How’s this for irony? Slack, whose workplace messaging app has at some point prompted many employees to feel the tug of responding after hours, has a warning: People who feel obligated to work after hours also tend to be less productive.



New&nbsp;<a href="https://slack.com/blog/news/the-surprising-connection-between-after-hours-work-and-decreased-productivity" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">survey data</a>&nbsp;from Slack’s&nbsp;<a href="https://slack.com/resources/collections/workforce-lab" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Workplace Lab</a>, which queried some 10,000 desk-based employees, found that people who log off at the end of the work day reported 20% higher productivity scores than those who feel the pressure to work after hours. Unsurprisingly, those who felt the need to log on after hours reported twice the work-related stress and burnout levels as their unplugged peers. (Those who chose to work late by choice, meanwhile, whether for scheduling reasons or because of personal ambitions, reported no downsides.)



The survey results—a continuation of Slack’s&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/jenamcgregor/2022/10/20/as-economic-concerns-rise-executives-are-reporting-record-high-stress-and-defaulting-to-old-office-habits/?sh=28ebb5c5594c">Future Forum research</a>, which was widely cited throughout the pandemic—comes at the end of a year when many CEOs, all in the name of greater productivity, have been pushing a do-more-with-less mentality and&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/jenamcgregor/2023/08/19/the-war-over-work-from-home-the-data-ceos-and-workers-need-to-know/?sh=208cb2aa6afa">return-to-office mandates</a>&nbsp;that have many workers frustrated by workplace distractions and longer hours spent commuting. But in effect, such efforts could be making productivity worse.



“The conventional wisdom for productivity has always been if you want to produce more, just work more,” says Christina Janzer, senior vice president of research and analytics and the head of Slack’s Workforce Lab, which does research and experiments about improving ways of working. “This is our opportunity to myth-bust. More hours don’t necessarily mean better productivity.”



Janzer admits that while Slack has do-not-disturb settings, status updates and scheduled send tools, “there’s still more work for us to do to encourage them and make them more visible.” Still, it’s ultimately “up to the company and the team and the culture to really establish those ground rules,” she says.



Slack’s survey comes from self-reported answers rather than specific measures of study participants’ productivity or their number of work hours. It found that those who felt obligated to work after hours were 50% more likely to say they have too many competing priorities than those who work traditional hours; meanwhile, employees who worked longer hours reported similar daytime efficiency to those who worked a typical schedule, suggesting managers aren’t doing enough to prioritize work and prevent a sense of overload, Janzer says. For many organizations, the latest data shows “there’s a really big opportunity for managers to play a bigger role in helping people prioritize and take the time that they spend at work and make it time well spent,” says Janzer.



The survey also found that desk workers reported a “goldilocks zone” of four hours a day as an ideal amount of time for focused work, and that more than two hours of meetings is the point at which they feel overburdened. Meanwhile, half of desk workers surveyed said they rarely or never take breaks during the work day.



The survey’s finding about long hours and productivity is hardly new. Academic research has long shown that beyond a certain point, extra hours can lead to productivity declines. A 2014&nbsp;<a href="https://docs.iza.org/dp8129.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">study</a>, for instance, found that employee output falls sharply after a 50-hour work-week, and then falls precipitously after 55 hours. A Boston University&nbsp;<a href="https://hbr.org/2015/08/the-research-is-clear-long-hours-backfire-for-people-and-for-companies" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">study</a>&nbsp;of consultants, meanwhile, found that managers couldn’t tell the difference between those who actually worked 80 hours a week and those who pretended to do so. Then there’s&nbsp;<a href="https://www.who.int/news/item/17-05-2021-long-working-hours-increasing-deaths-from-heart-disease-and-stroke-who-ilo" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">research</a>&nbsp;from the World Health Organization, which concludes that working 55 or more hours per week is associated with an estimated 35% higher risk of a stroke and a 17% higher risk of dying from heart disease.



Yet at a time when hybrid work arrangements and an influx of technology allows people to rethink the patterns and practices of work, it’s a reminder that there are alternatives to simply pushing longer hours to get more out of people. “Productivity is not linear,” says Janzer, noting that 75% of survey respondents said they experience a productivity slump in the afternoons between 3 and 6 pm. “There’s these opportunities to really think about how people are spending and structuring their day.”



