Bertrand Duperrin's Library tagged burnout → View Popular, Search in Google

Apr

2012

Is Your Smartphone Making You Less Productive?

"Mobile devices have exacerbated an always-on work culture where employees work anytime, anywhere. They've contributed to the blurred distinction between when you're "on the clock" and when you're not. Service industry professionals are especially tethered to these devices. There's an assumption that using smart devices boosts productivity, since they allow us to work constantly. But, we're also jeopardizing long-term productivity by eliminating predictable time off that ensures balance in our lives. Is the obsession of regularly checking email really helping anyone's bottom line? Are the unrealistic expectations these devices facilitate not setting staff up for burnout?"

blogs.hbr.org/...our_smartphone_making_you.html

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productivity mobility smartphones burnout stress responsiveness morale

The staff was under intense pressure to be available whenever anyone called — it was simply expected. Six months later, we noticed that customer complaints were actually up, and team morale was down.

So, why were we spoiling dinner time for each other with calls that could have waited until the next business day?
For the research subjects who followed her policy of disconnecting from work at night, 78% said that they "feel satisfied" with their jobs, compared to the group of people who ignored the policy, where only 49% noted the same sense of satisfaction. Her results show that we're creating a self-perpetuating perception that working faster is better — even when speed may not be necessary.
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- The impetus to examine whether what we do requires 24/7 responsiveness is overlooked. We all work longer and harder, despite the possibility that we could work better. But since everyone is doing it, it's considered acceptable.
- A policy was instituted that encouraged everyone to respect time off, and discouraged people from sending unnecessary emails and making distracting calls after hours. It's a system that works if all of the team members commit to it. Over time, we've seen a more motivated team that comes to work ready for business, and goes home to get rejuvenated. They work smarter, not blindly faster. And morale is higher.

Mar

2012

The Magic of Doing One Thing at a Time

"It's not just the number of hours we're working, but also the fact that we spend too many continuous hours juggling too many things at the same time.

What we've lost, above all, are stopping points, finish lines and boundaries. Technology has blurred them beyond recognition. Wherever we go, our work follows us, on our digital devices, ever insistent and intrusive. It's like an itch we can't resist scratching, even though scratching invariably makes it worse. "

blogs.hbr.org/...agic-of-doing-one-thing-a.html

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multitasking meetings productivity burnout humanresources wellbeing

1. Maintain meeting discipline. Schedule meetings for 45 minutes, rather than an hour or longer, so participants can stay focused, take time afterward to reflect on what's been discussed, and recover before the next obligation. Start all meetings at a precise time, end at a precise time, and insist that all digital devices be turned off throughout the meeting.
2. Stop demanding or expecting instant responsiveness at every moment of the day. It forces your people into reactive mode, fractures their attention,
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- 1. Do the most important thing first in the morning, preferably without interruption, for 60 to 90 minutes, with a clear start and stop time. If possible, work in a private space during this period, or with sound-reducing earphones
- 2. Establish regular, scheduled times to think more long term, creatively, or strategically. If you don't, you'll constantly succumb to the tyranny of the urgent.
- 3. Take real and regular vacations. Real means that when you're off, you're truly disconnecting from work.

Jan

2012

Transforming the Way We Work

"Nine years ago, when I launched The Energy Project during an economic boom, it was nearly impossible to find senior leaders open to the idea that demand was exceeding people's capacity, and that it was critical to the bottom line to teach employees new ways to manage their energy more skillfully."

blogs.hbr.org/...nsforming-the-way-we-work.html

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work management engagement trust distraction satisfaction burnout emotionalintelligence sustainableperformance performance wellbeing

ully engaged at work, valued for their contributions, or freed and trusted to do what they do best. Instead, they feel weighed down by multiple demands and distractions and they often don't derive much meaning or satisfaction from their work.
I don't kid myself that the super-charged CEOs and world leaders who attend this event are going to wake up overnight to the recognition that rest and renewal and doing one thing at a time are not only healthy practices, but also fuel more sustainable performance.
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- Rather than trying to forever get more out of their employees, organizations are better served by investing in better meeting their people's core needs — physical, emotional, mental and spiritual — so they're freed, fueled, and inspired to bring more of themselves to work every day.