So much conversation lately with both leaders and teams, and I keep hearing that cultures have gotten greedy. Cultures that are reinforcing constant long work hours, sprints to meet deadlines, and high stress. And despite what organizations may think, just because someone is present, doesn't mean they are actually more productive. Malissa Clark, a professor at the University of Georgia who studies the topic of workaholism has found that it's actually very counterproductive to our work. Not great for the individual and not great for the organization either.
Whether you've experienced a hustle culture or you know someone that has, you know it may come with things like burnout, unnecessary mistakes, blurred thinking and decision making, health problems, decrease of pride in work, and absenteeism creeps up. Gallup estimates that this type of stress costs upwards of $8.9 trillion in lost GDP worldwide every single year.
Organizations are finding themselves at a pivotal moment. Instead of feeding into greedy workplace practices that don't support a thriving and productive organization, they have an opportunity to shift away from the workaholic culture so that we create a win for everyone.
To begin this discussion in our workplaces, we can look at a few different strategies:
Support our leaders who help set the tone of our culture. Give them the skills, tools and resources to build the culture we deserve.
Talk to leaders and teams to understand their perspective and gain their input on how to shift the culture into one they are really proud of.
Take the time to re-evaluate how we are operating. If we're having people work long hours, do we need to hire a new team member? Or do we need to get better at designing processes that work for us.
Be open to trying new things, and know that it may not work out. Lots of teams are still adjusting and learning to work in a hybrid environment. What works for the business next door, may not be the right approach for you.
As workplaces, we need to focus on creating a culture that is productive and performs well, but also protects our people living happy and healthy lives. This is a task that we all are accountable to. Not just the owners, not just leaders, not just HR. Every single person in our workplaces play a role in how our culture is shaped.
Team Human Conversation
Fight workplace zombies in your organization and join Team Human! Gather a group of fellow workplace zombie hunters to discuss our most recent blog post. Use the questions below to kick-start your conversation.
How does the current culture affect our ability to collaborate and support one another?
In what ways can I support my colleagues in shifting our workplace culture away from greed and toward collaboration and well-being?
How can we better communicate our needs and concerns regarding workload and stress?
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