Why the Workplace Must Adapt Now (or Else)

My husband grew up in Rochester, NY, graduating from school in the early 1990s. You may be familiar with the big companies in Rochester-Xerox and Kodak. It seemed that everyone worked at one or the other. The pay was good, the benefits great, and my mother-in-law still talks about how she could set her clock by the coming and going of the men (and it was mostly men) in the neighborhood. Not only did many of them walk in the door by 5:15 every night, the work day was completely over by then. No email. No cell phones. Sure, the boss could call, but he’d reach the family phone and if someone was on it, or the family wasn’t home, it was a lost cause.

Compare that with today. I don’t know a single person in an office job that I can set my watch by. If I could, it certainly wouldn’t be because they walk in the door at 5:15. And, if that theoretical person was home by 5:15, you can pretty much count on this person checking email and taking calls later on in the evening.

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6 thoughts on “Why the Workplace Must Adapt Now (or Else)

  1. I think this blog has some excellent points. I don’t know if it’s simply business trying to be more innovative or society demanding more, but all to often the work – life balance is impacted and shouldn’t be. Great article.

  2. + a zillion.

    Slaving away at long hours just for show doesn’t increase productivity–it increases burnout. Most people don’t live to work. They want to have a life too, and sometimes that life becomes the priority. They absolutely need to disconnect from their jobs when they’re not at their desks. Happy employees do more work and do it more efficiently.

    I’m hourly and I don’t have to answer emails at home or work long days with no overtime. Sure, I could probably make more if I had a more skilled, exempt position. But since I need my personal time to do my own thing (writing), I’d rather stay where I am so I can clock out at the end of the day and put my energy toward that. Plus, I have no desire to be a manager ever.

  3. I wouldn’t be surprised if the crazy hours are actually driven by managers egos.
    The VP demands a project done by Friday. There is no reason it has to be done by then, but it feels good to make demands. The Director then tells his team that is has to be done by Thursday. The Front Line Manager tells his team it has to be done by Wednesday and everyone has to stay late to get it done (sorry if it’s your birthday, cancel your plans).
    And everyone along the way knows that the project will never be looked at, because it is just busy work to make the VP feel good. All the managers along the way feel great for making demands, and the front line staff are the only ones suffering.
    I really feel this is at the core of toxic workplaces.

    1. Bingo. So many times we get fake deadlines, and our manager yells “no one leaves because X has to be done”, when in reality, we could come in the next morning and get everything done in plenty of time. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve dropped everything to do something else at my manager’s insistence, only to find out a week later that still nothing has been done by the next group up the line. Frustrating.

  4. It is also the economy that has to change; not until employees have other choices will they be able to tell the employer – “nope, not gonna do it.” And then get a better job elsewhere.

    When the job market is better – employers have to prove that they are worth working for.

    Until then, employees are stuck with whatever the employer demands.

  5. Working long hours day after day after day after day… only increases the likelihood of burnout. The balance of power obviously lies with the employer as they are paying the wages. Surely, employers have heard of the law of diminishing returns. I am sure this also applies to productivity levels, staff motivation and chances of employees falling sick (impacts sickness levels).

    I echo some of the previous comments. There needs to be a greater of work-life balance to redress the way employers operate. Overall, a happy workforce is very often far more productive! Why do employers not see this?

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