CATEGORY:Workplace bias

Workplace Myths

It is so easy to believe in myths.

We are conditioned to believe. From childhood, we hear our parents and elders caution us or advise us about various myths.

“Friday the thirteenth inevitably brings bad luck.”

“If your right palm itches, you are likely to receive money.”

“Walking under a ladder will lead to sorrow.”

Most myths are beliefs or practices that result from one of five causes :

1. Ignorance
2. Fear of the unknown
3. Trust in magic, luck or chance
4. A false conception of causation
5. An irrational attitude of mind toward the supernatural, nature, or God

Similarly, workplace myths, too, abound.

A lot of these myths start off as well-intentioned business and leadership observations. Sadly, they take on the garb of wisdom, and over time, are believed as if they were gospel.

Here are 5 workplace myths that research has proven wrong. You have surely heard of these. You have possibly believed these myths.

Let us bust these myths once and for all!

Myth # 1 : Longer Hours = More Productivity

Since I started working many years ago, I have always been told that putting in extra hours is the sure route to achievement and success.

“See that colleague – he works 14 hours every day, and his career is sky-rocketing.”

Research has conclusively proved that employees are actually more productive when they work shorter days.

In one case, using a time-tracking productivity app called DeskTime, the Draugiem Group conducted an experiment to understand the habits of the most productive employees.

They found that the employees with the highest productivity did not work longer hours than their counterpart. In fact, they did not even work full eight-hour days.

Instead, the most productive employees took a 17-minute break for every 52 minutes of work.

Built in breaks and shorter workdays actually enable employees to be their most productive.

In fact, the reverse is true. Working longer hours can, in fact, lead to greater operational costs and negative health effects, such as sleep deprivation, which can threaten productivity.

Myth # 2 : High Achievers = Great Managers

How often have we seen a superb sales representative being promoted to a sales manager’s role and then failing spectacularly.

“Rajan has surpassed his sales targets 3 years in a row. Let us promote him to Sales Manager!” And 6 months later, “I am afraid we will need to let Rajan go – he is just not up to the task!”

There is a clear difference between performing and managing.

Performance is necessary to be a manager, but not sufficient.

To be high achiever, one needs to bring out the best in oneself. To be a great manager, one needs to be able to understand, interact with and bring the best out of people.

Research has found that managers who don’t have the ability to improve the productivity of their people fail at twice the rate of average-quality managers.

So being a great manager takes more than just being great at your job. You need to understand your people and their capabilities and make them great performers, too.

Myth # 3 : Higher Salaries = Happier Employees

“I think George may be thinking of leaving us. We should increase his salary so that he stays.”

Salary is important.

But salary is not a motivator. It can cause dissatisfaction, but it can never satisfy. It is a ‘hygiene’ factor.

The best research in this area is Frederick Herzberg’s in motivation and hygiene factors, and their impact on morale and productivity.

Herzberg showed that the there are two kinds of factors in the workplace – motivators (satisfying factors) and dissatisfiers (hygiene factors). The proper management of hygiene factors can prevent employee dissatisfaction, but these factors can never serve as a source of motivation.

A good salary, for instance, will keep employees at a job but does not motivate them to work harder. But poor salaries may make employees look elsewhere and quit.

A manager who wants to increase employee satisfaction and happiness needs to focus on the motivators. A job with many satisfying factors will usually motivate workers, provide job satisfaction, and prompt effective performance.

Satisfying factors include recognition, responsibility, advancement, job satisfaction and growth.

Hygiene factors include salary, job security, workplace conditions and supervision.

Myth # 4 : Happy Workplace = Zero Conflict

Most of us believe that workplace disagreements are undesirable.

Such disagreements indicate tension and disconnect, distract team members from doing their jobs, and therefore damage productivity.

But research reveals just the opposite: in many cases, disagreements fuel better performance.

Most workplace disagreements fall into one of two categories:

1. relationship conflicts, which involve personality clashes, and
2. task conflicts, which focus on how work is performed.

Studies indicate that while relationship conflicts are indeed detrimental, task conflicts produce better decisions and stronger financial outcomes.

Healthy debate encourages group members to think more deeply, scrutinize alternatives, and avoid premature consensus.

While many of us view conflict as unpleasant, the experience of open deliberation can actually energize employees by providing them with better strategies for doing their job.

Workplaces that avoid disagreements in an effort to maintain group harmony are doing themselves a disservice. Far better to create an environment in which thoughtful debate is encouraged.

Myth # 5 : Open Plan = More Engagement

“Let us move to an open plan office – that will help our employees engage more and collaborate better!”

Theoretically, open plan offices should encourage more interaction.

With no cubicles or walls to divide staff, open plan offices were originally planned to increase collaboration within teams and workplaces.

But a 2018 study from researchers at Harvard University suggests the design could be counterproductive.

Comparing the experiences of employees at two Fortune 500 companies before and after a move to open plan, the researchers found that face-to-face time between employees decreased by around 70% while the use of email increased in the range of 22-50%.

Why?

One, the drive for increased interaction and collaboration comes at the expense of the ability to focus and concentrate. Continuous distractions make it hard for employees to focus. This results in increasing stress and errors, undermining performance and productivity. This forces employees to work harder and longer; causing them to eschew interaction with others so they can complete their tasks.

Two, engagement and interaction are not products of workspace configuration. They are outcomes of culture, workplace environment, team-structure and role definitions.

Tradition Is Obsolete

Five common workplace myths busted!

By now, you should have realized that these myths have been believed for so many years only because we fell prey to tradition.

“This is how it was always done, so this is how we must continue to do it.”

Break out of that mindset. It is a prison that shackles you and prevents you from innovating and growing.

Look at every myth that you have accepted. Question it. Evaluate it. And then, discard it or embrace it based on the value it brings to your workplace.

What is the myth you want to bust today?

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Do send your inputs to me, either as a comment or as a PM.

Cheers | Shesh | Singapore | 24 November 2020.

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“What we want is to be comfortable being a woman in the workplace,” says Warini.

Warini is an HR manager in an digital marketing company. We are standing together, having lunch during an HR conference at the MBS Convention Centre.

“You will need to explain that sentence,“ I say, smiling.

“I have to be careful how I do so,” says Warini, “often, such discussions come across with women sounding whiny and complaining, and that is not what I want to be.”

“I understand,” I say, “I have heard the same point from other women. Trust me, you don’t need to worry – you just need to speak and make your voices heard. If you keep quiet, it is much worse than seeming whiny.”

“True, that,” says Warini, with a small smile. “Okay, here goes…”

“I don’t whether you will understand this, being a man,’ she starts, “but, somehow, being a woman at home and being a woman at work are two entirely different things. At home, being a woman is comfortable and accepted. At work, being the exact same woman is viewed with disdain, disrespect and discrimination.”

I waited for her to continue.

DISCRIMINATION

“You have no idea what I am taking about,” says Warini, looking at my face and grinning, “let’s take being pregnant, for example – having a baby is celebrated at home. Everyone is happy, I am treated with care and respect, people go out of their way to ensure I am comfortable, and so on.”

“But,” and her face turns solemn, “having a baby as a working woman is a different matter altogether. It is treated as a huge problem – almost as a deliberate infraction of some kind of code. One of my previous bosses used to never hire young married women. ‘Oh, she will start dropping babies, and disrupt everything,’ he would say, ‘no point wasting time on her.’ I know many career women who are actually afraid of starting a family, knowing that their career will most likely be affected.”

“Friends of mine have lost their jobs because they have become pregnant. 2-3 of them have been accused of ‘taking advantage’ of the company by using maternity leave. ‘The company is paying you while you are sitting at home and doing nothing.’ And so many, more than I can count, have returned to work, to find that their job duties have changed or that they been demoted.”

I stare at her, my mouth partially agape.

“No point wasting time? Demotion?” I ask, shocked.

“Absolutely,” Warini says, “but this is not overt. It is very insidious. Three months ago, in this company, a purchaser, Rosy, had a baby. When she returned, her boss ‘suggested’ that she handle document control rather than purchasing, as it would be ‘more convenient’. Rosy protested strongly, but to no avail. ‘It’s good for you’, she was told. She is truly unhappy and is now looking for another job. Losing her is going to hurt us, as she is one of our best employees.”

‘This is discrimination!” I say, my voice rising, and other delegates nearby turning to look at me.

“Yes,” says Warini, wearily, “but it is couched as a ‘favour’ to the new mother. ‘Oh, poor thing, let us give her an easier task to do’. It is very difficult to fight this, as we are seen to be ungrateful.”

“So, one of a woman’s greatest joys – the creation of life – becomes a burden, a disadvantage, something to fear,” I say, indignant.

“Absolutely,” says Warini. “My husband and I have been wanting to start a family for some time, but I keep postponing it, because I am not sure what the consequences will be.”

“This is terrible,” I say. “Unfair and unjust.”

DISDAIN

“Pregnancy is just one of the issues,” says Warini. “What about ‘That Time of the Month’? It’s not as if we asked for or enjoy having periods. Those three to five days can be horrible – cramps, stomach aches, headaches, debility. But most males somehow find this topic very difficult to understand in the workplace. We are accused of using our periods as an excuse to take a day off or to slack off.”

“I may be guilty of thinking like this sometimes,” I say, contritely.

“Most months when I have my period, I just want to take the strongest painkillers and stay in bed,” says Warini, “but I don’t. I come to work and do what I need to. All I want is for this to be recognised and appreciated. Tell me, Shesh, if you have a groin injury, is it likely that you are going to come to office?”

“Absolutely not,” I say, wincing at the very thought. “that will be the last thing on my mind!”

“We do this every month,” Warini stresses, “without fanfare, without unnecessary heroics. With what outcomes? Zero understanding, crude jokes, hurtful insinuations. Would men do this to their mothers or wives at home? I doubt it.”

“My wife would castrate me if I did anything of the sort,” I say, only half joking.

“And she would be right to do so!” laughs Warini, shaking her finger at me.

DISRESPECT

“Finally, here’s the curveball,” says Warini, “on the one hand, men look down or penalise pregnancy and periods; on the other hand, we are targets of sexual overtures. If a woman doesn’t dress up to the hilt, we are sloppy and don’t care about our job. If a woman pays careful attention to her appearance, we are trying too hard and using our gender to get ahead.”

“I have seen this so often,” I say, sadly.

“I am working in a ‘new economy’ company,” says Warini. “You would expect that things are different here. But, no. There is one colleague who comes and leans over my desk, nominally to ask me a question, but trying his best to peer down my blouse. There is the manager who ensures he squeezes past you at every opportunity. The Sales Head thinks he is God’s gift to women and makes passes at every woman under 50.”

“This is both terrible and shocking,” I say, “isn’t there a way to redress such issues?”

“There is, Shesh,” says Warini, “there is a grievance cell, but none of us bother with it. None of these indignities are as demeaning as outright harassment, and we have to work with these colleagues, so why rock the boat?”

“You women are amazingly courageous,” I say, with respect. “If I had to face so many inimical issues, I would run far away and never return.”

“That’s why I said what I did,” Warini says, calmly, looking me in the eye. “What women want is to be allowed to be a woman, without being discriminated against, judged or harassed. We want to do our work, earn respect and livelihood, and go home with a sense of fulfilment.”

“Is that too much to ask?”

DOING WHAT’S RIGHT

This is just one of a million similar stories of women in the workplace.

Did you know that in general –

• Women are far less likely to feel they have an equal opportunity to grow?
• Women are less happy at work than men?

We need to change this situation. What can we do?

1. Recognise that women and men are different and honour these differences
2. Empathise, rather than judge
3. Make respect a core value

We spend much of our lives in our workplaces. Help make them fair, level and equitable. Level the floors, fix the ladders and raise the ceilings for everyone…

If you want to transform your work environment, don’t just click ‘like’. Share your views, your criticisms, your comments and your disagreements. Let us start a movement that will shatter past practices and paradigms and lead the way to a better world.

Cheers,

Shesh.

(Singapore / 11 Feb 2020)

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#ceochronicles, #whatwomenwant #motivation #professionalwomen #whatinspiresme #career #genderawareness

“What women want is for the workplace to be gender-aware,” says Hannah.

Hannah is a lawyer. Her office is in Singapore’s Central Business District, in a swanky office building. We sit in a conference room which I am sure has seen and heard many grievances being aired.

“People talk about needing to be gender-blind,” Hannah continues, leaning forward. “I don’t understand this. How can we be gender-blind? Men and women are different in so many ways. We need to recognize and accommodate these differences.”

“That is a fair point,” I say, while noting the term, ‘gender-aware’. “Could you give me an example?”

“I can give you many!” Hannah says, smiling, “but let’s focus on one for today.” 

A Cold Shoulder

“Let’s start with office temperatures. I don’t know if you are aware, but there is something called “Standard 55”, which is a set of guidelines created for indoor climate regulation. Most offices are designed to comply with Standard 55.”

“Wow! I didn’t know that!” I exclaim.

“Well,” Hannah continues, “then you also did not know that this standard was developed in the 1950s based on the comfort of a 40-year old, 70 kg man in a business suit.”

“Really?” This Hannah evidently knew much more than torts and claims!

“Yes. But what this standard does not take into account is the difference between men and women. Men expend more energy while at rest, and thus run warmer. Women have higher core temperatures, and cold air is jarring and uncomfortable. Also, men’s office wear tends to be warmer – ties, jackets, etc.; women’s office wear is lighter – skirts and dresses.”

“You know, this explains a lot!” I say. “In the offices that I worked, I would see the women wearing sweaters and shawls. It always seemed strange, because I did not feel cold at all.”

“And what did you do about it?” Hannah asks teasingly. “Nothing, I am sure!”

“Well…” I began, suddenly feeling the office temperature becoming uncomfortable.

“That’s the problem” Hannah sighs, waving her finger at me. “No awareness of how the other gender feels!”

A Win-Win-Win Outcome

“But, it’s not just about comfort,” she continues, “there is research that shows that colder temperatures in offices lead to increased illnesses among women, causing their productivity to drop. Also, a recent study proves that women perform cognitive tasks better in warmer conditions than in colder environments.”

“Wow!” I said again, “I did not know that!” I was repeating myself, like a parrot.

“And finally, given the global concern on climate change, the University of Sydney has calculated that bringing workplace temperatures up by 2 degrees will save upto 30% in energy consumption!”

Hannah’s words were forming an amazing picture. “So, you are saying that a slightly warmer workplace will lead to healthier women, higher output and lower costs and environmental impact?”

“Yes,” she says, leaning back, having made her points.

“Then, then…why has no one done anything about this?” I sputter.

“Because the world is not gender-aware. You have been a professional for 35 years and much of what I said is news to you! So, this is what I want – that shareholders and managers become more gender-aware; so that all of us together can accrue the amazing benefits from being so.”

As I walked to the MRT, Hannah’s words played on my mind, as did Sheryl Sandberg‘s famous words,

“We cannot change what we are not aware of; and once we are aware, we cannot help but change…”

Afterword

Isn’t it amazing? Just changing the temperature in offices by 2 degrees can lead to so many benefits –

1. More comfort
2. Better health
3. Increased productivity
4. Lower costs
5. Reduced environmental impact

Why was I blind for so many years?

I have to live with regret…

But to all you leaders and future leaders, you can do things differently. Please take a moment to speak to your women colleagues and listen to them. Appreciate the challenges they face and address them. You will not just change their lives, you will create a workplace that is happier, healthier and more productive. You will leave a lasting legacy.

If you want to transform your workplace, click like, and share.

Please share your own experiences. Together, let us start a movement that will shatter past practices and paradigms and make us aware of the better world that awaits us.

Cheers,

Shesh.

(Singapore / 10 December 2019)

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Post Script :

1. For other interesting CEO Chronicles, click here.
2. Follow me so that you don’t miss the next issue of CEO Chronicles.

#ceochronicles #WorkplaceWellbeing #WhatWomenWant #workplaceculture #diversity #inclusion #leadership #parity #genderawareness