Stress and turnover. Yes, there is a connection.
“An international poll conducted by Monster.com shows that 42% of U.S. respondents have left a job due to an overly stressful environment; workplace stress has also caused an additional 35% to consider changing jobs.
Kate Lister’s insight:
“The most commonly reported workplace stressors include: supervisor relationship (40%), the amount of work (39%) work-life balance (34%), and coworker relationships (31%).”
Come on people. This is controllable.
The Cubicle You Call Hell Was Designed to Set You Free | Design | WIRED
When it debuted in 1964, the Action Office was supposed to be revolutionary. It was supposed to set office workers free. Instead, it became the modern office cubicle you call hell.
Kate Lister’s insight:
Very interesting history of how a then innovative design that was intended to set us free, actually became the cubicle jungle Dilbert fame.
The short version: “It turned out that companies had no interest in creating autonomous environments for their “human performers.” Instead, they wanted to stuff as many people in as small a space for as cheaply as possible as quickly as possible.”
Nordic countries have a single word for “happiness at work.” And guess what? They’re happier than Americans.
Americans think it’s normal to hate their jobs. Let us introduce you to the Danish concept of arbejdsglde. It means happiness at work. Here’s how…
Kate Lister’s insight:
“Arbejdsgl
Google’s Launching what they hope to be 100-year study on work-life balance (and more)
“We all have our opinions and case studies, but there is precious little scientific certainty around how to build great work environments, cultivate high performing teams, maximize productivity, or enhance happiness.”
Kate Lister’s insight:
Using scientific methods, Google is studying employee personalities, attitudes toward culture, work projects, co-workers, relationships and more. The goal is to better understand how happiness impacts work and visa versa, how to improve wellbeing, and how to cultivate leaders.
A fun, slightly-snarky take on the future of workplace: My name is Ian, and I’m an… academic
I wrote this in a bit of a feisty moment on the way home from a debate in London about the future of academic workspace. In the absence of other posts I thought it was finally time to get started. …
Kate Lister’s insight:
It’s true, I’m a sucker for someone who doesn’t take himself too seriously, particularly when he’s an academic, but what I like even more is his dose of common sense.
For example, he writes:
“When this happens, we will stop putting metal slides in buildings and writing excited and envious articles about Google’s (etc etc… yawn…) workspace, because we …read more
Etsy’s secret to lightspeed innovation—30 innovations a day—and low employee stress
How does Etsy.com, the rapidly-growing billion dollar online market, deploy more than thirty software improvements each day, in the workplace that is low stress? The future is already here.
Kate Lister’s insight:
Management by Dan Pink’s principles of “autonomy, mastery and purpose” have made all the difference. Developers now “own” their innovations. And instead of big software updates once a month, they make lots of small tweaks every day—keeping the failures, if there are any, smaller and easier to diagnose and fix.
76% of Workforce is Tired Most Weekdays, 15% Have Fallen Asleep on the Job at Least Once Per Week
“Showing up to work sleep deprived can be the equivalent of showing up to work intoxicated,” said Dr. Jennifer Turgiss, a co-author of the study and director of the Virgin Pulse Institute.”
Kate Lister’s insight:
This study finds that poor sleep results in nearly $2,000 of lost productivity per employee each year. It also leads to poor diet and exercise habits.
The DesignLab “Office of the Future” Challenge (PHOTOS)
In the DesignLab challenge, Vornado/Charles E. Smith invited six DC-area architecture firms to create the most innovative office suites they could dream up.
Kate Lister’s insight:
Wow! These photos almost make me want to go back to the office. Okay, at least some of the time.
Death by Work: How Wall Street’s Life-Ruining Work Habits Hurt All Of Us
You might feel no sympathy for young bankers and the punishing hours they work. But you might want to pay attention, because their bad work habits could be contagious.
When bankers leave Wall Street mid-career for new gigs in consulting, media or …
Kate Lister’s insight:
You would think, of all people, financial executives would look to the science behind long work hours. Obviously, they don’t. And that impacts all of us.
Coming to a Couch Near You: A New Wave of Telecommuting
If you get a job at Automattic, you don’t have to worry about moving. Hell, you don’t even have to get out of bed.
Kate Lister’s insight:
A well-balanced article on the telecommuting vs. facetime issue. Of course, it’s rarely a matter of either/or. What works best is a mix of both..
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