Yesterday, my son was chatting with me during a break from his online work. He said, “I really like my new boss.” Apparently, this manager encourages all staff to prioritise work-life balance. He believes people are most productive when they are not working flat out.
He is right. Earlier this year, one human resources magazine pointed out that burnout is still rising, having been going up for over a decade. Increasing numbers of people are stressed at work because they have never been busier. You probably hear people telling you they are constantly busy. I hear that every day. Indeed, sometimes I’m the one saying it. I also have a boss who tells her team to prioritise work-life balance.
Meanwhile, as we all toil harder, the productivity statistics tell another story. The latest figures from the Office for National Statistics in the UK show a dismal picture. Output per hour fell towards the end of 2024 compared with the same period a year before. We are busier than ever but doing less valuable work.
It’s a conundrum, isn’t it? Most of us are busy, busy, busy, leading to stress and burnout. At the same time, all that extra work actually reduces output. We work more but do less, harming our work-life balance and our mental health at the same time.
Have we gone bonkers? In short, yes.
Recent research confirms what has been known for ages. The busier we are and the longer we work, the less we achieve, and our productivity decreases. Yet if you left the office an hour before everyone else, you fear people will be chatting about you shirking your responsibilities. We work long hours not because we need to but because we fear what people might say about us.
That’s a leadership issue. As my son’s boss is making it clear to his team, success is about the outputs, not the inputs. I was reminded of this the other day when there was a radio interview about how the state school system might cope with an influx of students who leave private schools once VAT is added to the fees. The advocate for private schools said their system was better because they do not have to follow the National Curriculum.
The National Curriculum was set up because schools in one part of the country taught different things to those elsewhere. However, the National Curriculum focuses on inputs. Teachers are measured on ensuring they have delivered every dot and comma of what is written down. This results in slavishly teaching to a prescribed knowledge set. What should have happened is that the Government should have focused on outputs – the understanding children should gain. Then, teachers would be free to teach what they wanted as long as they all achieved the same level of understanding for each subject.
Similarly, businesses are focused on inputs. Our working day is built around a set of hours and the number of days we are expected to work. Focusing on outputs means your contract doesn’t mention those factors but says what you are expected to achieve; if you can do that in two days a week, then good for you.
There is growing research on the potential benefits of a four-day week. Some studies show an effect on productivity, but most show a significant impact on work-life balance. People who have switched from five days a week to four days a week still get their work done but feel much happier and less stressed.
Many working people focus on inputs, are forced to do five days a week, or are fearful of what others will say about them if they do not stay at their desks until the bitter end of the working day. That leads to people being “busy”. They keep doing things to make it seem as though they are working. That is stressful. Also, much of that “busy” time is spent “cyberloafing”, which further impacts productivity.
As you approach that time when you consider the New Year ahead, it may be worthwhile wondering if you can spend less time working. Finishing work at 4.00 pm instead of 5.00 pm could be all that is needed. But that requires you to change your attitude to work and stop worrying about what others will think. You will also need to have a boss that focuses on outputs, not inputs. You may not be able to change your working day, but perhaps your resolution for 2025 could be to help start to alter attitudes to work in your workplace. Your colleagues will love you for it.
