This morning I read that, "A new generation of workplace technology is allowing white-collar jobs to be tracked, tweaked and managed in way that were difficult even a few years ago. Employers of all types . . . are using an increasingly wide range of tools to monitor workers' efforts, help them focus, cheer them on and just make sure they show up on time." But the real point of the article is, " . . . when does working very hard become working way too much?"
A question I'm sure you've asked yourself far too many times. And at the same time, you may be noticing all of the research that makes it plain that sleep, exercise, time to be quiet in your head and so on are crucial to our wellness.
With all the hubbub about Amazon's work environment this week, I feel I can come out of the shadows and tell you that I worked in one of those environments for 15 years. I used to tell the senior staff that they must feel like they weren't really doing their job if the junior staff weren't crying in their cubicles on a Friday afternoon, exhausted and thinking about all the work they had to do over the weekend. So, I know what it's like to have that competitive performance and time pressure on you in unrelenting ways. And no sleep.
Between the growing acceptance of a Big Brother world and the many ways that have been emerging to manage, manage, manage our time, all those pressured sense memories came roaring back. I had been thinking about writing this blog, anyway, but what pushed me over the edge was the announcement from Towers Watson this week that pay raises are expected to hold steady in 2016.
Not that it's any surprise to any of us, but it does clarify the amount of pressure that's involved in this job that we do. Now that 3% pay raises have become the way we do things around here, our job always has an edge to it.
There are only two weeks left until Labor Day. Most years, I would encourage you to get out of the office and have lunch with a colleague in another company, preferably in another industry, to learn a bit more about what's going on out there. There is always a lot to be learned from each other, and we rarely take that opportunity. Why not do it over a relaxed summer lunch?
This year, I'm going to take it further. If you don't have vacation planned before the usual fall uproar of open enrollment, performance management, annual compensation starts, I urge you to pay attention to what all of the research has been telling us in the last few years.
If only for these two weekends, turn it all off. No computers, no email, no iPhone, no nothing but family, friends and yourself over the weekend. The rest of the take-a-break research? It tells us to take a walk, preferably somewhere where there are plants growing. (I live in California, so green is not the color scheme right now.) Apparently, our blood pressure is the reliable performance measure here.
If the research is to believed -- and, there's a lot of it -- walking, unplugging and sleep will calm you down and give your thinking more clarity. It will make you a better compensation specialist, too, but that's not really the point of this article.
Thanks, Margaret, for sharing that scary NYT "hubbub" article about how Amazon builds its financial success on the husks of its workers. Every HR professional should read it for insight about an extreme employee relations approach. Your recommendations seem much better.
Posted by: E. James (Jim) Brennan | 08/20/2015 at 12:02 PM
Working for a company like Amazon though makes you almost dread taking vacation, no matter how well earned, because you're thinking about all the work that will pile up while you're gone. And some companies even expect you to be available on vacation to answers emails. No rest for the weary.
Posted by: Jacque Vilet | 08/20/2015 at 03:49 PM
Rule #1: No vacation goes unpunished.
This has been true everywhere I've ever worked in my Compensation career. To be fair, I've often been single-threaded.
A current Amazon employee wrote a lengthy rebuttal to the NYT piece, and it is posted here:
https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/amazonians-response-inside-amazon-wrestling-big-ideas-nick-ciubotariu
Posted by: Scott B | 08/20/2015 at 05:33 PM
I saw some comedian tweet that the Amazon HR Department was working 100 hours a week to fix their problems!
Posted by: Dave Johnston | 08/21/2015 at 08:07 AM
Dave, sounded familiar, eh?
Just a reminder to all. It's Friday. You've got eight more hours before you turn it all off -- except Netflix, of course!
Posted by: Margaret O'Hanlon | 08/21/2015 at 09:08 AM
The Amazon piece was interesting. There have always been companies and industries where the right amount of work was the maximum amount of work possible. I worked at places like that 20 years ago. I have spoke to people who worked at places like that 50 years ago.
One way to look at it is when you leave a job like that it is like walking away from a natural disaster. After you catch your breath you realize how insane it all was and how lucky you were to get away in one piece. But, while it was happening you are concerned with self-preservation and the small details that impacted mainly you.
Another way to look at it is that the job is like a really challenging roller coaster. While your are riding your are both terrified and exhilarated. You may laugh and scream within seconds of each other. You may question why you voluntarily got on such a dumb ride. But, when you get off you will either be one of the people who immediately gets back in line or one of the people who swears never to do something that stupid ever again.
Amazon seems pretty honest and upfront about the fact that you are not going to be riding a carrousel, but more likely a roller coaster on top of a skyscraper with limited seat belts. Some will find that type of job incredibly exciting. Others will find it to be ridiculous. Both are valid and neither is a problem.
All of that being said.... Vacation and time to chill is a good thing. HR and compensation people cannot truly expect to promote these things and understand their value if they don't personally experience them. Margaret is right. Get out and experience some of the "life" side of work/life balance.
Posted by: Dan Walter | 08/21/2015 at 11:18 AM
OK, Dan, looks like you could write for HBR. Take a look at today's post from HBR.com and wait for the punchline:
https://hbr.org/2015/08/the-research-is-clear-long-hours-backfire-for-people-and-for-companies
Posted by: Margaret O'Hanlon | 08/21/2015 at 01:57 PM