The Busyness Paradox

Live from the Southern Management Association conference in St. Pete Beach, FL, Frank and Paul interview Cornel University's Dr. Mike Lynn, arguably the world's foremost researcher on service tipping. We discuss the pros and cons of tipping as a form of compensation, demographic differences in tipping rates and, of course, the sudden proliferation of tipping into seemingly every facet of our lives. If you're tired of tipping at self-service cash registers, you'll enjoy this one. And if you're a management researcher, listen up! Stunningly, with the exception of Dr. Lynn, this dramatic shift in service work compensation has flown almost completely under our radar so far. Let's get cracking folks. Links to People and Publications Mentioned in This Episode:- Dr. Michael Lynn - Michael D. Johnson and Family Professor of Services Marketing, Cornell University- The moral imperative of tipping- A Traveler’s Guide to Tipping in a Changed World- Danny Meyer’s Restaurants Will End Their No-Tipping Policy- Service sweethearting: An effective way to increase tips?- Giving vs. Giving InCome visit us at busynessparadox.com to see episode transcripts, blog posts and other content while you’re there!

Fans of American College Football were recently treated to a baffling display of heroic determination. Needing only to touch a kneecap to a blade of grass to secure a hard fought victory, the University of Miami's gridiron team bravely stole defeat from the jaws of victory. How? With unnecessary busywork, of course.  Come visit us at busynessparadox.com to see episode transcripts, blog posts and other content while you’re there!

Larry Thornton and Dave Ketchen join us to discuss their award-winning graphic novel, "You Have to Live, Why Not Win?" and Larry's journey from racial segregation to success as an entrepreneur, author, teacher and artist. This is our most inspirational interview yet and will make you question your perceptions of yourself and others. In a good way. We promise. If you listen to one episode of the Busyness Paradox, make sure it's this one.As Frank summarized in his review of the book (in press, Academy of Management Learning & Education):Ultimately, indeed, you have to live, and with generative artificial intelligence, such as ChatGPT, becoming more prevalent in the work- place, the characteristics of communication skills, relationship skills, disposition, deportment, and demeanor introduced in this book are certain to help students differentiate themselves through their ability to relate to others, thus giving them a greater opportunity to win.Links to People, Places, and Books Mentioned in this Episode:- You Have to Live…Why Not Win? A Graphic Novel- Why Not Win? Reflections on a fifty-year journey from the segregated South to America's boardrooms - and what it can teach us all- Why Not Win Institute- Larry Thornton- Dave KetchenCome visit us at busynessparadox.com to see episode transcripts, blog posts and other content while you’re there!

We humans have a love/hate relationship with change. Many of us are probably alive today because some cave-dwelling ancestor said “on second thought, let’s not try that new shortcut through viper country cousin Erg suggested before he mysteriously disappeared.” Yet we also fear the consequences of NOT changing with the times: obsolescence, boredom and generally getting left behind as the world moves on. And so we cling to the familiar, instinctively pushing back against the mere suggestion that there are new and better ways to do our jobs or live our lives. All while harboring a dread fear of what would almost certainly happen if we don’t embrace the very changes we are afraid of. Join us as we ponder this paradox of paralysis, where the only thing we fear more than change is the consequences of not changing.  Come visit us at busynessparadox.com to see episode transcripts, blog posts and other content while you’re there!

Have you ever gotten a pay raise and then, looking back, sort of wished you hadn't? It's become a surprisingly common phenomenon as employees have found hidden strings attached to the Covid-era generosity shown by employers. To discuss this unusual predicament, we sought out someone with a usual perspective on the workplace: meet Dr. Caleb Sanchez, a former police officer turned business psychologist. Join us as Dr. Sanchez, founder of Executive Equilibrium, shares his advice for adjusting to the shifting realities of the post-Covid workplace.Come visit us at busynessparadox.com to see episode transcripts, blog posts and other content while you’re there!

With all the fanfare about artificial intelligence these past few months, listeners have asked us: "Will ChatGPT put an end to busywork?" Like all self-appointed experts, we took the question straight to ChatGPT. It tells us that "ChatGPT is designed to provide automated assistance and support...helping employees perform tasks more efficiently and effectively, reducing the amount of busywork they need to do." We’re…cautiously optimistic. Come visit us at busynessparadox.com to see episode transcripts, blog posts and other content while you’re there!

