In his book Slow Productivity, Cal Newport makes a convincing argument that we need to slow down, rather than speed up if we are to become more usefully productive. He does a deep-dive into how we got to the place of what he refers to as ‘pseudo-productivity – The use of visible activity as the…
Productivity is one of those words that is often bandied about in business as something that needs to be improve upon. But, what does it mean to be ‘productive’ as a knowledge worker? We may sense how productive we are being in a day, it is sometimes a KPI that forms part of our annual…
In a collaborative report involving Code First Girls and Tech Talent Charter (TCC – a government-supported group of over 775 leading UK businesses and organisations) aimed to gain insights into the UK’s diversity talent shortage – and provide recommendations to address the diversity crisis. It is revealed that half of the women in tech drop…
It is well understood that we exhibit different personas for different life roles. Each role we occupy requires differing personalities to manage, different expectations, different demands and different puzzles to solve. The traditional transition time between home and work (and back again) gave us the time and mental space to subconsciously shift ourselves between these…
‘From Work to Life and Back Again: Examining the Digitally-Mediated Work/Life Practices of a Group of Knowledge Workers’. Extracts and summary of the research by: Luigina Ciolfi & Eleanor Lockley (2018) Key quotes from the research: ‘[those in] knowledge-intensive roles devise strategies for handling work and non-work in light of a set of interconnected forces’ …
‘Technology, Work, and Family: Digital Cultural Capital and Boundary Management’. Extracts and a summary of research by: Ariane Ollier-Malaterre, Jerry A. Jacobs, and Nancy P. Rothbard (2019) – (based in Canada and the USA) who set out to develop a framework for how technology, work and family intersect, especially regarding how tech is changing the boundaries…
‘Are communications about work outside regular working hours associated with work-to-family conflict, psychological distress and sleep problems?’ Extracts and summary of the research by: Scott Schieman and Marisa C. Young (2013) Key quotes from the research: ‘…work contact is associated with higher levels of work-to-family conflict, distress and sleep problems.’ ‘…simultaneous exposure to high pressure and contact…
Prior to the introduction of the Blackberry at the turn of the century, generally for many, when we left the office, our work for the day was done. We spent limited time thinking about work and focussed on doing things we found enjoyable. The Blackberry dramatically changed that. Initially, having a mobile email device massively improved…
‘Technological Tethering, Digital Natives, and Challenges in the Work-Family Interface’. Extracts and summary of the research by: Andrew D. Nevin and Scott Schieman (2020) Key quotes from the research: ‘…mobile technologies have facilitated the extension of traditional working hours, reflective of workers being “technologically tethered” to their jobs while at home so that they are more…
‘The Paradox of Family Structure and Plans after Work: Why Single Childless Employees May Be the Least Absorbed at Work’. Extracts and summary of the research by: Tracy L Dumas and Jill E. Perry-Smith (2018) Key quotes from the research: ‘single, childless workers reported lower absorption that workers with other family structures’ ‘anticipating domestic responsibilities after…
