The Busyness Paradox
The Busyness Paradox is a podcast hosted by management professors Drs. Frank Butler and Paul Harvey. It explores workplace and office environment topics, challenges, and activities, as well as business trends and strategy. The show aims to help managers eliminate bad practices and assist employees in dealing with them. Listeners are encouraged to participate by asking questions or sharing their experiences.
Episodes
Semantically Empty: Corporate BS and the Paradox of Sounding Smart
In this episode, we tackle something everyone recognizes, but no one has really tested until now: corporate bullshit.Inspired by recent research and a Cornell study on the Corporate Bullshit Receptivity Scale, we break down what corporate BS actually is, why it works, and what it says about both the people delivering it and the people buying into it.We also put it to the test with a game of “Is It
AI in HR: What’s the Worst That Could Happen? (Live from SMA)
Live from the Southern Management Association conference in Greenville, SC, Frank hosts a special episode of The Busyness Paradox with guest Dr. Julie Hancock, Director of the People Center at the University of North Texas (https://cob.unt.edu/mgmt/tpc/index.html). With Paul “replaced by AI” for the day, the conversation explores the intersection of artificial intelligence and human resources—and
Free Bagels Won’t Fix It: Why Gen Z Hates Work
In this episode of The Busyness Paradox, Frank and Paul dive into Maya Sulkin’s viral article, Why Gen Z Hates Work, and unpack what’s really driving younger workers’ frustrations with traditional careers. From stalled job markets to the lure of influencer lifestyles, we explore how cultural shifts and economic realities collide in shaping Gen Z’s approach to work.⸻🔑 Key Topics Covered•Why Gen Z u
Return to Office: Bagels, Spreadsheets, and the Productivity Pendulum
After a long hiatus, Frank and Paul are back behind the mics for The Busyness Paradox, and this time they’re diving into one of the most divisive workplace topics of the moment: Return to Office mandates. From federal policies to corporate culture shifts, they explore who’s calling employees back, why some companies are thriving without it, and how different setups affect productivity, mental heal
Beyond the Bill: Tipping Trends and Research Revelations
Live from the Southern Management Association conference in St. Pete Beach, FL, Frank and Paul interview Cornel University's Dr. Mike Lynn, arguably the world's foremost researcher on service tipping. We discuss the pros and cons of tipping as a form of compensation, demographic differences in tipping rates and, of course, the sudden proliferation of tipping into seemingly every facet of
Kneeling at the Altar of Busyness
Fans of American College Football were recently treated to a baffling display of heroic determination. Needing only to touch a kneecap to a blade of grass to secure a hard fought victory, the University of Miami's gridiron team bravely stole defeat from the jaws of victory. How? With unnecessary busywork, of course. Come visit us at busynessparadox.com to see episode transcripts, blog posts
Why Not Win? A Discussion with Larry Thornton and Dave Ketchen
Larry Thornton and Dave Ketchen join us to discuss their award-winning graphic novel, "You Have to Live, Why Not Win?" and Larry's journey from racial segregation to success as an entrepreneur, author, teacher and artist. This is our most inspirational interview yet and will make you question your perceptions of yourself and others. In a good way. We promise. If you listen to one ep
The Paradox of Fearing Change
We humans have a love/hate relationship with change. Many of us are probably alive today because some cave-dwelling ancestor said “on second thought, let’s not try that new shortcut through viper country cousin Erg suggested before he mysteriously disappeared.” Yet we also fear the consequences of NOT changing with the times: obsolescence, boredom and generally getting left behind as the world mov
Mo' Money, Mo' Busywork
Have you ever gotten a pay raise and then, looking back, sort of wished you hadn't? It's become a surprisingly common phenomenon as employees have found hidden strings attached to the Covid-era generosity shown by employers. To discuss this unusual predicament, we sought out someone with a usual perspective on the workplace: meet Dr. Caleb Sanchez, a former police officer turned business
Artificial Work Meets Artificial Intelligence
With all the fanfare about artificial intelligence these past few months, listeners have asked us: "Will ChatGPT put an end to busywork?" Like all self-appointed experts, we took the question straight to ChatGPT. It tells us that "ChatGPT is designed to provide automated assistance and support...helping employees perform tasks more efficiently and effectively, reducing the amount of
Who’s The Real Time Thief?
