The 5 Habits of Happier, More Productive Workplaces looks at five ...
Transcript of The 5 Habits of Happier, More Productive Workplaces looks at five ...
THE 5 HABITS OF HAPPIER, MORE PRODUCTIVE WORKPLACES I ZIPCAR
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WORKPLACES
HABITSTHE5MORE PRODUCTIVE OF HAPPIER,
In partnership with productivity expert, Chris Bailey
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WHITE PAPER TITE I ZIPCAR FOR BUSINESS
In our digitally connected, always-on world,
it may seem like employees are equipped
better than ever to work smarter, multi-task
better, and get more done. There’s no shortage
of software, apps, and collaboration tools
that promise to optimize an organization’s
workflow. But what if the root of productivity is
not about what’s getting done but how? How do we
harness our time, energy, and attention to create
meaningful outcomes? After surveying people
working at a company with 50 or more employees,
Zipcar teamed up with productivity expert and
author of “The Productivity Project,” Chris Bailey,
to examine the secrets to a happier and more
productive workplace.
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WHITE PAPER TITE I ZIPCAR FOR BUSINESS
The 5 Habits of Happier, More Productive Workplaces looks at five important factors for improved performance:
CREATING A PRODUCTIVE WORKPLACE
FLEXIBILITY PERSONALIZED PERKS
INDIVIDUAL WORK STYLES
LOOSE STRUCTURE
REFRESHING BREAKS
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THE FREEDOM OF FLEXIBILITY
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As a pioneer of the collaborative consumption
movement, we’ve seen the once bold idea of the
sharing economy become today’s business-as-
usual. Companies like Airbnb, Zipcar, and Etsy all
make it possible for people to cooperate and find
everyday solutions that flex around the individual,
while also fostering a community. Similarly, the
rise of co-working spaces and the solo movement
(as coined by the people who launched Inc.
Magazine and Fast Company) show how more
and more people are finding ways to make a
living that better fits their lifestyle, personalities,
and simply how they work best.1 With all of these
new choices, how can companies compete?
Our survey concluded the single most valued
work perk is flexible hours compared to things
like free food, company sponsored social events,
no meeting days and the ability to come and go
as you please. Though women were slightly more
likely to call out flexible hours than men, 54% of
our respondents (61.5% of whom are in the 25-34
age group,) place importance on flexible hours in
a workplace.
VALUED PERK IS FLEXIBLE WORK HOURSESPECIALLY BY MILLENNIALS AGES 25-34
#1
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“We’re all wired differently—while early risers have the most energy in the morning, night owls have the most in the evening. When our energy peaks, so does our productivity. This is what makes flexible work arrangements so powerful.”
- Chris Bailey
Flexibility could be as simple as nontraditional
hours or as broad as creating a culture of trust
where employees are permitted to work wherever
and however they like as long as work is performed
to standards. Companies leading the way in this
are startup innovators like Buffer, offering 100%
remote jobs and unlimited vacation, and large
companies like Walt Disney and Google who are
known to promote flexible work schedules for
their employees. Does what employees see as
“flexibility” really amount to freedom? And if so,
how does controlling your hours and environment
make one a more productive worker? Chris Bailey
conducted his own experiments to get to the heart
of the time factor. He learned that managing our
time also means managing our energy.
Changes in our body’s natural energy flow connects
to our moods. And in the workplace, many things
can impact how we feel throughout the day. To
be the most productive, we have to bring more
flexibility to the workplace beyond just adjustable
schedules.
Chris Bailey
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DIFFERENT STROKES FOR DIFFERENT FOLKSWORK-LIFE BALANCE IS OUT. WORK-LIFE INTEGRATION IS IN.
Get casual about dress codes. In many industries, casual Fridays are passé. It’s a simple thing, but letting people move fluidly from home to work and back makes life easier. Clothing can play a huge role in that.
Allow people to redefine their
workspaces. Think couches
versus cubicles or cafés over
conference rooms. Comfortable
spaces make for relaxed and
productive workers.
Get casual about dress codes.
In many industries, casual
Fridays are passé. It’s a simple
thing, but letting people move
fluidly between home and work
makes life easier.