It’s that time of year when endless news reports about March Madness-related “time theft” bubble up to the surface (get it? like teams on the bubble? anyone?) They all bemoan the incalculable dollar amount, which dozens of studies nonetheless claim to calculate, lost to employees watching basketball instead of working. Our take: if your employees are doing what you pay them to do and you’re furious that they didn’t do more because they were watching basketball, you’re the time thief.Mentioned in this episode:Who’s The Real Time Thief?March Madness Underscores Cost of Workplace Time Theft Stealing time at work: Attitudes, social pressure, and perceived control as predictors of time theft. Journal of Business Ethics, 94, 53-67.Employee time theft: Conceptualization, measure development, and validation. Personnel Psychology, 75, 347-382.Come visit us at busynessparadox.com to see episode transcripts, blog posts and other content while you’re there!

Join us as we pat ourselves on the back for reaching the fabled 52-episode milestone. Because 52 is way more exciting than 50. Not because we had already passed 50 episodes without realizing it. Why would you even think that? Anyways, publishing 52 episodes has taught us that podcasting shares a (wait for it…) paradox with many seemingly simple jobs: the more skill and effort you put into it, the less skill and effort the average consumer thinks it requires. This is a frustration well-known to car mechanics, tailors, and football kickers whose reward for making hard jobs look easy is to be told "anyone can do that!" by observers who endeavor to make easy jobs look hard.  And so we dedicate this 52nd episode spectacular to them and to all of you who appreciate the value of legitimately “hard" work, even if your customers do not.Links to resources mentioned in this episode:07:20 Alabama football recruiting: Nick Saban turns down huge NIL request14:43 Electric Vehicles Battery Problem16:16 Leno: Appreciation for hard work is fading, and old cars aren’t easy29:50 Are You Entertained—Or Addicted?41:25 Episode #7: BS Jobs56:50 Bone Valley podcastCome visit us at busynessparadox.com to see episode transcripts, blog posts and other content while you’re there!

We all know the story. After worshipping at the altar of "lean" for decades, we spent two years wondering where all the toilet paper and pickup trucks went. Covid reminded us that too much efficiency could be colossally inefficient, slack was back, hooray. Then you tried to board that Southwest flight a couple months ago and you realized the germ-like aversion to slack had taken root far beyond the manufacturing sector. In this episode, we discuss how keeping "slack in the system" in all aspects of our lives helps us stay happy, productive, and safe from the horrifying dystopia foretold by Garfield In Paradise. (chrome, chrome, chrome…bop bop a re-bop)Mentioned in this episode:1:40 - Episode #50: Unions, Strikes, and Your Rights with Dan Gilmore3:20 - FTC Holds Public Forum on Proposed Rule Banning Use of Non-Compete Agreements10:20 - The Employment Situation - December 202210:50 - Episode #48: Let’s Get Down(sized)!11:05 - The Lords of Easy Money: How the Federal Reserve Broke the American Economy14:20 - Billionaire Charlie Munger says to stop complaining everyone is five times better off than they used to be15:00 - The 15-Hour Workweek15:40 - Episode #41: Time For Niksen (not that Nixon)20:15 - Why 2023 Could Finally Be the Year of the 4-Day Workweek20:15 - Episode #44: Charlotte Lockhart and the 4-Day Week25:20 - Southwest Airlines Has Fallen Apart39:00 - Garfield in Paradise Come visit us at busynessparadox.com to see episode transcripts, blog posts and other content while you’re there!

If you're like us, you grew up being told that American labor unions were a fading relic of the past. After a string of successful organizing drives and a stunning 406 strikes in 2022, we're beginning to question that assumption. Reflecting on the ongoing labor strife in the American railroad industry, we decided it was time to bring in an expert to discuss the current state of organized labor in the U.S. In this episode, Dan Gilmore, Attorney at Law and Founder of Squire Strategies, joins us to not only discuss the ins and outs of modern labor unions but he also teaches us about the rights of non-unionized workers that very few Americans are aware of.  If you have a job - any job - you're going to want to listen to this episode.Come visit us at busynessparadox.com to see episode transcripts, blog posts and other content while you’re there!

Back in March 2020, millions of workers around the world abruptly learned that their jobs didn't always require their presence at a specific desk in a specific building at a specific set of times each and every week. After a bumpy start, many began to appreciate the flexibility, autonomy and, to varying degrees, empowerment this new approach to work afforded. Others decided it wasn't for them. A few decided it wasn't for anyone. That a vocal minority is bent on pushing us all back into our offices and cubicles should come as no surprise to longtime listeners. But who are these committed defenders of the pre-pandemic status quo? And what are their motivations? That's where things get a bit interesting.Mentioned In This Episode:9:15 - Privilege and Pro-Office Pablum33:25 - Calling Out Kardashian (Busyness Paradox Episode #38)37:14 - Much Ado About WUSI (Busyness Paradox Episode #27)46:40  - Time For Niksen (not that Nixon) (Busyness Paradox Episode #41)If you find this topic interesting you might enjoy these earlier episodes as well!- Chasing Productivity & Creativity in Work From Home (WFH)- Couch or Cubicle?- Shady Statistics and the Status Quo- The 15-Hour Workweek- WFH is Dead! Long Live WFH!- Expanding the Compressed Workweek- Charlotte Lockhart and the 4-Day WeekCome visit us at busynessparadox.com to see episode transcripts, blog posts and other content while you’re there!