Slack’s survey also found that those who reported the most productivity were more likely to say they used time management strategies like blocking time for specific tasks, only checking email at specific times and setting timers to keep themselves focused. Slack is experimenting with some productivity tools itself: Recently, Janzer’s team had a “speedy meetings week” where it halved the length of all meetings—all 30-minute slots were scheduled for 15, for instance—to see how much time was really required. The company also has “maker weeks” twice each quarter, in which meetings are temporarily lifted from the calendar to rethink which ones work and which don’t.



“It’s a great forcing function,” Janzer says. “You’re able to really accomplish a lot from a productivity standpoint. But the second thing is it forces you to work in different ways. What you thought had to be a 30-minute meeting you realize actually [could] be an asynchronous post in Slack.” Or, as many have noted, an email.

Tired Black man, sleeping and burnout from working at night by office desk suffering stress or overworked. Exhausted African American male asleep on table by computer for long work hours at workplace

Feel Pressure To Work After Hours? You May Be Less Productive, Not More.

Faced with one of the biggest shifts in our work lives, how can we mindfully maintain productivity in our new work environment?



For many, working from the comfort of your own home is a dream come true. You imagine the magnificence of extended sleeping hours and the freedom to incorporate self-care activities into any time of the day. Sounds amazing, right? It is, until it’s time to sit in front of your PC and actually work.



The downside of having a few extra hours to spare (especially the hours we normally use to get to office and back), is that we may succumb to the temptation of comfort – the comfort to binge-watch your favorite show or even upgrade your cooking skills; absolutely anything that has no connection to your ‘real job’.&nbsp; The challenge is to transition your mentality into work mode which may require more effort than anticipated. Perhaps it’s a lot harder to have discipline when nobody’s physically there to remind you of your perennial to-do list.



So, how do you ensure that you remain focused on the task at hand while working remotely? Here are some tips to help kick-start and maintain your productivity in your new work environment:



First things first, establish a morning routine: Set your alarm and get up and pretend as if you’re actually going to the office. Take a shower, it helps increase your blood flow and leaves you feeling energized. Don’t get back into your sleepwear. If you’re still feeling sluggish, try a quick workout or meditation routine to wake up your brain. Drink lots of water, it also helps.



Location is everything: Find a comfortable spot in your home that you can dedicate to your work. Your space should cater to your needs and allow for you to do your work without infringing on other areas of your home, especially if you live with other people. Try and pick an area that has a good source of light – whether natural or artificial. According to Lux Review, good lighting not only allows for pleasant working conditions but also plays a significant role in your health and wellbeing.



Clean space, clear mind: Once you have found your spot, it is important to remove all clutter that reminds you of home chores or entertainment not in line with your tasks. It’s a lot easier to work productively in a well-organized environment as the opportunity for distraction is decreased. A clean space also comes with psychological benefits such as less stress and anxiety which is good for your overall happiness. Who wants to be stressed more when there’s already so much going on in the world?



Get those sticky notes out: Plan for your day ahead of time. The environment may have changed but the expectations are still the same! Put each goal you have for the day on paper. This will allow you to keep track of your workload so you don’t get overwhelmed. Having a schedule allows you to maintain your professionalism. For creatives, this will help so you don’t get carried away with one task.



Phone a friend: Being an employee in the time of Covid-19 means the social benefits of working in an office have been temporarily stripped away. So, it is important to check in with your colleagues and friends, just so you stay sane and feel less isolated. It also assists in keeping you cheerful and motivated to do your work. Be careful to not overdo it as that might distract you.



Take a break: As you would take a lunch break at work, do so at home too. Take a walk around the house, get some fresh air or spend a bit of time with the people you live with. You can also apply the Pomodoro Technique; a cyclical system in which tasks are separated into 25-minute segments, divided by five-minute breaks (with a longer one around midday). This way, you will feel less guilty about wanting a second away from your computer screen.



Don’t forget to log off: Having a structured and productive work day also means knowing when to stop. You should definitely set boundaries for yourself so you don’t interfere with your work-life balance. Log off, refresh and restart tomorrow!

image2

How To Stay Productive Working From Home

Productivity is calculated by dividing each country’s GDP by the average number of hours worked annually by all employed citizens. In my opinion, country productivity simply means the financial evidence for problems solved by business communities over a period of time. 



