What is Slow Work?

Even when we accept that slowing down makes sense in every other walk of life, we still resist the idea that it can also pay dividends at work. After all, speed is king in the modern workplace. Just look at the buzzwords and catchphrases that reign in the office: Multitasking. Just-in-time management. I need this yesterday. Lunch is for wimps. Deadline mode. Get up to speed. You snooze, you lose.

These days, however, there is too much speed in the workplace. Employees are burning out faster than ever before. Absenteeism and staff turnover rates are soaring. The constant pressure to accelerate, to do more and more in less and less time, is leading us to cut corners, think inside the box and make mistakes. Obviously, there are many moments in business when it pays to be quick, but too much haste makes waste. In the global economy, the spoils will go to those who deliver quality rather than quantity. And that is why the idea of Slow Work is catching on around the world.

One ingredient of Slow Work is working fewer hours. Our brains and bodies function best when given time to rest and recharge. That means taking enough vacation, or leaving the office when the work is finished, rather than hanging around trying to look busy.

Slow Work means investing time in nurturing the relationships - with customers and suppliers and within a company itself - that are the lifeblood of business in a networked world.

Slow Work is about changing gears during the workday. Analyzing a problem thoroughly in order to find the best solution, for instance. The latest research shows that when we are in a relaxed state, the brain slips into a richer, more nuanced mode of thought. That is why our eureka ideas seldom come when we’re racing to meet a deadline or juggling three tasks at once; they come when we’re soaking in the bath or walking the dog or dozing by the pool. Psychologists even describe this fertile, creative gear as Slow Thinking. Companies all over the world are building slow moments into the day by installing meditation suites, chill-out rooms and napping pods or offering on-site yoga and massage. Google encourages key staff to devote a fifth of their working hours to their own projects: no targets, no timetables, just the time and space to think deeply, to reflect rather than react.

Slow Work also implies reinventing our relationship with technology. That means using email, cellphones and all those other wonderful tools more sparingly. A senior executive at IBM has even launched a Slow Email movement to help us be happier and more productive by checking our inbox less often.

Defining Slow Work and then finding the best way to bring it to bear on a business world hooked on speed is perhaps our toughest and most exhilarating challenge. We invite the citizens of Slow Planet to join the debate.