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. The research seems to suggest productivity is linear to effort until you get to about 36 hours per week. 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. Organisations reducing working hours are increasing productivity by 10-15% on average. 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:
When I got my first staff member, a graduate, she would come to me for the first month and ask me how to do things and I would dutifully tell her - feeling good about my knowledge and thinking I was being an accessible helpful manager. After a month she said "that's not what you're supposed to do, you're supposed to ask me what I would do". So I did that and I quickly found she knew the answer - she was coming to me for confidence not know how. DDI research found 60% of people felt interacting with their manager damaged their self esteem - their manager didn't remain calm and constructive, ask their opinion or clarification, or help them solve the problem - they just gave them the answers or did it for them. Further more, the managers who did these things also rated high in productivity. When leaders become the go-to fixer, they break something bigger: Team trust, ownership, and momentum. Being supportive is great — but trying to fix everything yourself? That’s a fast track to burnout. When you jump in to solve your team’s problems, you end up clogging decision-making, taking ownership away from your team, and wearing yourself out. But there’s a better way. Leaders who involve their teams in solving problems together build stronger, more engaged teams — and they don’t have to carry the whole load alone. This is coaching - either individual or team based. In the Harvard Business Review, Elizabeth Lotardo, a leadership coach and author, suggests five simple questions leaders can ask to stay supportive without becoming the go-to fixer:
A recent article tracks our long term infatuation with four factor models of personality - 2,500 years in fact! Although the causes of the personality types have changed, four or five dimension models of personality persist today. Well developed models measuring five personality dimensions are robust and can be useful for self understanding (there are plenty of four and five dimension models that haven't been well developed however and are not at all useful). However, four of the five dimensions of even the well developed models don't predict job performance - conscientiousness is the only dimensions that has predictive power that is of any practical use. In one study, after completing a personality questionnaire with four dimensions people were given the results back at random. As long as there was three things they were good at and one they weren't - they believed it was their results! A bit like a horror scope, when the definitions are broad we can see ourselves in all of them. So why do we persist with these models? It's probably linked to our brain being able to process four to five dimensions of behaviour on average. These simple questionnaires fit intuitively with the way we process information about people. Well developed personality questionnaires with more dimensions (16 - 32) have much more specific things they are measuring and these can be compared to specific requirements of the job which make them much more useful - explaining useful additional amount of differences in performance to ability tests or other measures. So if you want to use a personality measure, more complexity is worth the effort!