According to a 2018 report by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, businesses in the African continent are among the lowest ranked when it comes to productivity.



This means corporate Africa needs to solve problems that matter. In each firm, the chief executive officer is the chief problem solver for customers and the firm.



<blockquote class="wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow">In every enterprise, problems are resolved at a different level. The man at the gate solves the problem of parking and watches out for thieves and intruders.</blockquote>



The chief operating officer solves the problems of disorder
and inefficiency. The ability of a leader to recognize that everybody in any
enterprise has the capability to solve a problem makes the business system
efficient and productive.



When a leader believes he is the only one who can solve all
problems at every level of an organization, it only wastes the corporate
potential. Everybody in an organization has the potential to solve challenges. 



Problems are facts of every business because we live in an
imperfect world. For winning enterprises, tests are stepping-stones to maturity
and productivity.



There are two perspectives to a problem that will put firms in the winning mode. 



READ MORE | <a href="https://www.forbesafrica.com/woman/2019/03/11/the-businesses-of-the-future-20-new-wealth-creators-on-the-african-continent/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener" aria-label="Businesses Of The Future: 20 New Wealth Creators On The African Continent (opens in a new tab)">Businesses Of The Future: 20 New Wealth Creators On The African Continent</a>



It is important to be reminded that an outstanding person is
the one who resolves an outstanding problem. 



Can you think of an outstanding billionaire who didn’t
resolve an outstanding problem? I believe there is none. 



I think a team’s attitude should be focussed on solving an
outstanding issue for all humanity.



That is what Larry Page and his team have done by creating
Google. They solved the global problem of searching for information at the
click of a mouse. 



Secondly, problem-solving is the quickest route to leadership. In every society, people fall into two categories of problems; those who create them and those that solve them. As an entrepreneur, you will be rewarded based the degree of problems you solve, not the ones you create.



As a team member, when you solve a problem beyond your
current job description, you are likely ready for a promotion.



Thirdly, the capacity of the entrepreneur is more important
than the size of the problem. The problem is the self-image of the person. This
means an entrepreneur will not take on activities on the outside that he or she
is not capable of on the inside.



These three attitudes mentioned above are important for any
firm to create a winning team. Let me quickly say that it is only effective
when a business leader helps his or her associates and team members develop
this attitude. 



READ MORE | <a href="https://www.forbesafrica.com/focus/2019/02/03/african-countries-should-rethink-how-they-use-e-government-platforms/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener" aria-label="African Countries Should Rethink How They Use E-government Platforms (opens in a new tab)">African Countries Should Rethink How They Use E-government Platforms</a>



When they express these attitudes, they solve challenges
with you in the enterprise. Don’t be caught by the ‘Moses syndrome’, because
you cannot solve every problem in your enterprise by yourself.



Problem-solving is first an attitude and then a technical
skill. Now let me share with you a few technical skills that are applicable to
problem-solving.



The first step would be to erect a business thermometer to
identify the issue. Focus on vital aspects such as finance, sales, marketing,
customer satisfaction, employee performances, and turnover rate.



You need to look for an anomaly in the vital signs before
you can identify the threat and knock it off.



Secondly, prioritize the problem and identify the most important and urgent of them and attend to it. The problem can be important, important and urgent, or urgent and unimportant. 



READ MORE | <a href="https://www.forbesafrica.com/economy/2018/12/12/deals-dollars-and-developments-on-the-african-continent/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener" aria-label="Deals, Dollars and Developments On The African Continent (opens in a new tab)">Deals, Dollars and Developments On The African Continent</a>



You must be able to place it in the appropriate category. You will need to dig around the it to define the real issue. If the sales are poor and it is an important and urgent concern on your priority list, the next thing is to dig around it and define the elements of the problem, both internal and external.



Thereafter, select a project team to solve the contingency. 



Whether it is to be solved in two hours, two days, two
months or two years, call the project team and give them responsibilities
within a space of time to solve it.