“Everyone’s got a plan until they get punched in the mouth.” So says Mike Tyson, and so it is with layoffs. No one starts a new job expecting it to end with a pink-slip. Even when the grim employment reaper is seen milling about our own workplace, it’s easy to convince ourselves that he’s only harvesting other people’s jobs. And yet, almost half of us will be downsized at least once in our careers. Join us as we discuss some warning signs and proactive steps to take when layoffs are afoot. Also, please help us figure out the plural of ostrich. We’d Google it but we laid off our Assistant Senior Vice President of Internet Searches. Mentioned in This Episode:15:30 - The delusional demands of some Twitter employees 19:00 - Striking Back: Protecting Your Paycheck When Your Job Goes Off The Rails 22:50 - Do You Have Too Many Employees? 22:31 - Boring Job Burnout 24:10 - BS Jobs 24:00 - How Common Are BS Jobs? 26:30 - How to Deal with Layoff Anxiety30:00 - The 15-Hour Work WeekCome visit us at busynessparadox.com to see episode transcripts, blog posts and other content while you’re there!

Almost three years in, we think it's safe to conclude that history will view the 2020's as "an interesting time to be alive." But a silver lining of these turbulent times has been the widespread rethinking about how work should "work." The resulting push toward previously-unthinkable levels of flexibility, empowerment and compensation has met with some friction, however. The resulting labor unrest, strikes, and (our favorite) the paradoxical threat of widespread layoffs amid historic staff shortages, has made a lot of us understandably anxious about our current and future jobs. In this episode, we discuss strategies for keeping your career and your sanity from going off the rails.Links to Topics Discussed in This Episode:1:01 - Rail workers push to strike. Here's why they're angry.9:08 - Timeline of strikes in 20229:59 - Alabama Miners Slam Corporate Media Blackout Of Struggle (video)10:30 - Striking Alabama coal miners refuse to pay $13.3 million in ordered damages17:45 - Great Apprehension: Majority of Americans ‘are fearful of losing their job,’ analyst says23:01 - How to Deal with Layoff Anxiety25:53 - Rumours and gossip demand continuous action by managers in daily working life Click here to see the transcript for this episode Come visit us at busynessparadox.com to see episode transcripts, blog posts and other content while you’re there!

By now you've probably heard about "quiet quitting," the latest workplace trend to blow the minds of journalists and social media posters alike. This stunning act of rebellion involves employees doing the work they are paid to do. Seriously. That's what quiet quitting is. It's neither quiet nor quitting, but it's a movement nonetheless. The hoopla, of course, is about what these mutinous workers are NOT doing. They're not making charitable donations of their time and energy to their employers. They're not responding to work emails at their kids' birthday parties. They're not spending extra (unpaid) hours in the office as a matter of course. They're not viewing the contents of their job descriptions as "the bare minimum." And so, in solidarity with this movement, we present a stripped-down, "bare minimum" deep-dive into quiet quitting. Articles and Books Discussed in this Episode:What Is Quiet Quitting on TikTok?If Your Co-Workers Are ‘Quiet Quitting,’ Here’s What That MeansQuiet Quitting: Why Doing the Bare Minimum at Work Has Gone GlobalEmployees Say ‘Quiet Quitting’ Is Just Setting Boundaries. Companies Fear Long-Term EffectsA Look at 'Quiet Quitting' — and Whether It's a Good or Bad ThingThe Backlash to Quiet Quitting Smacks of Another Attempt by the Ruling Class to Get Workers Back Under Their Thumbs: Am I Wrong?Tessa West: Jerks at Work: Toxic Coworkers and What to Do About ThemClick here to see the transcript for this episodeCome visit us at busynessparadox.com to see episode transcripts, blog posts and other content while you’re there!

We've all seen the signs and memes. We've heard the cranky scorn from talking heads, business owners, politicians and old men yelling at clouds. No one (except them) wants to work anymore! Everyone (except them) is lazy! In this episode, we challenge the ironically lazy thinking behind these claims and ask those who feel this way to consider an alternative explanation: maybe people just don't want to work for you?Mentioned in this Episode:16:21 - A Brief History of Nobody Wants to Work Anymore21:18 - Why so few teenagers have jobs anymore24:40 - Exclusive: Hyundai subsidiary has used child labor at Alabama factoryVisit us at busynessparadox.com for the transcript to this episode. Check out some of our blog posts and other content while you’re there!Come visit us at busynessparadox.com to see episode transcripts, blog posts and other content while you’re there!

