for branding purposes and other studies indicated that by keeping their last name women actually have the potential to earn more than women who take their husband’s last name after marriage. Whether we agree with these ideas or not, this brings up an interesting argument.

Will women always be viewed as unequal to men in the work force simply by the very nature of our sex?
I’ll leave it up for discussion, but before I do so, it may be interesting to also consider the parallels between raising a child and leading a multi-billion dollar company. WSJ recently reported Mayer’s not the first one to raise a child and profits at the same time.

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Written on July 20th, 2012 by
Categories: From the News, Leadership, Management | 2 Comments »
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