Imagine a life where technological gains make us so productive that 15 hours a week constitutes a “full-time” job. The insane ramblings of two would-be men of leisure? Indeed. But also the prediction of a famous economist. No not the movie guy, the other one: John Maynard Keynes. According to his 1930 prediction, not only is such a reality possible, we’re about 20 years late in achieving it. Was Keynes wrong or have we squandered our productivity gains on busywork? People, Places and Other Thing...
Dec 01, 2021•22 min•Season 1Ep. 29
Feeling overworked and dreaming of a new job with lots of downtime? One where marathon solitaire sessions fill the time between naps and happy hours? Careful what you wish for…making 10 hours of work fill a 40-hour week ain’t all it’s cracked up to be. If your employer is infected with the busyness bug, you’re likely to experience the delightfully paradoxical form of burnout that occurs when you’re actually underworked but everyone around you is pretending to be overworked. Tune in as we try to ...
Nov 18, 2021•41 min•Season 1Ep. 28
A while back, we published an episode called " Who You Callin' WUSI? " about the simple assessment we developed to measure employees' propensity to perceive abusive managerial behaviors where others do not. The show got way more interest than we anticipated, so naturally we've been looking for an excuse to revisit our beloved WUSI scale. So you can imagine our excitement when we learned that two researchers from the University of North Carolina - Charlotte were investiga...
Nov 17, 2021•1 hr 3 min•Season 1Ep. 27
Have you ever considered supplementing your full-time job with...another full-time job? Is it even possible to work two full-time jobs simultaneously? In this episode we learn that yes, yes it is. How? By leveraging the inefficiencies of the arbitrary 40-hour work week (ruthlessly exposed by the shift to remote work) and using the idle time of one full-time job to do another full-time job. Sound crazy? Go ask the growing community of employees that have begun to live by the motto: "Work Two...
Nov 05, 2021•29 min•Season 1Ep. 26
In the spirit of Halloween, we reflect on how a failed attempt at finding a gas station in upstate Vermont led us to ponder the question: do ghosts affect the workplace? No really, hear us out. Even if YOU don't believe in ghosts, some of your employees probably do. So what do you do if your staff refuses to work third shift, clean that one hotel room, or serve that semi-translucent customer who just materialized out of thin air? These are the questions no one's asking folks, but that ...
Oct 29, 2021•1 hr 6 min•Season 1Ep. 25
You know those expressions like, "do more by doing less" and "work smarter not harder"? Bush league. In this episode we reveal the true secret to doing more: doing nothing. To much of the world, it's a bafflingly paradoxical truth. To the Dutch, it's simply called niksen. Articles and Books Mentioned in the Episode: Niksen: Why the Dutch concept of doing nothing is the key to happiness - The Times How I learnt the Dutch art of doing nothing - The Times Invent and Wa...
Oct 01, 2021•31 min•Season 1Ep. 24
Remember that movie where George Clooney flew around the world firing people so their actual bosses didn't have to? We were all aghast that learn that companies could outsource such a thing. Then we pictured ourselves as absurdly handsome jet-setters with super-elite frequent flyer status and wondered where we could sign up. Sadly the golden age of fire-for-hire has passed us by. Suddenly we're seeing computers not only break the news, but actually make the decision to fire employees ....
Sep 17, 2021•34 min•Season 1Ep. 23
In this episode we reflect on Oliver Burkeman’s recent column, Escaping the Efficiency Trap - And Finding Some Piece of Mind and the paradoxical reality that the relentless pursuit of efficiency in our jobs and lives often leads to chronic inefficiency. People, products and links mentioned in this episode: Coach Bobby Bowden dies at 91 Sisyphus Escaping the Efficiency Trap and Finding Some Peace of Mind by Oliver Burkeman Pomodoro Timers and Eisenhower Box techniques: Chasing Productivity & ...
Sep 10, 2021•26 min•Season 1Ep. 22
In this episode, we discuss paid time off. While being paid to not work might seem like a paradoxical idea, we take it a step further and talk about why more paid time off can be a profitable move by employers. Historically, this view has not been as popular in the US as it is in the rest of the world, but are times changing? (Originally recorded April 2, 2021) Come visit us at busynessparadox.com to see episode transcripts, blog posts and other content while you’re there!...
Aug 26, 2021•21 min•Season 1Ep. 21
In those heady days between the Covid vaccine roll-out and the Delta variant, a most unexpected paradox began to emerge. After a year of working from home and yearning for social interaction, millions of people got vaccinated and...stayed home. We had to call in reinforcements for this one, folks. David Cox , a Gallup-certified strengths coach, instructor, training specialist and former police officer to discuss the toll that prolonged isolation can have on our physical and mental health. He sha...