You asked us to talk more about four-day work weeks, we did you one better. Join us for a discussion with Charlotte Lockhart, founder and managing director of the 4 Day Week Global Foundation! With operations in North America, Australia, New Zealand, the UK and Europe, Charlotte and her husband, Andrew Barnes (author of The 4 Day Week), are at the literal forefront of this movement. If you’ve ever questioned the Monday-Friday, one-size-fits-all approach to work scheduling, we think you'll like what she has to say.Links to People and Publications Mentioned in this Episode:4 Day Week Global: 4dayweek.comCharlotte LockhartAndrew BarnesBook - The 4 Day Week by Andrew Barnes:PaperbackAudiobook (Audible)Audiobook (Audible UK)Visit us at busynessparadox.com and check out some of our blog posts and other content while you’re there!Come visit us at busynessparadox.com to see episode transcripts, blog posts and other content while you’re there!

With all the changes brought about by Covid-19, you might not be surprised to hear about a huge uptick in research on the effects of shortened work weeks. You might be surprised to hear that this sudden burst of scholarly interest began - and ended - in the 1970s. What did our (presumably) bell-bottomed forebears learn about the pros and cons of ditching the traditional five-day workweek? Why did it take a pandemic to rekindle our interest? Visit us at busynessparadox.com for the transcript to this episode. Check out some of our blog posts and other content while you’re there!Come visit us at busynessparadox.com to see episode transcripts, blog posts and other content while you’re there!

There is such a thing as "good" busyness - that baseline euphoria you feel when you're humming along, pummeling your to-do list like it owes you money. There's also such a thing as fake busyness - that absurd phenomenon where adults convene in an office and pretend to be doing important work stuff. Look over at your employees or coworkers. Which type of busyness do you see? Are you sure? Join us as we discuss the telltale signs of a culture that rewards fake busyness and some things managers can do to help employees focus on being productive instead of acting productive. Visit us at busynessparadox.com for the transcript to this episode. Check out some of our blog posts and other content while you’re there!Come visit us at busynessparadox.com to see episode transcripts, blog posts and other content while you’re there!

That's it! We're starting a church...Links to articles, episodes and topics discussed in this episode:0:30 - The U.S. tried permanent daylight saving time in the 1970s — then quickly rejected it2:10 - What Happened the Last Time the U.S. Tried to Make Daylight Saving Time Permanent?3:30 - The Nocturnals5:40 - Nixing Busyness with Niksen13:42 - We Put the Cult in Culture17:11 - Goldman Sachs wants workers back in office 5 days a week—‘a stampede’ of other companies could follow, experts say20:30 - Young Bankers Have an Absurd Work Life24:05 - Transcard 29:32 - Gen Z Does Not Dream of LaborVisit us at busynessparadox.com for the transcript to this episode. Check out some of our blog posts and other content while you’re there!Come visit us at busynessparadox.com to see episode transcripts, blog posts and other content while you’re there!

Every few months someone proclaims the death of this working-from-home silliness. Citing indisputably indisputable sources, they assure us that our long nightmare of comfort and efficiency is over. "Rejoice!" they tell us! All who toil in their comfy clothes under the scornful eye of their pet cat, "Buttons"...fear not! The commutes, cubicles, and in-person meetings that are the God-given right of every man, woman and child with at least an associates degree from a regionally accredited college or university will be yours again soon. But then someone invariably comes along with "comprehensive data" that "reflects the real world" and ruins the party. Alas, it's our sad duty to report new evidence that, once again, confirms our darkest fears: that every job and every employee is different and that cramming us all back into the one-size-fits-all world that recognized the sanctity of on-site work just ain't happening. Sigh. Links to People, Publications, and Podcasts Mentioned in This Episode:0:24 - John Martin, Ph.D., Wright State University0:27 - Fed-Up Managers Declare Wfh Is Over, as 77% Say They’d Fire You or Cut Your Pay for Not Coming Back to the Office1:04 - Asana Report: Anatomy of Work Global Index1:16 - Shady Stats and the Status Quo9:12 - Inflation and the Paradoxical Pay Raise15:15 - SHRM (Society for Human Research Management)25:36 - The Efficiency Paradox26:21 - BS Jobs28:09 - Manage Things, Lead People: The Curt Tueffert Interview30:22 - The "Year of Structure" Episodes: The Four-Day Work Week The Year of Gettin' S**t DoneVisit us at busynessparadox.com for the transcript to this episode. Check out some of our blog posts and other content while you’re there!Come visit us at busynessparadox.com to see episode transcripts, blog posts and other content while you’re there!