crunch culture

Against Crunch Culture, Why Overly Fixating on Productivity Isn’t Productive

Against Crunch Culture, Why Overly Fixating on Productivity Isn’t Productive

With all the tools and systems available in the modern workplace, employees can get an incredible amount of stuff done in a shorter amount of time. Workers have never been more productive. But due to this efficiency, there is an incentive to add even more to the workforce’s plate for the sake of boosting productivity. This is the crux of crunch culture. So for all those fixated about the metrics, here are a few stats to take note of. Stanford University professor Jeffrey Pfeffer’s research for his book, “Dying for a Paycheck,” shows that:
  • 60% of employees in the US have reported that workplace stress made them sick.
  • 7% said they have been hospitalized. 
  • And due to this, US employers lose $300 billion a year. 
  • Workplace stress may also be behind 120,000 excess deaths each year. 
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Why the Jack Ma Approach Is Not Best For Business

Why the Jack Ma Approach Is Not Best For Business

Recently, the billionaire founder of Alibaba, Jack Ma, argued for a “996” system. This entails workdays spanning from 9am to 9pm – that’s 12 full hours – and a work week that’s six days long. Woah… that’s a lot to take in. He says that it is best for business, particularly in maintaining China’s economic inertia. But we beg to disagree with Jack Ma and this notion productivity that prioritizes profits ahead of the workers’ wellness and their work-life balance.

This is not what’s best for business and runs counter to what entrepreneurs should seek and what they should ask of their employees. After all, don’t startup owners hire Virtual Assistants precisely so they can have more time off? And aren’t people working as VAs to have more flexibility and control over their hours? (more…)

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