What Does a ‘To Do’ List Look Like in a Healthy Organisation?

it doesn't involve fruit boxes

When I first started working in industry organisations, I was stunned at how many tasks that small teams were expected to do. Every question raised by members was on the to do list and most were not within our control to fix.

It resulted in extreme busyness and doubtful productivity. Not to mention exhaustion and burn out.

My peers in other industry bodies told the same story of overwhelming to do lists and exhausted teams. Today, leaders I know describe how the situation has gotten worse rather than better. And not just for industry bodies, but for all types of organisations.

The unhealthy truth of the consequences was confirmed in a recent report from the Committee for Economic Development of Australia on mental health and productivity in the workplace. 

They found that most employers have responded well to the physical safety needs of employees. However, workers compensation claims relating to mental health are blowing out. Median compensation costs tripled in just under 20 years to 2018-19. With even moderate growth assumptions, in just over a decade they could triple again by 2030.

The problem won’t be fixed with fruit boxes and yoga classes.

I suspect that knowledge work is especially vulnerable. Talented individuals and teams can’t think, innovate and perform when overwhelmed with a huge and ever-growing list of tasks.

Reframing the problem by looking at it from different angles and disciplines is helpful. Check out this thoughtful article in the New Yorker on what hunter-gatherers can teach us about the frustrations of modern work. 

The proliferation of reports, speculation and commentary on the causes and solutions for unhealthy workplaces is muddled. 

The short version on the common themes is that: healthy productive organisations in the knowledge economy exist when they do fewer things, work at varied pace and focus on quality.

If your organisation is doing the reverse and failing, the first issue to confront is about leadership.

Until Next week.