Experts tell us that the average worker would have to work a mere 10 hours a week to meet the productivity of their 1950’s counterpart.  The bad news is that the economy has calibrated itself for that productivity.  We expect things done faster than we used to.  Receiving a package in 3 days used to be fast.  Then overnight.  Now if we can’t download this instant we’re not interested.

A good example of this comes from a CNN blogger who tried to fit a shorter workweek in with the 24/7 new cycle business:

http://www.cnn.com/2008/LIVING/08/14/cnn.workweek/index.html

The second big problem with shorter work weeks is the slow economy.  Many people view flex time as a major liability to their career assuming bosses have an “out of sight / out of mind” view of their performance.  Need to make cuts?  Who’s that guy I never see?  http://www.cnn.com/2010/LIVING/worklife/03/29/flex.time/index.html?iref=allsearch

But a shorter work week can have some major benefits.  First, it can save on energy cost in terms of running office amenities as well as in commuting costs for employees.  There’s also a case to be made for frankly acknowledging the waste that often takes place in juggling work and life. A doctor’s visit, for example, may only take an hour but can easily eat up an entire afternoon of an employee’s time.  If these sort of activities were concentrated in extra time off, actual word days would become less diluted.

So from a management perspective, how do you implement a shorter work week to ensure these  efficiencies are working for you?  How do you turn a nice perk into a way to reduce overhead and improve effectiveness.  Here are 5 ways to start:

1.)  Make it Mandatory

Efficiency means that employees can’t be in the office.  Keeping strict working hours ensures that employees genuinely approach work more efficiently, but also means that no one will feel threatened by missing something important.  Any kind of flex time needs to be more or less mandatory.  If it’s not, natural competition will kick in resulting in greater inefficiency.

2.)  Manage by Task

Task oriented management means looking at what and employee delivers and when they deliver it instead of whether they’re simply available to work. Shorter hours mean less time to get something done, but also means you are judged on production instead of time.

3.)  Keep Meetings Short and to the Point

Less time in the office means less time for meetings.  It’s still important to touch base with people, but keep meetings short.

4.)  Beware of Too Much Email

An office that isn’t frequently together tends to email often.  The problem is the vast number of emails that crowd computers every day.   Keeping people in the loop doesn’t always mean hitting cc, however.  Encourage that problems and questions be addressed in meetings, phone calls, or in one to one exchanges.

5.)  Use Technology

There are terrific tools like Skype and an array of chatting programs that are great ways to stay in touch outside the office.  Also, document sharing has become easier with services like Google docs.  You may need to push along these relationships slightly with training or hardware, but they are fairly maintenance free after that.

Flexible working schedules and shorter hours simply means worker smart and not harder.  Managing this process also means rewarding smart work and enabling it.  The results could be higher productivity and a lower bottom line.

Current economic problems and high unemployment numbers are distorting many employers’ perception of the overall happiness and satisfaction of their employees. When unemployment is high and uncertainty in the job market reigns supreme, people with jobs tend to hold onto those jobs, even if they’re not fulfilled in their current position.

Finding and retaining talent may be the most important jobs that any manager performs. Talent is always difficult to find and those employees who demonstrate the greatest potential need to be invested in so that they remain challenged and invested in your company.

Now is the time to invest in their professional development. According to New York Times bestselling business author and organizational behavior expert Dr. Richard Boyatzis, you need to create energy and excitement around your most talented staff members to keep them engaged and enthusiastic. If you invest in them now, then they’ll be less likely to consider other employment options when they emerge (as they certainly will).

Sit down with your best employees to discuss how they want to direct their professional development. Do they need additional training? Do they need to become involved with other departments to develop cross-functional skills? Are there strategic projects that they can help develop and implement with other key members of your staff?

Find interesting opportunities that communicate your respect for their talent and potential, and they won’t jump at the first fresh opportunity that comes along.

The report found that only 21% of workers were truly engaged to their jobs and about 38% were completely disengaged.

From a cynical perspective, this shouldn’t surprise anyone.  In a down economy, people stay in jobs that they don’t love because the option of moving somewhere else simply isn’t there.  If you really want to get cynical, you could say that managers know this and are less concerned about keeping people happy.

Hamel has another view: low levels of employee engagement make companies not only less productive — it makes companies less competitive.

From the blog:

In a world of commoditized knowledge, the returns go to the companies who can produce non-standard knowledge. Success here is measured by profit per employee, adjusted for capital intensity.

What does that have to do with employee engagement.  A lot, claims Hamel:

In every industry, there are huge swathes of critical knowledge that have been commoditized—and what hasn’t yet been commoditized soon will be.

Given that, we have to wave goodbye to the “knowledge economy” and say hello to the “creative economy.”

What matters today is how fast a company can generate new insights and build new knowledge—of the sort that enhances customer value.

To escape the curse of commoditization, a company has to be a game-changer, and that requires employees who are proactive, inventive and zealous.

Problem is, you can’t command people to be enthusiastic, creative and passionate.

These critical ingredients for success in the creative economy are gifts that people will bring to work each day only if they’re truly engaged. (Eric Raymond made this point way back in 2001 when he argued that in the new economy, “enjoyment predicts productivity.”)