Finally, select the best solution and create a policy. Look at all recommended solutions to the problem and select the best that suits it. Evaluate the solution appropriately and set up a policy that can guide against the recurring of the problem in the future.



-Victor Mamora

Two businessmen compare work on laptops while sitting on beanbags. Pretoria, South Africa

To Increase Productivity Corporate Africa Needs To Look For Problems

Work four days a week, but get paid for five?



It sounds too good to be true, but companies around the world that have cut their work week have found that it leads to higher productivity, more motivated staff and less burnout.



“It is much healthier and we do a better job if we’re not working crazy hours,” said Jan Schulz-Hofen, founder of Berlin-based project management software company Planio, who introduced a four-day week to the company’s 10-member staff earlier this year.



In New Zealand, insurance company Perpetual Guardian reported a fall in stress and a jump in staff engagement after it tested a 32-hour week earlier this year.



Even in Japan, the government is encouraging companies to allow Monday mornings off, although other schemes in the workaholic country to persuade employees to take it easy have had little effect.



Britain’s Trades Union Congress (TUC) is pushing for the whole country to move to a four-day week by the end of the century, a drive supported by the opposition Labour party.



The TUC argues that a shorter week is a way for workers to share in the wealth generated by new technologies like machine learning and robotics, just as they won the right to the weekend off during the industrial revolution.



“It would reduce the stress of juggling working and family life and could improve gender equality. Companies that have already tried it say it’s better for productivity and staff wellbeing,” said TUC economic head Kate Bell.



<h5 class="wp-block-heading">OVERWORKED</h5>



Lucie Greene, trends expert at consultancy J. Walter Thompson, said there was a growing backlash against overwork, underlined by a wave of criticism after Tesla (<a href="https://www.reuters.com/finance/stocks/overview?symbol=TSLA.O">TSLA.O</a>) boss Elon Musk tweeted that “nobody ever changed the world on 40 hours a week.”



“People are starting to take a step back from the 24-hour digital life we have now and realize the mental health issues from being constantly connected to work,” Greene said.



A recent survey of 3,000 employees in eight countries including the United States, Britain and Germany found that nearly half thought they could easily finish their tasks in five hours a day if they did not have interruptions, but many are exceeding 40 hours a week anyway &#8211; with the United States leading the way, where 49 percent said they worked overtime.



“There has been work creep. Because you always have the technology, you are always working, so people are getting burned out,” said Dan Schawbel, director of executive development firm Future Workplace, which conducted the survey.



Schulz-Hofen, a 36-year-old software engineer, tested the four-day week on himself after realizing he needed to slow down following a decade of intense work launching Planio, whose tools allowed him to track his time in detail.



“I didn’t get less work done in four days than in five because in five days, you think you have more time, you take longer, you allow yourself to have more interruptions, you have your coffee a bit longer or chat with colleagues,” Schulz-Hofen said.



“I realized with four days, I have to be quick, I have to be focused if I want to have my free Friday.”



Schulz-Hofen and his team discussed various options before settling on everybody working Monday to Thursday. They rejected the idea of flexible hours because it adds administrative complexity, and were against a five-day week with shorter hours as it is too easy for overwork to creep back in.



Clients who call on a Friday hear a recorded message explaining why nobody is at the office.



<figure><iframe loading="lazy" src="https://tpc.googlesyndication.com/safeframe/1-0-31/html/container.html" width="0" height="242"></iframe></figure>



“We got an unexpected reaction from customers. Most of our clients did not complain. They were just jealous,” Schulz-Hofen said.



Grey New York, an ad agency owned by WPP (<a href="https://www.reuters.com/finance/stocks/overview?symbol=WPP.L">WPP.L</a>), launched a program in April to allow staff to work a four-day week for 85 percent of their full-time salary.



