Can Joy and Productivity Coexist in the Workplace?
Sep 27, 2023
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The podcast discusses the importance of creating productivity for organizations and joy for employees in the workplace. It explores the benefits of hybrid working and the need for leaders to adapt to distributed models. The role of technology in enhancing productivity and joy is also explored. Ways to bring joy and productivity to non-remote workers, such as flexible working hours and better management, are discussed.
Instead of focusing on getting people back to the office, organizations should prioritize creating work environments that deliver both productivity and joy.
Managers play a crucial role in fostering productivity and joy by understanding team members' preferences and accommodating their diverse needs.
Deep dives
Shifting Focus from Work Location to Productivity and Joy
Companies promoting hybrid working have shown that it leads to more productive, healthier, and less stressed employees. Instead of asking how to get people back to the office, organizations should focus on constructing work in ways that deliver both productivity and joy. This means considering factors like flexing time and valuing employees' sense of accomplishment, recognition, rewards, and learning. Utilizing data that shows the value of employee engagement and a strong culture, companies should prioritize the well-being and happiness of their workforce. Additionally, recognizing that not all positions allow for remote work, organizations should avoid creating divisions between employees by focusing solely on returning to the office. By focusing on productivity and joy for everyone, a broader set of solutions can be found.
Understanding Joy and Productivity for Employees
When discussing joy and productivity, it is important to understand that joy encompasses a broad range of positive experiences, such as a sense of accomplishment, feeling recognized, feeling rewarded, and having fun. Similarly, productivity can take various forms, such as growth, innovation, efficiency, or cost savings, depending on the organization. Rather than viewing joy and productivity as opposing forces, they should be seen as complementary. Numerous studies demonstrate that engaged employees and a strong culture drive higher value. Therefore, organizations should focus on constructing work environments that enable both productivity for the organization and moments of joy for the employees. By shifting the focus away from an either/or approach, companies can find ways to foster productivity and joy simultaneously.
Empowering Managers and Embracing Flexibility in a Hybrid Work Model
In a hybrid work model, managers play a crucial role in fostering productivity and joy among their teams. Understanding each team member's preferences and the type of work they perform is essential for facilitating effective collaboration. Managers should empower their teams to decide when and where to work, considering the nature of their work and the diverse needs of their team members. For example, a technology team may benefit from collaborating in person for certain sprints, while a finance team may only need to be together during specific periods, like when closing the books. Good managers should also be attuned to the different needs of introverts, extroverts, and other individuals, accommodating those needs for the benefit of both the individuals and the team as a whole. Training managers in these skills requires observing and learning from those who excel in remote relationship building and asynchronous collaboration, fostering peer-to-peer sharing of knowledge and best practices.
Should the workplace of the future consist of a mostly in-office, remote, or hybrid model? Deborah Lovich, leader of BCG’s work on people strategy, argues we’re asking the wrong question entirely. Organizations should focus on creating productivity for themselves and joy for their employees. It will take more than a memo from the top to create this new working model. Time, resources, and strong managers are all necessary.
This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis:
Chartable - https://chartable.com/privacy
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