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A quick thing about evaluating time. Then I'm off to watch videos of cats....

Writer's picture: Stephanie KirkStephanie Kirk

Two team managers head off to the staff kitchen for their 3pm coffee -pick-us-up:


“He’s on bloody Facebook again!” 

“Did you speak to him about it?”

“Yeah. He says he’s not got another client call until 3.15 and he’s done all his admin”

“OK. So, why are you mad?”

“He’s on bloody Facebook!”

“Are you worried other people will get distracted?”

“No, he’s using his phone, the team can’t really see over the monitors”

“Is he behind on anything?”

“No, as always he’s my top performer. I just feel like this is him taking the piss”

“Taking the…how? He’s done all his work, it can’t harm for him to have a breather until his next call can it?”

“It’s just. Well, it’s just he shouldn’t be on Facebook during working hours”


A management meeting, staring at colourful charts:


“So Alex takes 8 hours to produce this deliverable, whilst Sandra only takes 5.5 hours for the same thing. Where is Alex going wrong? How can we support them to get faster at this?”

“Wait, let’s have a look at their work. This is a homepage Alex created”

“Oh, that’s really nice, yeah great work, very unique”

“And here’s one of Sandra’s”

“Ah. It doesn’t look fit for purpose. Is that even in line with our quality guidelines?”


Two colleagues having an emergency cigarette outside, after hearing about layoffs:


“I can’t believe they laid me off!”

“I know, it sucks. And it doesn’t seem to be performance based, they’ve just looked at a list of jobs and decided who stays and who goes”

“But all those hours I put in. I worked evenings, I sometimes did Sunday afternoons just to make sure my inbox was empty and check on everything. How can they do this to me after I was so committed? Does all that time I put in count for nothing?”

“Seems not. Sorry”


What in the name of management mayhem am I going on about? Ostensibly; why do we value time on its own as an indication of performance?


Recently on LinkedIn, I saw a poll about having naps in work time and I agreed it can be a useful thing - specifically, in my case, I’m a bit menopausal, and a nap now and again could be akin to turning the laptop off and back on again if I need a little reboot. Many people agreed with me, except one, who decided to wade in and say how my (hypothetical) stance was unfair on my colleagues, and I should nap only on a lunch break. 


Nice if your brain fog coincides with lunch, but that’s just not how it works, love. 


Anyway, their concern boiled down to me not pulling my weight, not putting in the hours my colleagues might be, and I wanted to ask ‘who hurt you?’ but thankfully managed to keep that caged. 


People are usually human (I have queried this at times). We like to have a little distraction now and again. So if they’re on top of their work, who cares if a team member takes 20 minutes to run out to the post box to send a letter to their Gran, or have a cup of tea whilst watching videos of cats falling off stuff?


When we're chained to our desks for hours on end, our creativity can take a nosedive, and our problem-solving skills will likely hit rock bottom. Sure, we've all had those days where we're glued to our desks from dawn till dusk if it means saving the day, but let's face it, productivity tends to fall apart like a Rich Tea Biscuit in a cup of Yorkshire brew if you sustain extra hours regularly.


If someone is up to date with their work, it can also be a great time to have a catch up 1:1 and just chat about other things than their KPIs, but if they’d rather have a little reboot, however they need to, it’ll be better for all of you in the long run.


It makes me happy to read about managers who had previously fallen into the trap of equating long hours with productivity, now flipping this on its head. The truth is, in the settings I’ve worked in, working endless hours doesn't guarantee top-notch results. In fact, it can often mask underlying issues. However, it’s not a question that has a binary answer.


Because Sandra was speedy at her work, but created crap. It is a far more nuanced discussion.


As always, data is the monarch, so keep in mind:


  • Are we chasing hours or results? 

  • Are we interrogating the data in context? - look at time spent alongside productivity, and quality achieved

  • If someone seems to be taking an elicit break, ask them about it. Team members know you’re responsible for their productivity

  • If someone is working late, ask more questions.  Is it because they’re saving the day, or do they think it’s being diligent when it’s a waste of their time? Do you need to reflect on your resourcing, or could it be because they’re struggling and need more training?


My point is, in the argument over whether working long hours is better or worse than not, the question is so hugely nuanced, so the only answer is ‘it depends’. 


There’s always something to be said for working smarter, not harder. When you empower your team to focus on results rather than clock-watching, magic happens. Creativity flourishes, collaboration thrives, and before you know it, those seemingly impossible SLAs are being smashed out of the park.


Connect with me to tap into my toolkit, let's discuss this how it relates to your work environment.


And no, the three conversations at the start of this aren't made up. All my anecdotes are based on real life experiences. Though, I always change the names to protect the innocent (myself).


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