Don’t be ruled by traditional
hours. Parents, pet owners,
volunteers, and artists value
time more than money, and
return flexibility with loyalty.
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BEHOLD: THE BENEFIT BUFFET
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50%BY 2020, THE WORKFORCE WILL BE
MILLENNIALS
Keeping employees happy and engaged can
be a tough challenge for any kind of company.
As the workforce fills with younger applicants,
millennials want more than an attractive salary
and interesting opportunity. The standard 401(k),
vacation, and retirement plan are the norm not
anything to tip the job decision scale. Offering
perks—and touting excellent benefits packages—
is one way organizations compete for top talent.
But including the right kind of perks that match
your work culture and different types of employees
is key. For example, working moms and recent
graduates may value very different perks.
Though flexible hours topped the list for all employees,
our survey found that millennials, now 18-34, got
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“Any perk or event that everyone can enjoy, such as a pub night or renting out an escape room, is likely to boost cohesiveness, performance, and the happiness of the whole team—millennials included.”- Chris Bailey
more excited by free food and company sponsored
social events than any other age group. Not
surprising? As a generation who never knew life
before the Internet, millennials are accustomed
to an assortment of freebies and fun at their
fingertips—be it Bagel Friday and Beer Carts or
Lunch ‘n Learns and unlimited snack pantries.
Hosting social events from time to time can help
build a work community outside the confines of the
office. These little extras give younger employees
a reason to take a break, socialize, and enjoy a
treat—on the company.
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MILLENNIALS ON THE RISE
These are a subset of the 54% of respondents who preferred flexible hours.
Percentage of respondents who value free food at work.
THE WAY TO A MILLENNIAL’S HEART IS THROUGH THE BELLY
THE MILLENNIAL WAY: ALL WORK AND PLAY
Percentage of respondents who value social events at work.
25-34 18-24 45-54 35-44 65 + 55-64
21% 19%
9%7% 7%
18-24 25-34 65 + 35-44 45-54 55-64
28% 27%
17% 16% 15% 12%
3%
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PERK UP YOUR WORK CULTURE
Get creative in the kitchen.
Coffee, chips, and candy are
common. One up it with a range
of healthy and creative snacks. Let
employees vote on what to buy.
Offer creature comforts. When you’re sitting at a computer all day, sometimes it helps to stretch out. Consider nap pods, chair hammocks and cozy lounge areas.
Be super inclusive. Hold
events for all ages, levels,
and personalities. Let people
nominate event chairs and
solicit ideas. A little healthy
competition can be engaging.
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THE SUBJECTIVITY OF PRODUCTIVITY
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FEEL THEY ARE NOT PRODUCTIVE IN MEETINGS
How can companies motivate employees to do
their best work? What’s productive for one might
be dillydallying to another. While some workers
might find checking to-dos off a list fulfilling,
creative types might consider time to doodle a win.
So what does productivity look like? The answer is
quite individualized.
Perhaps more people should adopt the Steve
Jobs’ style of walking meetings, since 44% of
our respondents said they didn’t feel productive
in meetings. Our survey also revealed that
millennials feel significantly more productive
in meetings than older generations who say
they feel more productive just talking to their
co-workers.
44%
Productivity may be a walk in the parkFamous for his long walks, Apple’s Steve Jobs used this time for contemplation, problem solving, and even meetings.
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TO MEET OR TO CHAT, THAT IS THE QUESTION
OLDER WORKERS FEEL LESS PRODUCTIVE IN MEETINGS
YOUNGER WORKERS FEEL LESSPRODUCTIVE WITH CASUAL TALK
Percentage of respondants who feel less productive in meetings.
Percentage of respondants who feel less productive with casual talk.
65 + 18-24 55-64 25-3445-54 35-4435-44 55-64 25-34 45-5418-24 65 +
67%
50%58%
48%50%
35%
44%
28% 26%34%25%
19%
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“About 37% of the average office worker’s time is spent in meetings.” -Chris Bailey
Similar to different perspectives on perks,
by and large, older and younger age groups
tend to have different work styles. A millennial
generation used to round the clock social tools
and always-on communication may need that
extra structure that formal meetings provide
whereas older generations gravitate to a more
independent approach. With the amount of time
everyone spends in meetings, it’s important to
explore ways to make them valuable for all.
