The Pretend 80 Hour Work Week

Harvard Business Review published a provocative, one of the most widely read articles of 2015 on why some men pretend to work 80 hours per week. 

The title alone suggests some men are:

1. pretending to work longer hours than they actually are

2. pulling the wool over the eyes of their companies 

3. finding it necessary to keep up a pretense of extraordinary effort measured in time alone

4. accomplishing the expectations of their employ in far fewer hours than they pretend to work

and...

5. no women are doing the same

As all great titles do, this one pulls you in (80 hour work week! what are the other men doing? what about the women?!), and one re-discovers that as much as things change, they also stay the same.

Productivity tools in every business area have swiftly brought to life the dream of 80 hours of valuable contribution accomplished in half the time. Operations, supply chain, social media, marketing, manufacturing, technology, big data, and on and on...have all reaped the benefit of revolutionary strides towards working smarter not harder.

The exception: In most companies, the more hours you appear to be working, the more it is assumed you are accomplishing. Nothing could be farther from the truth for most...entrepreneurs not included.

Worse, this sleigh of hand appears to work only in certain roles, and most regretfully, only with some men (that title grab). The other men either don't have roles that could make use of this (brilliant or wretched - your call) folly, or aren't interested in employing it.

When women work long hours it is assumed that either: a. they are not capable of fulfilling their responsibilities within the hours of an ordinary work schedule, or b. they are taking many hours for themselves for personal activities (children, mani/pedis, social (not business) meals). 

Ultimately, all these perceptions are archaic caricatures, and accomplish the exact opposite of what an 80 hour work week implies.  That men feel they have to lie to get ahead and women know that no matter how many hours they put in they won't be evaluated apples to apples makes for an apathetic zombie culture. 

Many promotions are still heavily influenced by the 'perception' of 80 hours of work rather than the reality. Half the workforce is penalized based on the 'perception' that no matter what they accomplish, they are not adding expected value.  A losing strategy.

Best for the business? Hardly. How about this:

• hire based on the ability to accomplish goals in weeks and months not hours/week
• for each role, be completely transparent and brutally (in the best sense of the word) honest on expectation
• hire thinkers and learners not just doers
• cultivate owners not followers
• offer autonomy and independence
• set people up to succeed

Worried that people will take advantage of this kind of arrangement? We should all be so lucky.

Statistics show that for the majority, the more they clearly understand expectations and are provided with the right tools and support to meet them, while being trusted to determine how and when they will do the work, results in outstanding  productivity and outcomes.  As well as high levels of trust, commitment, and stability. 

Expectations can be very high in this scenario too, as most professionals feel a strong sense of duty and pride in succeeding when given this kind of autonomy.

If you want people who are motivated to get the work done well and right, this is the way to do it. 

How about it?

Will 2016 be the year that you stop watching the clock and start watching your team meet the expectations you set out for them, on their own terms? 

Wishing you the most spectacular New Year yet.

As the CEO of STASH, I am dedicated to delivering peace of mind to everyone in the world who wants a trusted place to store their most important data. STASH delivers data-centric security on demand. If hackers attempt to access your data, all they'll find is a swirling mass of digital confetti. No useable data sets. Nothing to steal.

Businesses interested in knowing more about our custom data-centric security solutions can reach me directly at [email protected], or through LinkedIn. 

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