Aug 13, 2021•49 min•Season 1Ep. 20
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. So is your next performance evaluation. Everyone sees the world through their own perceptual lenses and we often form different perceptions of the same people, performance, and policies. Join us as we discuss strategies for managing these perceptions in the workplace - our own and those of the people we work with. Topics Discussed and Related Readings: 1:15 - Perceptual biases in management 5:00 - Different social-perceptual biases 7:50 - Pessimistic attribu...
Aug 06, 2021•38 min•Season 1Ep. 19
A recent Forbes article titled, "Study shows people working from home are having sex, dating, taking naps and doing hustles on company time" (yes, that's the actual title) leads us to believe that either a) you all had a way more fun pandemic than we did or b) the article is a case study in bending statistics to fit your narrative. A decidedly pro-busywork narrative in this case. Join us as we unspin some stats and discuss the dangers of basing management decisions on slanted repo...
Jul 22, 2021•46 min•Season 1Ep. 18
It's April 2021. We've spend the past 15 months in a global pandemic. Unemployment rates are staggeringly high. What do you do? If you're like 4 million Americans, you quit your job! Please rate and subscribe/follow our podcast. Join the Busybody family and share your ideas or workplace experiences with us. If you have a topic you would like for us to cover, email us at input@busynessparadox.com or tweet us @busynessparadox. Articles, People, and Products Mentioned: LA Times - Sum...
Jul 08, 2021•34 min•Season 1Ep. 17
With Covid seemingly on the ropes, the world of work is poised to finally return to normal. Not everyone is thrilled about that. Some savor the end of makeshift home offices, Zoom meetings, and isolation from coworkers. Others dread the return of long commutes, office politics, and wearing pants. Many would like to see a hybrid blend of on-site and remote work become the new normal. What's an employer to do? In this episode, we argue that they don't have to appease all of these employe...
Jun 24, 2021•26 min•Season 1Ep. 16
An employee accuses you of being an abusive boss. Their proof? They THINK you’re an abusive boss. Research has led many states to pass laws intended to protect employees from abusive supervisors. Sounds good, right? But who determines the difference between legitimate reprimands, constructive criticism and abuse? In this episode we discuss our largely ignored (until recently) attempt to remove some of the subjectivity and bias from this determination: a little thing called WUSI. Come visit us at...
Jun 08, 2021•41 min•Season 1Ep. 15
We Americans tend to look down on jobs that perform essential services while heaping praise on any gig that involves an office and a desk. We Americans can't figure out why restaurants, hotels and retail establishments can't fill their rosters at a time of high unemployment. Perhaps one paradox explains the other? If the list below is not formatted properly in your podcast app, click here! Or visit busynessparadox.com/2021/05/28/podcast-show-crap-jobs-some-love Time stamps, people, and...
May 27, 2021•46 min•Season 1Ep. 14
Do you work for a company or a cult? The idea is simple: attract energetic, young college graduates with the promise of fulfilling their wildest dreams and desires. Grown-up playgrounds for offices. Free food! The opportunity to change the world while playing beer-pong! Kind of low pay. Heaps of reassuring praise. Very long hours. Office keg parties: that are mandatory! Brilliant managers! Whose wisdom is never to be questioned. Super cool coworkers who share your love for the company. Because t...
May 13, 2021•40 min•Season 1Ep. 13
Task lists, calendars, passwords, email, webcams...have they made your job more efficient or have they BECOME your job? In this episode, Stephen Robles from Apple Insider joins us to discuss strategies for using our digital devices as the productivity tools they're meant to be. Tune in to hear his expert advice on apps, books, project management strategies, workplace communication, an ingenious email filter we can't believe we didn't think of ourselves, and other tips for getting ...
Apr 22, 2021•43 min•Season 1Ep. 12
Frank and Paul have a special guest on this episode. Dr. Bento Lobo, department head of the Finance and Economics department and First Tennessee Bank Distinguished Professor of Finance, shares his input on our Masters of Busyness Administration episode. After our interview with Dr. Lobo, we discuss the widespread problem of financial illiteracy and steps we should all be taking to protect the money we spend so much of our lives working to earn. Please rate and subscribe/follow our podcast. Join ...