Schawbel expects the idea to catch on in more companies and countries, but probably not his own: “I think America will be the last country to give us Monday mornings off because we’re so used to this way of working.” -Reuters



<ul class="wp-block-list"><li>Emma Thomasson</li></ul>

gettyimages-78722617-170667a

Burnout, stress lead more companies to try a four-day work week

Many educated Zimbabweans are scattered around the world in search of greener pastures. Walk by factories in Bulawayo, a city once known as &#8216;KoNtuthu ziyathunqa&#8217; (the place that exudes smoke), you will see deserted sites. According to Godfrey Kanyenze, an economist, 4,610 companies closed down in Zimbabwe between 2011 and 2014, and 55,000 jobs were lost.
But, according to the Zimbabwean government, look closer and you will see investment opportunities.
At the Zimbabwe Trade and Investment Forum at the Hyatt Regency in Johannesburg, in July, ministers campaigned for foreign direct investment (FDI), which they believe is on its way.
“Zimbabwe urgently needs a significant amount of FDI to create employment, enhance technology, improve productivity, add value and beneficiate raw materials,” says Zimbabwe’s Minister of Industry and Commerce, Michael Bimha.
According to Bimha, Zimbabwe will review its legal framework to attract foreign investment. Government has a Bilateral Investment Promotion Protection Agreement (BIPA) which protects future investors from expropriation. He cites power generation, water and sewerage, transport, dam construction and ICT as areas of need.
One good sign is that huge African investor, PPC Cement, is ploughing in money.
“PPC Zimbabwe is a key player in all the big projects underway, and we are working hard to be involved in those still at the planning stage,” says Njombo Lekula, Managing Director of PPC Zimbabwe.
He says the country’s future growth will be centered on Harare and Northern Zimbabwe through housing driven by urbanization.
“It’s an expression of our confidence that the economy is on the up, and also in the growing amount of intra-regional trade, with South Africa, Mozambique, Malawi and Zambia particularly. Our total investment is $200 million in the country over the coming years,” he says.
On the flip side, the Zimbabwean government will soon be exporting skilled labor as the ruling party, Zanu-PF, lags on its 2013 election promise to create 2.2 million jobs in five years, with its economic blueprint; the Zimbabwe Agenda for Sustainable Socio-Economic Transformation (Zim Asset).
Zimbabwe has signed job agreements with South Sudan, Namibia, Angola and Botswana. The government will be paid for recruiting. Zimbabwe’s Higher and Tertiary Education, Science and Technology Development Minister, Godfrey Gandawa, says a database of graduates is being set up.
“We are coming up with a policy as a ministry to help our skilled manpower to get jobs because there are countries with vacancies in various fields, but our people do not have access to those vacancies out there,” Gandawa told the state-controlled Herald.
Obert Gutu, the opposition MDC-T spokesperson, says the policy was an open admission that Zim Asset has failed.
“When a country begins to actively encourage its qualified personnel to get jobs in other countries, you can then appreciate that the wheels are surely coming off. Instead of creating jobs under the much talked about Zim Asset policy framework, the Zanu-PF regime has actually become an employment agent; eagerly recruiting young and highly qualified Zimbabweans to go and work in other countries. Under normal circumstances, this government would simply resign. They have totally failed the people of Zimbabwe,” says Gutu.
Maxwell Saungweme, an independent development economist, says it is unfortunate that Zimbabweans educated with state coffers will be working for the coffers of another state.
“Policies on education and human capital development should be demand driven and not just to supply labor and investing in education and skills you don&#8217;t need,” he says.
Political analyst, Rashweat Mukundu, claims this is a policy of desperation.
“If Zimbabweans have to move, it must be voluntary, but right now labor or economic migration is a desperate move by many who see no hope in Zimbabwe.”
The last word at the investment forum comes from a South African rail entrepreneur, Thabo Molamu.
“Investors should strongly consider investing in Zimbabwe, regardless of a wrongfully portrayed political situation in Zimbabwe, especially by some sections of the media,” he says.
“The policies put in place by the government of Zimbabwe, like the indigenization policy, will be understood by the targeted beneficiaries very late. The truth is, people want answers now; they want poverty eradicated now, and they don&#8217;t understand why redressing the past is central to the plan of African leaders. They misinterpret this to be meaning being self-centred when in reality it means putting Africa and the people of Africa first.”
So, where there is a will, there is always an investor and entrepreneur.

Tag: Productivity

FORBES AFRICA SOCIAL MEDIA

Feel Pressure To Work After Hours? You May Be Less Productive, Not More.

How To Stay Productive Working From Home

To Increase Productivity Corporate Africa Needs To Look For Problems

Burnout, stress lead more companies to try a four-day work week

Money In, Skills Out