Secret to Making Employees Feel Like They've Got More Time

Harvard Professor Discovers A Cool Secret To Making Employees Feel Like They've Got More Time
Julie Bort

Turns out it's a total myth that to inspire innovation in your company you've got to give your employees a bunch of free time to work on pet projects. New research from Harvard Business School is showing that if employees feel like their time is being well spent, such as by doing tasks that are beneficial to others and the company, they feel like they've got more time. They are happier, more productive, more enthusiastic, and more satisfied. You can read the full article from Business Insider by clicking the link.

Norton says managers can use this research in a couple of ways.

1. Make employees participate in a company volunteer effort, particularly if they can use part of their workday to do it.

2. Let employees know how their day-to-day tasks are helping others. If they can hear how the employee helped a customer, this will also make them more satisfied with their job.

3. Use fun strategies to encourage team members to help each other. Norton tells of one experiment where salespeople were given $20 bonus money and told they had to spend on another team member. Those teams sold more than other groups that were told to spend the $20 on themselves.

By giving people the right kind of time, they will give it back to the company in productivity and innovation.