Apr 06, 2021•40 min•Season 1Ep. 11
Five days on, two days off. Repeat. But why? Please rate and subscribe/follow our podcast. Join the Busybody family and share your ideas or workplace experiences with us. If you have a topic you would like for us to cover, email us at input@busynessparadox.com or tweet us @busynessparadox. Come visit us at busynessparadox.com to see episode transcripts, blog posts and other content while you’re there!...
Mar 26, 2021•38 min•Season 1Ep. 10
Email is one of the most efficient forms of communication ever created. Email is almost universally viewed as a threat to efficiency, on and off the job. How can both of these statements be true? By being the most paradoxical paradox we've tackled yet, that's how! In the first part of this two-part episode, we discussed the challenges associated with email overload and the annoying truth that becoming more efficient at something can simply increase the amount of that thing we're e...
Mar 18, 2021•26 min•Season 1Ep. 9
Email is one of the most efficient forms of communication ever created. Email is almost universally viewed as a threat to efficiency, on and off the job. How can both of these statements be true? By being the most paradoxical paradox we've tackled yet, that's how! In the first part of this two-part episode, we discuss the challenges associated with email overload and the annoying truth that becoming more efficient at something can simply increase the amount of that thing we're exp...
Mar 07, 2021•32 min•Season 1Ep. 8
Bologna Sandwich maker? Barber Shop singer? Nah, not those BS jobs. In this episode we dive into what the late David Graeber defined as jobs that are "so completely pointless, unnecessary, or pernicious that even the employee cannot justify its existence [but] feels obliged to pretend that this is not the case." If your job that fits that description, you're not alone. Some say the growth of BS jobs has outpaced non-BS jobs in recent decades, but that's just the tip of the pa...
Feb 08, 2021•44 min•Season 1Ep. 7
What happens when you ask the wrong questions? You get the wrong answers. Then you make the wrong decisions. Then you look silly. Whether you’re a pollster predicting elections or a manager deciding who to hire, judgement calls like these are only as good as the data they’re based on. But how do you know if you’re asking the wrong questions? Do you know if your employees are telling you the truth or what they think you want to hear? Are your customer satisfaction numbers really that good? Maybe ...
Jan 26, 2021•41 min•Season 1Ep. 6
JPMorgan Chase has observed reduced productivity and creativity among employees working from home (WFH). CEO Jamie Dimon notes that younger employees are disproportionally affected, particularly on Mondays and Fridays. This leads us to question how productivity is measured at companies like JP Morgan: are they measuring output or are they measuring busyness? In this episode we unpack Dimon's concerns and discuss options for improving WFH productivity and creativity (or in Dimon's terms...
Jan 14, 2021•35 min•Season 1Ep. 5
Elon Musk bemoans the modern corporation's obsession with busywork. We bemoan the modern corporation's obsession with busywork. Elon Musk blames the over MBA-ification of the business world for this obsession. We teach MBA students. We attempt to untangle this paradox, discuss the current state of MBA programs and answer the question on the minds of many listeners: is an MBA a good choice for me? If you find this episode interesting, please subscribe to our podcast. Join the Busybody f...
Jan 08, 2021•1 hr 6 min•Season 1Ep. 4
Are you the “go to” person for help with some tasks at work? The one everyone hunts for when they need help dealing with a tough customer, setting up a spreadsheet, or navigating the ever-changing inventory management system? Does it sometimes drive you nuts? In this episode, we explore being “too good” at some aspect of your job and strategies for turning this mixed blessing into less of a time-drain and more of an opportunity. If you’re spending half your workday responding to one “quick quest...
Dec 28, 2020•33 min•Season 1Ep. 3
Ask anyone at work how busy they are and you’ll probably hear some variant of “super busy!” You’ve probably said it yourself. Does that mean the standard 40-hour work week isn’t long enough? Or are we really as busy as we say we are? Like George Costanza’s tactic of acting annoyed in order to appear overwhelmed with work, acting “busy” is an impression management tactic and a mindset that many of us use so often that we don’t even realize we’re doing it. In this episode, we discuss the paradox o...
Dec 16, 2020•27 min•Season 1Ep. 2
This episode introduces you to what The Busyness Paradox podcast is all about. We focus on business topics, especially relating to people in the workplace. We converse about current events that impact organizations. We also introduce ourselves, the hosts of this podcast, Frank Butler and Paul Harvey. We are 2 management professors who just enjoy talking about how businesses can do and be better. Oh, and we love ghosts. If you find this episode interesting, please subscribe to our podcast. Join t...
Nov 13, 2020•29 min•Season 1Ep. 1
