Accelerating the Future Talent: Workspace Temporalities
Entering the typical office building in Manhattan today is a very different experience from what it would have been fifty years ago. Clipboards have been replaced by uncountable monitors flashing in bright color. Instead of a fragmented flow of information between co-workers, there exists now a constant exchange of information via email, Slack, and Skype all across the globe. The workspace has not only been transformed technologically: the booming startup scene has also introduced concepts of interconnected work-life management that would have been unthinkable a decade ago. While part of this evolution is undoubtedly part of the regular adaptation of the workplace to modern expectations and technological advances, a different component and its place in the workspace has changed profoundly: time.
“Nowadays, more and more professions can be executed from more than one place, if not from anywhere; this in turn has also introduced the possibility of working at any given time. Mix in globalization and the interconnectedness of markets across continents, and no truly global company is ever really asleep.”
As progress in technology has boosted productivity, it has also started to transform the office space as a rigid structure. Nowadays, more and more professions can be executed from more than one place, if not from anywhere; this in turn has also introduced the possibility of working at any given time. Mix in globalization and the interconnectedness of markets across continents, and no truly global company is ever really asleep. What does this mean for their employees? They can be reached nearly 24/7, and the norm certainly is that they ought to be available to a high degree outside of their regular office hours. The warping of the office time-space has important implications, not only for accelerating the future talent and increasing productivity; it also pushes us to question how we can use this transformation to our advantage, to create a healthier work rhythm that benefits employers and employees alike.
“Behind this mega boost in output per worker, there has been an analogous, much darker boost in the prevalence of mental health issues and a serious spike in burnout rates in the workspace.”
Productivity seems to have increased significantly since the dawn of the dot com revolution, but we also seem to be working longer hours than ever before. Behind this mega boost in output per worker, there has been an analogous, much darker boost in the prevalence of mental health issues and a serious spike in burnout rates in the workspace. While a part of the realization of the prevalence of mental health issues in the workspace is undoubtedly due to the fact that this topic has come to find a more acceptable place in public discourse (albeit a lot still needs to be done), this does not account for the sheer amount of people who are affected by serious cases of anxiety, depression and burnouts. The prospect of increased induced chronic stress due to digitization and non-stop interconnectedness for a generation of workers that still have their whole lives ahead of them —and who are also expected and direly needed to be active members of the working force for many more years— is unnerving. So how can we accelerate the future talent while simultaneously grasping the potential of these new workspace temporalities, which coincide with millennials’ desire for more flexibility?
If we are looking at reshaping workspace temporalities, two different new models have emerged as the main contenders: the four-day week and more flexible schedules that would precipitate the extinction of the typical 9-to-5 rhythm that has dominated the work clock for decades. The latter, to many, seems more intuitive or even just a formalization of the current state of affairs. Yet, companies are still very reluctant to adopt formal flexible work schedule policies, despite work flexibility being the most important factor to millennials when evaluating job opportunities. Offering flexibility does not solely cater to preferences of a new generation or the potential of increased productivity; it would also give women the opportunity to manage balancing family and career much more easily. This kind of flexibility in the workspace would finally normalize the integration of family life with work life and would benefit parents as well as non-parents. The benefit of flexibility also extends to increased productivity and aligning one’s individual traits and preferences, such as peak work hours and commuting logistics, with one’s job. A move to a more universal acceptance of flexible work hours would also have the effect of tying flexibility not only to parenting but pushing the conversation beyond the idea that only women require or seek this kind of flexibility. Rather, it is a tool that would allow for a more effective integration of work with all other aspects of life, which could result in a more even distribution of family responsibilities beyond the stereotypical gender roles. Furthermore, the kind of flexibility employees are looking for applies to a variety of work-life balance designs that enhance well-being. This can range from balancing work with one’s time for hobbies and friends to looking after elderly parents and volunteer work. Given the endless possibilities of how to design one’s time and responsibilities outside of work, it comes as no surprise that more flexibility with work hours is highly sought after, especially by young employees.
“A move to a more universal acceptance of flexible work hours would also have the effect of tying flexibility not only to parenting but pushing the conversation beyond the idea that only women require or seek this kind of flexibility.”
“Providing better time management options is likely to result in higher retention rates of women and more women in corporate leadership positions.”
Of course, a broader application of flexible work hours risks downplaying the importance of policies outright addressing maternity leave and time needed to look after young children. It is clear that balancing personal goals outside of work is decisively different from looking after one’s children, which is a more serious concern. This is especially true, as providing better time management options is likely to result in higher retention rates of women and more women in corporate leadership positions, two pressing issues in the workplace today. While an increase in general policies that provide greater flexibility to employees could have this as a side effect, the challenge of raising children while pursuing a career is a distinctly difficult one. As such, it cannot be compared, in terms of its necessity and importance, to the benefits that increased flexibility can bring to the company and its employees. Retention policies that specifically cater to families with newly born infants, irrespective of changes to overall work schedule flexibility, is crucial to ensuring that adverse effects do not govern the outcome of what could be a major move towards accelerating the future talent and modernizing the work(time)space.
There is, however, a second competing model on the market of ideas to increase productivity, integrate women into the workforce, and strive for a more successful implementation of a work-life balance: welcome to the four-day week. While it may seem obvious that employers would look upon this proposal unfavorably, this is far from the case: companies such as Microsoft have had trial runs of the four-day week for extended periods of time that have proven to be successful. The fact that productivity seems to increase substantially (40% in the Microsoft trial), is just one of the many indicators that the current work framework is far from ideal, including from an employer’s perspective. When talking about the four-day week and a natural decrease in working hours, a discussion of what productivity actually means, and who benefits from increased productivity, is unavoidable. Opponents of a four-day week often concede that productivity is boosted, in the sense that output per hour of work is higher. However, many believe that this gain is erased by the fact that overall, less work is being done due to the simple fact that less hours are being put in. However, introducing a framework that is somewhat flexible in its implementation hints towards a future workspace that profoundly increases productivity and provides further benefits to employers and employees by improving well-being, which has trickle-down effects to areas such as employee retention & employee satisfaction. In most cases, all of this ultimately translates to better corporate performance.
“Large corporations that are already struggling to compete with tech giants that bolster work campuses with incredible sport opportunities, top-notch dining halls, and beautiful shared work spaces might turn to these measures to enhance their attractiveness to the incoming workforce.”
Despite the numerous benefits that could emerge from greater flexibility and individualization of one’s work life, it is clear that more empirical data will be needed to convince numerous companies to adopt these policies as a measure to increase productivity and improve time management. Large corporations that are already struggling to compete with tech giants that bolster work campuses with incredible sport opportunities, top-notch dining halls, and beautiful shared work spaces might turn to these measures to enhance their attractiveness to the incoming workforce. Much more importantly, increasing flexibility would enable a more complete integration of women in the workforce and those who are disadvantaged due to circumstances that rupture with the traditional 9-to-5, Monday-to-Friday work flow. Not only that, but it might also mitigate the impending burnout crisis that is looming across the working world and threatens to turn itself into a major mental health crisis.