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MAKE MEETINGS MEATIER
Think about the actual cost of a meeting. If you gather people for an hour for what could’ve been resolved over email, you’ve just stolen time and maybe even sidetracked teammates. Always consider the cost, in real dollars, of a meeting.
Set intentions beforehand. Define, as a group, what you need to accomplish in meetings. This will help you focus in on a purpose and keep the meeting on track when it veers. Never run or attend a meeting that doesn’t have an agenda.
Aim to end early. Making an effort to wrap meetings sooner than planned shows you respect everyone’s time. When a team forms this a habit, they become much more productive by gaining back precious minutes whenever possible.
CHRIS BAILEY’S TIPS FOR MAKING MEETINGS VALUABLE FOR ALL AGE GROUPS
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MEETING RE-MAKERS THAT ROCK
Odd Timing: To help employees remember regular meetings, TINYpulse, an
employee engagement software provider, starts them at an odd time—for
example, at 8:48 a.m. The effect? People rarely walk in late.
One Tough Question: To get more personal, leaders at chat software provider,
LivePerson, require “connection before content.” Before meetings, attendees
answer challenging questions like, “What are your doubts about your project?”
It works so well, they promote the idea with customers.
Paddle Up! Brivo, a security management software provider, found an innovative
way to save time and stay focused in meetings. They use a “No Rehash” rule, raising
a “No Rehash” ping-pong paddle anytime a former topic resurfaces. This avoids
backtracking on many decisions.
Who’s reinventing the modern day meeting? FastCompany took a look at companies that make meetings memorable, effective, and short. Here are a few worth following:
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STRUCTURE IS YOUR FRIEND
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FEEL THEIR COMPANY TRUSTS THEM TO GET THEIR WORK DONE BUT PRIORITIZING IS KEY
The idea of a calendar packed with meetings
could make anybody cringe, but how leaders run
meetings may make all the difference. Focused
discussions don’t need to be long nor formal
(nor in front of a white board). When is structure
necessary and how much should there be? When
the majority of us are working eight-hour days on
average, how do we manage our time effectively?
It may seem counter-intuitive but our productivity
guru says it can be more productive to scale back
how much time we commit to accomplish goals.
You’ve heard the adage “work smarter, not harder.”
So while it seems like you can get more done by
spending more time on tasks, like logging a 60+
hour workweek, our expert says the contrary.
Scheduling less time for important things is
actually more productive.
70%
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“Prioritize your day quickly with a simple strategy I call the Rule of 3. In the morning, mentally fast-forward to the end of the day and ask, ‘what three tasks do I want to accomplish today?’ This helps filter out what’s important and scales well for teams. Many manag-ers don’t want a laundry list of employee to-dos but they’re usually up for hearing the top three. Encouraging employees to define top daily intentions is a powerful way to guide their productivity.”-Chris Bailey
Ultimately, productivity is about that right mix of
time, attention and energy. Bailey touts these as
the three essential levers to achieving meaningful
work. Our survey found that many people are,
in fact, struggling with how to prioritize their
tasks. Setting priorities upfront can better drive
success, helping employees balance their time
and attention, which in turn shapes the amount
of energy put towards different areas of work.
An easy way to help yourself and employees
prioritize? Chris Bailey calls it the “Rule of 3.”
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THE POWER OF THE PAUSE
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“Taking frequent breaks is crucial to productivity since our brain has limited physiological energy. When we completely separate from our work and let our mind rest, we replenish. The secret to rejuvenating is to fully step away from work. It helps to switch your environment—walk to a park, grab a Zipcar to change up scenery, or even pop into a shop to defocus.”- Chris Bailey
In a world that seems to be forever moving towards
bigger, better, faster, it may surprise you to learn
that the fuel for that productivity superhighway
is putting on the brakes. Though 69% of our
respondents said they do take breaks, more than
half also said that these time outs didn’t make
much of a difference. After a break, they either felt
about the same or stressed. So how can employees
make sure they’re taking the right kind of breaks
to re-energize? Chris Bailey heavily promotes the
value of breaks.
