Leadership Renewal & Finding Inspiration: The end of extreme effort to improve work outcomes.

• Author: Bunch, Woodrie
• Position: HEALTHCARE SPECIAL SECTION

Work-life has been busy and stressful for a while. Even pre-COVID-19. the average worker in the United States worked more hours than those in the United Kingdom, Japan, Germany, France, Italy, and most other industrialized nations, according to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation. Excessively long work hours are defined as regularly working 48 hours or more, according to studies by the United Nations International Labour Organization, and they are tied to poor health outcomes, lower productivity and performance, and a host of other negatives. The average US-based fulltime salaried worker already exceeds this limit by working on average 49 hours per week, says Lydia Saad in Gallup article The 40-Hour Workweek Is Actually Longer--by Seven Hours.

My personal experience as a consultant and executive coach validates this trend: most professionals I've witnessed (especially in the managerial/leadership ranks) exceed fifty-hour weeks, and many work much more. Recent technology advances and 24/7 access to work seems to add to an overall sense of urgency and our consistently high workloads. Those late evening texts, emails, and weekend/vacation work-creep are rampant in most leadership positions. COVID-19 has exacerbated this problem by blurring lines between our personal and professional boundaries. This blur has become a reality and created additional work burdens.

Yet with every crisis comes opportunity, and we are seeing some silver linings. Mental health is no longer pushed to the sidelines. There is collective recognition in the fact that working parents need serious support and that our childcare structures are close to breaking. Since the boundaries between personal and professional life have been severed, the need for serious stress-relief and true support for teams is finally coming to the forefront of leadership conversations.

Why?

Addressing work stress has become a necessity for organizations to function. The science and research on supporting staff is clear, but now we are starting to see the impact of what happens when people are not supported. The Great Resignation is but one indicator, with burnout, employee retention, and poor work outcomes being others. On the flip side, the opportunities for organizations that step up to this challenge are huge--including improvements to creativity, decision making, and complex problem solving to name just a few.

The benefits of shifting our corporate cultures and leadership styles toward a more sustainable path are immense. Consider research out of Harvard and Yale that shows consistent time...