Q: I am the team leader for a group of eight employees and am concerned that one of those employees is showing signs of being a workaholic. Our team works very hard and accomplishes many things, but this particular employee cannot seem to stop and I am becoming increasingly concerned that she is concentrating on her career at the expense of everything else, including her health. I'd like to gently point her in a more constructive direction, but certainly don't want her to think I am displeased with her job performance. Any suggestions?
A: Many employees do thoroughly enjoy their work and simply do not mind spending extra hours in the office. However, you are correct in observing your team members carefully because there can come a point when conscientiousness becomes overcompensation for lack of satisfaction in other areas of life and it can affect an individual's health.Signs that an employee is spending too much time on the job include disinterest in family, friends and leisure time; frequently skipping lunch and eating only a small amount at their desk, and maintaining a consistent level of frenzied activity.
To help workaholic employees regain the proper perspective, make sure that the atmosphere within your team is not so competitive that team members feel they have to outperform each other and that those uncomfortable with a competitive environment think they have to work twice as long in order to keep up. Talk with employees on an individual basis, searching for hidden perceptions which may be contributing to their habits. Help them set priorities and learn to pace themselves. Evaluate your own coaching and leadership style to make certain you are doing nothing to promote this type of behavior from those you lead.
And be consistently vocal about the fact that you measure performance by the quality of work, not by the number of hours spent accomplishing it. Give credibility to your words by accomplishing your own tasks in a calm and efficient manner.
Q: I frequently hear about increased use of telecommuting programs which allow employees to perform all or part of their job responsibilities from their home or another remote location. I can easily pinpoint ways this could be advantageous to the employee, but can't really see it as being good for the employer. There must be benefits to the employer since so many are implementing telecommuting programs. What are they?
A: You are right about the rapid growth of telecommuting programs. Nearly two-thirds of Fortune 1000 companies have programs in place and over half of those have been implemented in the past two years. There are three benefits to the employer which are most often cited. The first benefit is perhaps significant enough to stand alone. It has been statistically proven that telecommuters are 20 to 45 percent more productive when working from home.
This is primarily because of fewer interruptions, less distraction, the convenience of home office technology, and a higher level of personal contentment.
Another benefit to employers is the estimated $4,000 to $6,000 per person spent each year on office space and equipment. Many companies report that the savings on office space alone is almost equal to the salary of the employee. A third benefit to employers in certain areas of the country is that allowing employees to telecommute helps them comply with the Clean Air Act which mandates that organizations reduce trips back and forth to the office or face stiff penalties.
With these benefits having been identified and the ready access to increasingly sophisticated equipment, it would seem we are only on the leading edge of what telecommuting may mean to the workplace of the future.