Basically, we have moved from an information/knowledge economy to a creative economy.  Knowledge in how to do something is less important than what to do with that knowledge and technology.

Of course, the post relies heavily on the iPhone example.  Why is it that we always rely on Apple for the “How to do it right…” example?  Is it a cliche or is it just true?

Read the complete post here: Link

And let us know what you think?  Is Hamel right? Wrong?  Both?

I hesitated, trying to figure out why he had asked. Then, almost in a what kind of idiot do you think I am tone I replied “Four”. Since he did not respond or nod right away I added, “Unless this is the kind of place where if you say it’s five, then it’s five. Or if the customer says it’s five then it’s five – but I have to tell you, even if you say it’s five – I’m the kind of guy who will work with five but I’ll probably still let you know I think it’s four.”

I got the job, but that answer was not the reason why. In fact a couple of years later the same guy (my boss) asked me to interview new applicants for a position and handed me his file of interview notes. I found his notes on my interview and examined the notes on that particular question. His notes: “Answered decisively – then went way too deep.”

One might argue that it was a great question to ask, replete with nuanced layers that most people don’t think of, but he actually just asked the question to test my reflexes. Unfortunately there are many ‘interviewers’ out there who either take behavioral interview or active listening techniques so literally that they miss the entire point of the interview. Or they wind up evaluating candidates on illegitimate criteria.

Even in an economy where the supply exceeds the demand, where cynicism runs rampant among those who have the jobs and are interviewing those that do not, and where companies are looking harder at ways to disqualify people than to qualify them there is still a great truth that gets overlooked time and again: the interview is a two way street.

Here is my advice to the interviewer on how to properly conduct an interview.

Step 1. Take the first few minutes to get to know the candidate and find some way to connect. This will put them more at ease and get you more honest and thoughtful responses. Perhaps you know people who live near where they live or grew up; perhaps you have friends who went to school where they went to school, or anything that has less to do with work and more to do with life.

Step 2. Discuss the opportunity (don’t run at the mouth or take too long to go over it since the candidate has presumably read the job description) and make sure the candidate has some understanding of what you’re looking for. Then ask them to tell you how they would approach the job. It’s very important to avoid interrupting, but do take the time to validate that you understand what they are talking about. DO NOT tell them things like, “you won’t be able to do that here” or “we’re not set up for that”. This disrupts their energy and enthusiasm and is counterproductive. Your goal is to determine the scope of the candidate’s vision, even if it doesn’t yet align precisely with yours.

Step 3. As they talk about what they would do, they’ll ask questions. Be prepared to answer them, and don’t be cagey. Sharing information goes a long way in building trust which will enhance the interview process immensely.

Step 4. Use the dialogue to take you to places you feel the interview needs to go. Interviews often end with the standard, “What else can I tell you?” or “Do you have any questions for me?” or “here is my card, call me anytime with questions.” While these are standard comments to end the interview, they often come across as insincere. So instead try, “Did we get to go over everything you had thought about before coming in?” or “Can I call you if I think of something else I wanted to ask you or talk about?” This simple twist may actually solicit some very important info that will help you make a decision about the next step. It will also make sure that, no matter how poorly the interview went, the candidate will likely have nice things to say about you and the company.

Step 5. Follow up. Even as you jot down your notes on the interview take a moment to send a quick email while you have the resume in hand. A “thanks for coming in; it was a pleasure meeting you.” goes a long way in making the candidate experience complete. That experience is key to the growth and morale of the company overall. These steps not only will help you become a better and more effective interviewer, but will also be instrumental in building your new employees’ morale.

As work has become more collaborative and consensus more  valued , there is a frustrating trend developing around the idea that ‘Yes’ and ‘No’ should be determined by a group.  But groups don’t do that very well.  Groups are great for gathering viewpoints, perspectives, histories, different cultural mindsets, and opinions, but, in the end, someone should make a firm, lasting decision.   It’s important to tell your staff that you’re gathering information, you want opinions, but you’ll be making the final decision.  You’ll be saying ‘Yes’ or ‘No’.

You will displease someone when you do say ‘No’ or ‘Yes’, but you’ll have a clearer decisions that people can abide by.  Even a wrong decision is better, in the long run, than no decision at all.

Here’s a peak at the article:

No one likes hearing “No,” and few can resist pushing back — sometimes quite persistently. Roger Fisher, negotiation expert and coauthor of the widely influential book Getting to Yes, used to tell his law students that sometimes he wished he had written a book about getting to no and staying there. When disappointed family members or colleagues pushed back at his no, he would sometimes give up and give in.

Like Fisher, most of us find ourselves torn between our wish to stay with no and our desire to accommodate the person asking us for something. This tension is particularly acute when that person is a valued client or a senior colleague.

When we say no and find ourselves pressured to unsay it, we can of course just give in. But giving in, especially when it becomes a habit, can seriously damage our credibility and effectiveness as professionals. Here is how to say no in a way that both conveys your resolve and preserves your relationships.

Read the full article here: Staying with No