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Get casual about dress codes. In many industries, casual Fridays are passé. It’s a simple thing, but letting people move fluidly from home to work and back makes life easier. Clothing can play a huge role in that.
BREAKS THAT BEAT THE WATERCOOLER
Put your digital devices down.
That includes your laptop and
smartphone. For your mind to
fully refresh, step away from
emails, texts, and the constant
interruptions of the day.
Leave the office. A change of
scenery refreshes the mind.
Jump on a subway or grab a
Zipcar and escape to a park for
an hour. Studies show greens-
pace has a calming effect.2
Get your heartbeat going. Quick
bursts of exercise benefit more
than the body. Dr. John Ratey
at Harvard Medical School says
exercise is the most powerful tool
for optimizing brain function.3
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12345
In summary, the majority of our workforce is skewing younger and employees are demanding more freedom as work and home overlap thanks to a hyper-connected life. How can companies flex to address these shifts? Embrace the individual and let employees participate in creating their unique culture.Below are five practical take aways to help your team members improve workplace productivity.
THE 5 HABITS OF HAPPIER, MORE PRODUCTIVE WORKPLACES I ZIPCAR
THE COLLABORATIVE ECONOMY STARTS WITH EMPLOYEES
Give employees flexibility on work hours and workspaces to allow both independence and collaboration. Reward teams with perks that matter. Give them a say in what benefits they want—from snacks to outings.
Since people work differently, set broad guidelines but let your teams weigh in on communication and meeting processes. Experiment with a varying amount of structure to guide workers and help them prioritize using the simple Rule of 3.
Make time for breaks fully away from work since spending less—yet highly focused—time on tasks is more productive.
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ABOUT CHRIS BAILEY
When Chris Bailey graduated college, he decided to dedicate a year to his passion: productivity. He did everything he could to become more productive including conducting many experiments like: living in isolation for 10 days, limiting his smartphone use to an hour a day, waking up at 5:30 every morning, and working 90-hour weeks. Over the last decade, Chris has investigated a slew of techniques to discover the keys to productivity.
His work has received global attention from The New York Times, Fortune, Harvard Business Review, Fast Company, and many others. More than 200,000 people read his work monthly from every corner of the world. He’s been described in a recent TED Talks blog as, “ the most productive man you’d ever hope to meet.” Read Bailey’s work at ALifeofProductivity.com.
“Our productivity fluctuates throughout the day. We’re affected by when our energy levels rise and fall, how intentionally we work, how social we are and how much we refresh over breaks. Since all these factors impact our productivity on our ever-demanding work, it’s crucial to define our priorities and defend our time. We must work when we naturally have the most energy and take smarter breaks so we better invest in meaningful connections in life.”- Chris Bailey
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1 The Solo Movement (n.d.) Retrieved from http://www.thesoloproject.com/welcome-1/#what-is-solo
2 Ehrenfeld, T. (July 23, 2015). Nature Calms the Mind—Even in Photos [Format]. Retrieved from https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/open-
gently/201507/nature-calms-the-mind-even-in-photos
3 Regular exercise releases brain chemicals key for memory, concentration, and mental sharpness, from the May 2013 Harvard Men’s Health Watch
[Press Release] (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.health.harvard.edu/press_releases/regular-exercise-releases-brain-chemicals-key-for-memory-
concentration-and-mental-sharpness
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ABOUT ZIPCAR
Zipcar is the world’s leading car-sharing network, driven by a mission to enable simple and responsible
urban living. With its wide variety of self-service vehicles available by the hour or day, Zipcar provides
reliable mobility solutions for how we get around today. From exclusive weekday rates to fleet
management technology, Zipcar for Business helps companies large and small to start, grow, and scale.
Zipcar is a subsidiary of Avis Budget Group, Inc. (Nasdaq: CAR), a leading global provider of vehicle rental
services. Learn more about Zipcar at Zipcar.com/business.