Running on Empty: Fatigue and the Future of Work
Martha Miser
Aduro Consulting
"It's crazy here," he said to me. "I'm insanely busy. It's just been wild."
Sound familiar? Many of my client meetings start this way, with a litany of the nearly impossible demands of work and home. The problem isn't new. Work hours have increased steadily over several decades. And in response, we've learned to work longer and harder . . . and to squeeze the other parts of life into the time left over.
The Technology Demon
One of the biggest drivers of workplace exhaustion is digital technology. London Business School professor Lynda Gratton agrees: "Rather than an aid to work, these new technologies behave more like a bad-tempered two-year old, demanding constant attention and leaving little time for reflection and innovative thought."
Even more shocking is the apparent impact of technology on our ability to focus. According to Statistic Brain, the average human attention span today is 8.25 seconds - 3.75 seconds less than the average human attention span in 2000. In fact, the average human attention span is now 0.75 second less than that of a goldfish!
The Unwritten Rules of Machismo Culture
Most workplaces carry some trace of machismo norms. In these organizations, the model worker puts work first and is committed to producing results as quickly as possible under any and all circumstances.
Restoring the Rhythms of Work and Rest
The answer may well lie in nature. Consider the fact that we are living organisms, designed to function at our best when we honor the rhythms of nature.
- Physical renewal: Small changes in daily routines provide opportunities to refresh and renew.
- Mental rest and focus: We know from neuroscience that when the brain is rested, we remember better and are less depressed and anxious.
Restoring the Dignity of Work
Vocare is the Latin word for "call" and the root of the word vocation. Healthy organizations appreciate their workers' natural abilities and support them in following their vocation, or calling.
Managers can restore trust and increase performance by ensuring that core needs are met:
- Feeling valued: Feeling appreciated and cared for by your manager is strongly correlated with feelings of trust and safety.
- Safe connection: Psychological safety is the most important variable for making a team work.
- A sense of autonomy: Being free to make decisions about how and where you accomplish your work creates a greater sense of meaning and purpose.
- A sense of purpose: "Employees who derive meaning and significance from their work were more than three times as likely to stay with their organizations."
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- Gratton, L. (2014). The key: How corporations succeed by solving the world's toughest problems. New York: McGraw-Hill.
- Hawken, P. (2007). Blessed unrest: How the largest movement in the world came into being and why no one saw it coming. New York: Viking Penguin.
- Reich, R. B. (2015). Saving capitalism: For the many, not the few. New York: Knopf.
- Schrader, D. (2014). Recovering the rhythms of rest. The Leadership Circle, October.
- Schwartz, T., & Porath, C. (2014). Why you hate work. New York Times, June 1.
- Statistic Brain (2015). Attention span statistics. Table, April 2.