Limits to human performance – managers takes dope!

More facts coming up on the negative impacts of the lack of concern for the knowledge worker.

The Danish association of managers, has also made extensive research on the subject, and (if you are danish) a very worth while read. Here is a short summary of the report.

Managers are under pressure, but some of them indicate that they are using dope. Now, it is not only high profile athletes, but managers, and it is very commonplace:

This survey of stress among managers indicates that 81% eat painkillers to cope with stress, 52% drink alcohol, and 46% smokes. But that’s not it, stress is also managed by the doctor, 21% take calming nerve medicine, and 16% take antidepressive medicine.

Now, that seriously indicates that someone has lost control of what actually generates high performing and motivated people.

Technorati Tags: stress, knowledge work

Stress as the working norm

I am currently investigating material to understand how people actually trying to cope with their jobs in the current knowledge intensive companies.

And I am finding the scary facts. A Danish Union for Engineers has survyed engineers in Denmark, and the results are quite alarming. Especially when you consider driving your car today, maybe even over a bridge:

Hver tredje ingeniør er udsat for så meget stress, at de mindst én gang om ugen oplever problemer med koncentrationsevne, hukommelse og evnen til at tænke klart og tage beslutninger. Det alarmerende tal fremgår af Ingeniørens stress-undersøgelse, som er foretaget af analysefirmaet Epinion.

In English: Every third engineer is under so much stress, that they at least once a week experience problems with ability to concentrate, memory loss, and the ability to think straight and take decisions.

It is quite easy to see that there is limits too human performance, and now engineers are quite close to that limit.

Who’s next?

Technorati Tags: stress, knowledge work