The flexibility of post-pandemic teleworking has not reduced the workload or the number of hours spent at work, on the contrary. The time spent on professional activities has increased, as has the workload, regardless of sector and hierarchical level. Exhausted, you say?
On average, the work week has lengthened by 3.3 hours per week since the pandemic, according to a study carried out by researcher Caroline Biron, from the Center of Expertise in Occupational Health and Safety Management. Université Laval, the results of which will be published shortly.
Another recent study, sponsored by the U.S. National Bureau of Economic Research, suggests that the average workday has lengthened by 48 minutes… and time spent in meetings has increased by 13%.
These go on at a faster pace, without giving people much time to breathe. “We don’t have much time to think, to dialogue, to plan,” explains Jean-Pierre Brun, professor emeritus of management at Laval University. Time has both accelerated and compressed. »
An example of the impact of these perpetual meetings? The lack of space to manage the unexpected. “The person who is stuck in wall-to-wall meetings, two or three weeks in advance, has no more leeway to manage an unforeseen event,” says Pierre-Sébastien Fournier, full professor and director of the management department of the ‘Laval University. His solution is then to add a meeting at 6 a.m. or 9 p.m. »
The hyperavailability of workers is playing a trick on them: the demands (and related expectations) keep increasing…and the resources to support those demands don’t always keep up. “There are too many demands on the workers and they are running out of time,” says Brun. We should stop thinking that all requests are free and not underestimate the time it takes to do things, and do them well! »
He suggests clearing things up as a team and making it a collective discussion. “If someone is overwhelmed and in one-on-one time with the boss, they have a task or responsibility taken away to relieve them, but it’s given to someone else, it doesn’t make a big difference- thing… “
According to Julie Dextras-Gauthier, associate professor in the management department of the Faculty of Administrative Sciences at Laval University, artificial intelligence (AI) could come to relieve workers at this stage. “The optimistic view of AI is that it will allow people to offload tasks that are time-consuming, repetitive, or have less added value,” she notes.
And the pessimistic view? AI will take up more and more space and will replace workers. “She could help us… or harm us.” It will depend on its use and the tags that we put in it, ”summarizes Ms. Dextras-Gauthier.
For the moment, succession is rare and projects are piling up. Professor Pierre-Sébastien Fournier remarks: the state of emergency created by the pandemic is over, but the pace of work has remained intense – and to this is added, for about a year, the return of innovation and the development of new projects.
“Executives take a big hit,” he says, “and if the manager is not doing well, it has a direct effect on the health and safety of his team. »
He also points out that this state of being constantly overwhelmed leads to burnout, turnover, early retirement and mental health problems. “Between 35 and 45% of employees suffer from psychological distress in Quebec,” recalls Mr. Fournier.
In this context, taking time for yourself is essential. And sometimes you have to be radical, believes management professor Jean-Pierre Brun. “You have to sanctuary time for yourself,” he says. It means establishing clear boundaries between personal and professional life and giving yourself time to recuperate. For example, you shut down your computer on weekends and don’t check your notifications. »
To those who foresee a leisure society in the future, Professor Pierre-Sébastien Fournier has bad news: telecommuting and the confusion between personal and professional life are killing the concept once and for all. “It’s the final nail in the coffin of the leisure society,” he concludes.
