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Date: February 5, 1999
Methodology
The survey asked what relationship the person has with this other person (supervisor, colleague, spouse, etc.). We asked each person to tell us why the other person has work related problems (lack of necessary skills, downsizing, etc.). We then asked what benefits the person would enjoy if they improved the work situation. Then we asked what the respondent recommended that the other person do to improve the situation. We also asked if the person wanted a copy of the results to give to the person they wrote about. Essentially everyone asked us to do this. We hope that those who read this study will give a copy to everyone they know who has work-related problems of the sort that we studied. This will be a wonderful Valentine's gift of ideas for an improved life. 129 people responded by the time we closed the survey to write it up for you. This is a statistically significant sample of the 11,000 people we contacted at the 95 percent confidence level. It does not tell us how frequently all people in the work population have problems. It does tell us something about the frequency with which various types of problems occur, as perceived by a person close to the person who is having the problems. We supplemented the 129 surveys with personal telephone interviews.
Tabulated Results of Most Common Answers for All Respondents 1. Do you know someone you care about who works too hard, too long, or with too much frustration? Yes 129
2. What is your relationship to that person?
3. On a scale of 1 to 10 with 1 being of no importance and 10 being of critical importance, how would you rate the significance to this person of cutting back on their workload, work week, or frustration? Average 7.74 Median 8.0 4. What do you think are the main reasons why this person has to work too hard, too long, or with too much frustration? (Please check all that apply.)
5. What would be the benefits if this person did not have to work so hard, so long, or with so much frustration? (Please check all that apply).
6. What do you recommend that the person do to reduce their work stress, frustration, duration, and difficulties?
Discussion
With all of this evidence pointing to a serious problem, why haven't these people changed? Based on the authors' experience in the workplace, this is primarily due to "stalled" thinking. The person with the problem is probably aware of the problem, because many respondents have probably pointed it out, and may be aware of some of the potential benefits, but is unable or unwilling to change. The reason in most cases will be because the person sees the current situation as preferable to what might happen if they changed. Maricella Alfaro was describing herself to us. She takes care of her grandmother, who is 74 and still works, despite health problems. She is in a tough custody battle for her daughter. Her work is demanding, and her personal life is hard. As a result of doing the survey, she realized that there were things she could do to lessen the burden on herself. She decided to take a trip to get some time to herself. That's a good example of how making others more aware of what there choices are can help them change. In fact, if you give this study to someone else, they may find a different way to run their life which will be preferable to the current situation. In terms of our book, The 2,000 Percent Solution, these people are suffering from "stalled" thinking. The solution for them is to ask themselves new and better questions. Those who are overcommitted to work (who may be workaholics) will often be suffering from a form of the Misconception Stall. The most frequent misconception in this situation is that their work cannot be done as well if they spend less time at work. In our book, we describe a CFO who had this problem. For years, he spent most of his time helping the company develop its budgets. He had little time for anything else. One day, he stopped and considered how he could spend less time and accomplish more. He delegated budgeting to his controller, and had the controller delegate some of his work down to an assistant controller. He also directed the controller to reduce the work for everyone for budgeting. The CFO cut his work time on the budget from months to 3 days a year. He used the increased time to work on more important tasks. He also admitted that he saw a lot more of his family after making the change. The company did better, too, because the more valuable tasks added many millions in profits. Everyone was a lot happier. If you are not open to change, the workaholism keeps you stuck on a squirrel cage or running hard, and not going anywhere. Dawn Lents told us about someone she knows who works in a department that has experienced a lot of downsizing. As a result, the workload is much higher. This person really loves to be needed, so she likes the higher workload. Dawn's acquaintance may be experiencing a form of the Misconception stall in thinking that only this job can provide for her desire to feel needed and to be busy. In fact, this person admits that it would be stressful to have less to do. Clearly, this person can easily stay permanently in the squirrel cage of her job. A good solution here is to consider how the person could exercise the desire to be busy and needed in another environment in which more could be accomplished and the work could be less stressful and pleasant. She should visit friends in other workplaces where people do similar types of work to see how they compare to her current job. If she does not need all of her income, she should also look into volunteer work that would keep her busy, yet be more personally fulfilling. She may also be dealing with a variation on the Procrastination stall by putting off looking for a better way to serve her needs and those of her family. Pete Baldwin, a vice president of marketing and sales at MC Sign Company, told us about his wife. She apparently is very good at delegating, but is reluctant to do this when it would be easier to do the work herself. Her company is trying to encourage more delegation. She may be suffering from the Misconception Stall. Although it is easier to do it yourself the first time than teach someone else, if the task requires many hours a year it will soon be faster to teach someone else. You have to compare the time it takes to teach to the annual time saved. Mark McCormick advises that in his book, What They Don't Teach You At Harvard Business School. In chapter one of the book, we provide directions on how to improve in situations where you have bad habits. First: Be aware of your habits. Second: Be aware of your organization's habits that are affecting you. In both cases, ask yourself: Why are these things being done? What is the benefit? When are these habits harmful? When might these habits stall progress? How should the habits be changed? Does the company or organization have an effective method for making the needed change? David E. Dowdy shared his experiences with us in the survey. He has a colleague, a fellow engineer, who is the epitome of stress. The colleague never has anything positive to say about anything or anyone. He also gets upset, and creates a lot of stress for others. David responds to this by realizing that all people have been given a freedom of choice about how to react to each and every situation. David points out that you can teach yourself a new habit of seeing things that automatically affect you negatively in a positive light, instead. Sometimes this can be as simple as imagining the person or annoying circumstance is really in a cartoon, and pretend that you are dealing with a humorous cartoon. It takes practice. It doesn't happen overnight, but it sure makes a difference. Anthony Robbins, the self-improvement guru, teaches techniques like this one. Jackie McCulloch talked to us about her Mom. Jackie's Mom is always working, and is just tired. She has worked for a very wealthy man for many years who expects her to work very hard without a break. In over 10 years, she has received only one raise, for 50 cents an hour. She makes very little money. Jackie feels that her Mom is reluctant to look for a new job because she is afraid of change, and does not think she has the marketable skills to get a new job. Those who cannot imagine that things could be any better, like Jackie's Mom, may be suffering from a form of the Disbelief stall. Disbelief stalls are based on valid experiences (or lack of relevant experience) that no longer pertain. For example, many people in our survey apparently need to change careers, jobs or companies. Now is the best time in the last 25 years for many people to change jobs because unemployment is low and the economy is pretty good. For those who remember the hard times in the early 1990s when jobs were tough to come by and the economy was poor, they may not have tested the waters lately to consider what else they could do. These people can improve their situation by locating their blind spots and thinking through their implications. For example, someone may have bought a home many years ago, and have had a long commute ever since then. Perhaps the commute has even gotten worse. The person may be so used to the dull, time-wasting commute that they do not even think about changing jobs or homes anymore. Those who are feeling a lot of pressure on the job and from their families to perform may be suffering from a version of the Tradition Stall. For many decades people in the United States have let others determine their priorities for them. If others have more respect for you, tradition says that you should feel better about yourself. On the other hand, the only person you need to respect you is yourself. Many people drive themselves crazy trying to please everyone around them. Although The 2,000 Percent Solution was written for people to accomplish more in their work, it can also have substantial personal benefits. Getting more accomplished, in less time, can overcome many of the problems that our survey respondents described to us. We also believe that by applying these problem-solving skills at work, the individuals can also learn to apply the same skills to tasks at home and create benefits there, as well. Finally, by getting in touch with what the person really wants from life and what the person's real priorities are, the people who follow these directions can improve their own life plans too.
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