From Biases to Burnout: Unravelling the Work World

You know, I’ve got a soft spot for stories. Who doesn’t right?

But I am not talking about those fluffy daydream-type stories that float like cotton candy clouds. (Except for those boring classes in school, when you’re allowed to daydream because you anyway don’t understand anything)

Why am I saying this? Because I am going to start this edition with a story. ??

Meet Riya, Mahesh, and Khushi????

Riya, my friend is a hiring manager in a startup. One day Riya was looking to fill out an open position for the role of content marketing specialist. Over the past few weeks, she interviewed multiple candidates and shortlisted two - Mahesh and Khushi.?

Mahesh lives locally and came for an in-person interview. During the interview, he presented himself well making a positive impression on Riya. He also had a decent resume and seemed a potentially good fit for the position.

On the other hand, Khushi lives in a different city and could only do a video call for her interview. There were a few technical difficulties during the call, which sometimes made communication challenging. However, her resume and qualifications were exceptional and even better than Mahesh’s, with more relevant experience and a demonstrated history of success in similar roles.

Now, Riya has to make her decision. When thinking over the two candidates, Mahesh comes to mind more readily. She has a clear image of him sitting across from her, answering her questions confidently. She struggles to remember the conversation with Khushi.

Even though Khushi's qualifications are objectively better, Riya leans towards selecting Mahesh for the role.

This is an example of availability bias at work. We base decisions on the information that is immediately available to us, even if it’s not the most relevant or accurate.

Because Mahesh's interview was more vivid and easier to recall, it disproportionately influenced Riya's decision-making process. In this scenario, Riya should consciously remind herself of the content and outcomes of each interview, reviewing Khushi's qualifications more carefully to make a more balanced, objective decision.

If you’d like to explore more such mental models and make informed decisions, you should check out the book “The Art of Thinking Clearly” by Rolf Dobeli. Leaving the link to the summary here.

Too much gyan, huh? ??

I promise I’ll keep the rest of the updates light.?

Pazcast is out??

At Pazcare, we’ve been working on something interesting for the last two months and it’s finally out. Yes, Pazcast is live. Here for the first time?

Let me give you some context.

Pazcast is a podcast by Pazcare that talks about all things employee well-being and the exciting world of work! In each episode hosted by Our CEO, Sanchit Malik , we bring together an incredible lineup of guests including startup founders, HR leaders, and employees, all set to spice up the conversations around employee wellbeing and the world of work.

While you’re here, check out our first episode where Vaibhav Sisinty - CEO of GrowthSchool , Khelika Bakshi - Head of L&D at Clear and Sidharth - Head of Product & Design - GrowthSchool shared their insights on the topic - Future-proofing your career with upskilling.

People function with a dose of AI magic??

AI is everywhere! Isn’t it time to explore what’s in it for people in people function? That’s what we did. We organized a webinar to discover the potential benefits of AI in HR.

We had Dr. Anshul Goel , Divya Dang , and Chandrakant Agrawal sharing some real-world case studies of successful implementations of AI in HR. Did you miss it? Comment "AI in People function" and I'll send the recording to you.

The Performance Review problem????

How would you rate yourself? Does asking this question once/twice a year really help improve one’s performance? While there’s been so much debate going on annual performance reviews vs continuous performance reviews, here are a few reasons why people think annual reviews are quite outdated.

1. Infrequent feedback -? Managers may forget important details over the course of a year, leading to reviews that may not accurately reflect performance.

2. One-way communication - Traditional performance reviews are often a one-way street, with managers providing feedback to employees. This can miss out on valuable insights that employees might have about their own, their team, or their manager.

3. Focusing on evaluation over development - Annual reviews often focus on evaluating past performance rather than setting goals for future development. This cuts down the opportunities for growth.??

However, this article by SHRM discusses the performance review systems in bits and pieces and also gives actionable suggestions on how to improve them.

Navigating Uncertainty at Work????

The world of work is a lot like sailing in uncharted waters?

One day, you’re cruising on calm seas with clear skies,?? and the next, you’re navigating through foggy conditions with no land in sight. ?? But that’s the nature of uncertainty in the workplace. It is woven into the fabric of our professional lives.

The recent market volatility, technological advancements, and organisational changes contribute to this state of constant flux.

But it's all about embracing our resilience, bouncing back and moving forward despite of those uncertainties.

Here’s one such good read I came across recently that talks about how you can break through this uncertainty and unleash meaningful innovation.?

Wrapping up this edition of Pazpost with my favourite meme of recent times. ??

Cheers,

Priya Selvaraju