High Performance Work Practices From Around The World

Here in America, we like to see ourselves as the central hub of productivity and capitalistic growth but it seems that every year we are learning this is further and further from the truth. There could be many reasons for this, including that we have not changed a lot of practices that were put in place in the mid 1900s, but that’s for another discussion.

What I want to talk about today is how do our work traditions and practices line up with other countries? We will examine countries who have risen as economic super powers recently and countries that have just been doing their own thing with successful results.

During and after hours

As an American in professional settings, there are a lot of times where you will be asked to work on projects after hours or respond to emails after leaving work. This is especially common nowadays when people are working more remotely than ever. Some countries have put special laws in place to prevent this unhealthy practice that blurs the line between work and personal time.

In France, workers were given the right to avoid emails and projects off of company time. This “Right to Disconnect” law was put in place in 2016 and is definitely very prevalent now. In America, our work philosophy is more about working around the clock to appeal to certain higher ups and chase that promotion. In a lot of cases this leads to burning out and even severe health issues from over working.

With laws like this, it becomes easier for people to differentiate between time at work and time to recuperate for the next day or just relax and enjoy their own time. France is not the only country to incorporate regulations on workers spending time at work on their own time. Germany employed a service that would automatically delete emails that came in to your inbox while on vacation, helping people enjoy their earned time off even more.

Office time and fitness

There are many office buildings in the US that include a gym and some of those even include the membership itself. This ability to workout after/before work is definitely a huge benefit but what if we were to take it a step further? What if you were able to workout during work hours? Apparently this was an idea that actually started in the United States. During the 1920s there was a day time radio show that would feature 15 minute callisthenic exercises to get the blood pumping and body moving. It never really caught on and instead was popularized in Japan.

In the era of so many people working behind desks and on computers, and physical activity has taken a back seat to work. Japan has one of the fastest growing economies of the last decade so they must have been doing something right. I believe this philosophy was part of it. Research has shown for years that physical activity during the work day boosts productivity and mental/physical health in the work place. It doesn’t need to be a full body work out either. A few minutes of walking and stretching by your desk a day can go a long way.

About 1/4 Americans say they spent more than 8 hours sitting a day and almost half of Americans don’t get any form of vigorous exercise at least once a week. This is a dangerous combination that leads to unproductive hours at work as well as poor physical health. It is no wonder why some of the most successful companies in America like Google allow employees time to get physical activity during the workday. The benefits are clear, the only thing stopping us is our idea of what “work” should be.

Parental leave

In a US survey conducted in 2017, only 38% of the organizations asked offered paid parental leave. Of those 38%, only 78% offered it to all employees. Meaning there is a huge number of people not receiving the benefits of parental leave. This would include stipulations on how the child was birthed as well.

Because of such a lack of support from their jobs this leads to many new parents feeling extra stressed which takes a toll on mental health as well as performance at work. The obvious spiral that occurs because of this becomes more and more prevalent with each generation as more people are working in full time careers, including new mothers.

Many other countries have adopted extensive paternity and maternity leave programs to provide for their workers. The list of benefits is pretty long but I’ll name a few. First off the employees of a business that provides for them are more likely to be loyal to that business. Loyalty leads to passion in their work which in turn helps everybody. Not only this but with both paternity and maternity programs, each can learn the necessary skills to help take care of their child without worrying about missing out on important life moments.

The difficulty with this difference is that it would be immensely difficult to implicate widely in the United States. Countries that have the best programs are ones like Iceland which are impossible to normally compare to any other country in the world. The point is not to say we have to become like them in 5 years or less but that philosophy and practice they have is something we can undoubtedly learn from as a nation.

In conclusion

There are many other high performance practices that can be incorporated into US professional culture but it is important to remember that no two societies are the same. Around the world we all value different things and that’s what creates our cultural identities. What I am suggesting here is that we continue to work together and learn from other cultures and regions to see what they’re doing better than us. There should be nothing holding us back from trying to improve and observing those around you is a good first step.