It’s that time of year when endless news reports about March Madness-related “time theft” bubble up to the surface (get it? like teams on the bubble? anyone?) They all bemoan the incalculable dollar amount, which dozens of studies nonetheless claim to calculate, lost to employees watching basketball instead of working. Our take: if your employees are doing what you pay them to do and you’re furiou
When Working Hard Looks Like Hardly Working
Join us as we pat ourselves on the back for reaching the fabled 52-episode milestone. Because 52 is way more exciting than 50. Not because we had already passed 50 episodes without realizing it. Why would you even think that? Anyways, publishing 52 episodes has taught us that podcasting shares a (wait for it…) paradox with many seemingly simple jobs: the more skill and effort you put into it, the
Excessively Lean: When a Lack of Slack Bites You in the Back
We all know the story. After worshipping at the altar of "lean" for decades, we spent two years wondering where all the toilet paper and pickup trucks went. Covid reminded us that too much efficiency could be colossally inefficient, slack was back, hooray. Then you tried to board that Southwest flight a couple months ago and you realized the germ-like aversion to slack had taken root far
Unions, Strikes, and Your Rights with Dan Gilmore
If you're like us, you grew up being told that American labor unions were a fading relic of the past. After a string of successful organizing drives and a stunning 406 strikes in 2022, we're beginning to question that assumption. Reflecting on the ongoing labor strife in the American railroad industry, we decided it was time to bring in an expert to discuss the current state of organized
Repressing Workers With Busywork
Back in March 2020, millions of workers around the world abruptly learned that their jobs didn't always require their presence at a specific desk in a specific building at a specific set of times each and every week. After a bumpy start, many began to appreciate the flexibility, autonomy and, to varying degrees, empowerment this new approach to work afforded. Others decided it wasn't for
Let's Get Down(sized)!
“Everyone’s got a plan until they get punched in the mouth.” So says Mike Tyson, and so it is with layoffs. No one starts a new job expecting it to end with a pink-slip. Even when the grim employment reaper is seen milling about our own workplace, it’s easy to convince ourselves that he’s only harvesting other people’s jobs. And yet, almost half of us will be downsized at least once in our careers
Striking Back: Protecting Your Paycheck When Your Job Goes Off The Rails
Almost three years in, we think it's safe to conclude that history will view the 2020's as "an interesting time to be alive." But a silver lining of these turbulent times has been the widespread rethinking about how work should "work." The resulting push toward previously-unthinkable levels of flexibility, empowerment and compensation has met with some friction, howev
The Quiet Quitting Quagmire
By now you've probably heard about "quiet quitting," the latest workplace trend to blow the minds of journalists and social media posters alike. This stunning act of rebellion involves employees doing the work they are paid to do. Seriously. That's what quiet quitting is. It's neither quiet nor quitting, but it's a movement nonetheless. The hoopla, of course, is about
People Don't Want to Work (for you) Anymore!
We've all seen the signs and memes. We've heard the cranky scorn from talking heads, business owners, politicians and old men yelling at clouds. No one (except them) wants to work anymore! Everyone (except them) is lazy! In this episode, we challenge the ironically lazy thinking behind these claims and ask those who feel this way to consider an alternative explanation: maybe people just
Charlotte Lockhart and the 4-Day Week
You asked us to talk more about four-day work weeks, we did you one better. Join us for a discussion with Charlotte Lockhart, founder and managing director of the 4 Day Week Global Foundation! With operations in North America, Australia, New Zealand, the UK and Europe, Charlotte and her husband, Andrew Barnes (author of The 4 Day Week), are at the literal forefront of this movement. If you’ve ever
Expanding the Compressed Workweek
With all the changes brought about by Covid-19, you might not be surprised to hear about a huge uptick in research on the effects of shortened work weeks. You might be surprised to hear that this sudden burst of scholarly interest began - and ended - in the 1970s. What did our (presumably) bell-bottomed forebears learn about the pros and cons of ditching the traditional five-day workweek? Why did
Busy Signals
There is such a thing as "good" busyness - that baseline euphoria you feel when you're humming along, pummeling your to-do list like it owes you money. There's also such a thing as fake busyness - that absurd phenomenon where adults convene in an office and pretend to be doing important work stuff. Look over at your employees or coworkers. Which type of busyness do you see? Are
Time For Niksen (not that Nixon)
That's it! We're starting a church...Links to articles, episodes and topics discussed in this episode:0:30 - The U.S. tried permanent daylight saving time in the 1970s — then quickly rejected it2:10 - What Happened the Last Time the U.S. Tried to Make Daylight Saving Time Permanent?3:30 - The Nocturnals5:40 - Nixing Busyness with Niksen13:42 - We Put the Cult in Culture17:11 - Goldman Sa
WFH is Dead! Long Live WFH!
