I recently read an outline of the events around an issue between two parties, and was shocked to see the use of texts in a professional situation. I have also coached several employers who have had trouble getting graduates to ring clients - recent research found young adults believed it was rude to ring people without texting them first to see if they were available. Texting is the fast food of communication: Quick, convenient, and can leave you wondering what just happened. A phone call, though? That’s the home-cooked meal — warmer, more satisfying, and surprisingly good for your emotional health. According to research, hearing someone’s voice does more than pass the time. It deepens connection, lowers stress, and even triggers oxytocin — the brain’s “feel-good” chemical. In other words, your best friend’s voice is like an emotional weighted blanket. The chances of a win-win outcome are significantly higher from a phone call than an email exchange (but not as high as face to face). Meanwhile, texting can be a minefield. Without tone or inflection, a simple “Sure” might come off as passive-aggressive. Add in the dreaded three-dot typing bubble and delayed replies, and suddenly you’re spiralling into “Are they mad at me?” territory. 80% of email discussions never reach resolution and I suspect texts could be worse. The impact of calling is especially powerful for older adults. Studies show that regular phone conversations reduce loneliness and improve emotional well-being. Just five minutes of “Hi, how are you?” can be medicine. Sure, texting like emailing has its place — coordinating carpools, sending memes, and confirming appointments. But if you want to strengthen a relationship or brighten someone’s day? Do your thumbs a favour and tap the call button instead.
I just read a great article quantifying the old adage, 'people join companies and leave managers!' The results of a five year study suggest that a rise in line manager quality by one unit (on a scale from 1 to 5) reduces the likelihood that an NHS hospital trust employee will quit their job by approximately 17 percentage points. This result appears to be driven in large part by whether the employee perceives his or her work as being valued by the manager, and by whether managers take into consideration employees’ opinions. We often find a strong link between the quality of leadership, engagement and metrics such as turnover, sick leave, accidents and incidents, customer engagement and productivity when we analyse engagement surveys. We ask participants on leadership development programmes what they could do to improve their scores by one point. This a powerful way of getting them to 'shrink' the problem and think about some small things they could do to improve. I suspect if we asked them what they could do to reduce turnover intensions by 17% that might seem a much harder goal but the end result may be the same!
A recent post from the Glasers (below) and a leadership development plan from an MBA student got me thinking differently about recreation. The student had Appreciation of Beauty and Excellence as one of her top strengths which she initially thought wasn't relevant for her leadership. After some encouragement she did start to think harder about how she could use her strength. The answer came when her plans for self care as a leader (going to the gym) didn't resonate with her. What she did find effective was taking some time to appreciate the beauty around her gave her the recharge and stress reduction that she needed to lead.
NZders work some of the longest hours in the OECD and we have the lowest productivity! 18% of Kiwis are at risk of burnout - especially managers, professionals and workers under 30 - they have lower job satisfaction, performance and retention and higher mental health issues, accidents, errors, loneliness, sickness and feel tension between home and work obligations. Various pieces of research seems to suggest productivity is linear to effort until you get to about 36 hours per week (depending on what sort of work you are doing). In this zone we are more innovative, collegial, willing to persist in ambiguity and have a higher locus of control. After 36 hours to 50 hours per week our productivity starts to drop and after 55 hours, it drops steeply to the point where working 70 hours a week results in less work completed than when you work 55 hours (no real gains in output after 48 hours was reported in a manufacturing environment even when the pay was piece rate). The benefits to employees seem clear, at least in the short term. Across trials at more than 200 companies, workers reported better mental and physical health, life satisfaction, and positive affect, as well as less stress, burnout, fatigue, and work-family conflict. Organisations reducing working hours (the 100-80-100 model, 100% of pay, 80% of time and 100% of productivity) are increasing revenue by an average of 1.4%; absenteeism, sickness, and employer turnover all declined during the trial period and most companies reported productivity either remained stable or increased. Revenue remaining stable with less hours worked would suggest a productivity increase has occurred. How can this be? The research suggests with less work hours people engage in exercise more, smoke less, socially drink more but daily and binge drink less, and have better sleep quality. NZ research shows we are 10x more likely to be doing well mental health wise when we are happy with our work life balance. When we are doing well as people we are better at collaboration, innovation and persisting in ambiguity, we make less errors and have less accidents and sickness - all lifting our personal productivity and all key success factors for organisations in a modern economy. One other significant finding is that when we dedicate less time to work, we're more likely to engage with friends and family. This increased social interaction not only strengthens our bonds but also enhances our mental health by 2.3x. Why does this happen? It turns out that social connections feed our brains. Engaging with colleagues, friends and family provides emotional support and enriches our lives, which can lower stress, increase happiness, and even boost productivity. The brain thrives on these interactions, underscoring why relationships are so vital to our well-being. As we rethink our work-life balance, this research invites us to consider the profound impact of nurturing our social connections. By prioritizing time with family and friends, not only do we feel more fulfilled, but we also become more effective in our professional roles. Let's seize the opportunity to work smarter, connect deeper, and live better! #WorkLifeBalance #SocialConnections #MentalHealth #Productivity #RelationshipsMatter
Loneliness at work isn’t just a wellness issue. It’s a business threat — and it’s costing companies up to $300 billion a year! On a national survey of 2,000 employed Americans, Inc.com uncovered some startling statistics:
