Are you working too long?

A question: what made you stop working last night?

For me it was the power supply in the missionary guest house in which I’m staying in Niger cutting out at about 11.00 pm. Being a good Boy Scout, I was prepared for the event, so I grabbed the strategically placed torch and crawled under the mosquito net into bed, and wilted in the heat and darkness.

I guess for most of us, a technological interruption such as a failure in the power supply is a rarity, and therefore we work for as long as we wish, even if that is deep into the night.

But clearly there was a time when (with the possible exception of those with access to industrial supplies of candles!) sunset signified the end of the working day for most people. OK, we have the opportunity to churn out more work, but does an unbounded work day really lead to greater efficiency?

Similarly the working pattern of five days of work followed by two days of leisure is to all intents and purposes a thing of the past. The weekend is dead.

Taking this a step further, for some cultures, the concept of a planting and a harvesting season is still crucial. Visiting Niger this week has brought home to me the seriousness with which the arrival (or lack of it) of the rainy season is greeted. Right now, the rain is bouncing off the roof, and the side roads are almost impassable. But it’s accepted that the rains have arrived too late to save this year’s harvest.

For those of us living in non-agrarian cultures, the concept of seasons is almost meaningless. An interconnected world means that the idea of what the Book of Common Prayer describes as “the fruits of the earth in their season” is quaintly old-fashioned. Strawberries on Christmas day? No problem.

Do all these developments represent progress? I’m not so sure.

What do you think?

(Oh … as if on cue, the lights have gone out again)

If you enjoyed this, you might want to read an earlier blog item: "There is a time for all things"

Five steps to business success. (And you are all really wonderful readers . . .)

A former colleague of mine was once given the advice:

If you want to get on in this company, find a department that's full of no-hopers. That way, even if you're mediocre, you'll appear outstanding.

It seems that there might be a degree of truth in what he said, if an article in The Economist is to be trusted.

The Economist: The will to power

Jeffrey Pfeffer of Stanford Business School has been teaching a popular course on “paths to power” for a number of years. He condensed many of his findings into a book that is part academic analysis and part how-to guide, “Power: Why Some People Have It—and Others Don’t”.

Because you're all such wonderful people (of which, more later...) you probably won't have time to read the book, so here's a quick summary. (Oh, nice shirt by the way. You have the most impeccable taste)

Step One: Find a department that's on the way up.
Put simply, as the  most powerful departments are the ones that have produced the current big-wigs, get yourself in there!

Step Two: Manage upwards.
Turning yourself into a supplicant. Follow the example of  Barack Obama who asked about a third of his fellow senators for help when he first took his place in Senate.

Step Three: Become a "node".
Develop the art of forging links between separate parts of your company, and network like crazy.

Step Four: Be loyal. 
It's estimated that four out of every five CEO appointments go to insiders, and those insiders last almost two years longer in their jobs than outsiders.

Step Five: Flatter everyone in sight!
Pfeffer quotes research by Jennifer Chatman, of the University of California, Berkeley, who conducted experiments in which she tried to find a point at which flattery became ineffective. Interesting news, O beautiful and intelligent readers: there's no limit! People just can't get enough of it!

If you're somewhat sceptical about lavishing praise and attention on your peers and subordinates in an organisation, check out Lucy Kellaway's fascinating article for BBC News Magazine to see how there's just no end to the flattery that can be dispensed!

BBC: Should you strike a powerful pose?

In the meantime, where did you get your hair done? It really looks superb! It makes you look so young and vibrant. No wonder you're so good in your job. You must give me your tips for success sometime!

Have a nice day, gorgeous readers!

What keeps American HR Managers awake at night: the thought of bare legs.

On this side of the Atlantic the recent focus of HR debate has been on the virtually metaphysical topic of whether HR departments actually serve any purpose. The breadth of opinion expressed - to say nothing of the amount of vitriol outpoured - has been almost as wide as the ocean that divides us from our American cousins.

This month's hot topic in the Land of the Brave and the Free is centred (or should that be "centered" ?) on an even more pressing and fundamental issue; that of whether it's acceptable for women in the workplace to display bare legs, or whether failure to wear "pantyhose" should be added to the list of dismissable offences. (By the way, if you don’t think that this a critical issue for President Obama’s HR Managers, just read the number of comments on the website below!!)

About.com.Does Panty Hose Matter to Employers?

• Just one question, dear readers: how much does our national culture drive the items that are on our HR Agenda?

Out To Lunch? Not the Brits!

Apparently, over a quarter of British workers claim they're far too busy to leave the office for lunch.

According to a new survey (quoted in Management Today) 28% of British workers fail to leave the office all day. Half of the office prisoners skip lunch too. It’s suggested that this is due to two factors: heavier workloads, and fears about job security. Apparently the recession is leading to businesses trying to take on more work without expanding their workforce. And employees are too concerned about losing their job to protest about the extra workload, so are working through their lunch hours instead.

It’s estimated (although the HR Case Studies editorial team is not convinced that there’s any real evidence here) that this lack of breaks is contributing over 45m hours of unpaid labour every week

Management Today article: Lunch is for wimps?

• Should companies encourage employees to take a formal break for lunch?
• What other initiatives are organisations taking to look after the well-being of employees?
• What factors would companies take into consideration when, for instance, deciding whether or not to introduce a staff restaurant?
• Are employees who take a formal break at lunchtime likely to be more or less productive than their office-bound colleagues?