Every few months someone proclaims the death of this working-from-home silliness. Citing indisputably indisputable sources, they assure us that our long nightmare of comfort and efficiency is over. "Rejoice!" they tell us! All who toil in their comfy clothes under the scornful eye of their pet cat, "Buttons"...fear not! The commutes, cubicles, and in-person meetings that are th
Resigners' Regrets
Been a whole lot of quitting goin' on these past couple years. Early on we celebrated triumphant stories of the over-worked and under-appreciated declaring that enough was enough. These days we're hearing less inspiring tales, where reasonably content employees change jobs and find that the greener pasture they sought was actually an algae-covered swamp. Join us as we lean heavily on int
Calling Out Kardashian
Here at the Busyness Paradox, we share a deep and sincere commitment to not giving a rat's a** about the antics of the inexplicably famous. But we bear no ill will toward those who lean in to the meta-paradoxical wonderland of unearned success and fame derived from being famous. Except when the undisputed queen of this leisure class declares 51% of the population to be lazy dregs who "do
Optimal Busyness? Let's Ask An Expert
Excessive busyness is bad, especially when you don't have enough of it. Not gonna lie, even we at “The Busyness Paradox” didn’t see that busyness paradox coming. Two researchers in France did, however, and we’re joined by one of them! Dr. Ioana Lupu’s recently-published study shows how our relentless pursuit of “optimal busyness” - that euphoric, Goldilocks state of productivity that exists
Untangling the Paradox of The Busyness Paradox
As the Business Paradox returns from a quick break, we take a few minutes to answer your questions, take stock of the Business Paradox's first 15 months of existence, and reflect on the time we started a heated hoodie cult.Come visit us at busynessparadox.com to see episode transcripts, blog posts and other content while you’re there!
Billion-Dollar Bonus Beatdown: More Breaking News!
This just in: A guy asked for a billion-dollar bonus. Late-breaking reports (from last week) indicate that it went...poorly. As always, The Busyness Paradox is nowhere near the action, bringing you our on-the-spot analysis of this ballsy Bolivian billionaire's brash beatdown (fine, "Bolivian-American" but we had a good thing going with that alliteration).Mentioned in this "brea
Inflation and the Paradoxical Pay Raise
What’s a paradoxical pay raise? It’s the kind where you get a raise and earn less than you did before. “Impossible!” you say? Odds are good you’ll soon think differently. On the one hand, companies big and small are socking away money to dole out raises in 2022. On the other, inflation is licking its lips, ready to devour those raises and go back for seconds. Join us as we discuss strategies for n
Lead People, Manage Things: The Curt Tueffert Interview
Believe it or not, there was a time when having house cats interrupt work meetings was considered weird. Alas, we’ve been doing this pandemic thing for almost two years now and things have changed. We decided it was a good time to get a boots-on-the-ground perspective on just what those changes look like and how real-world companies have adapted. Join us as we discuss the new world of leadership,
The Year of Gettin' S**T Done
It’s time for one of our favorite new year’s traditions: blatantly ripping off another podcast’s new year’s tradition! Taking inspiration from the excellent Cortex show’s use of yearly themes, we take stock of our “Year of Structure” and look ahead to 2022’s theme. Join our discussion about how the “annual theme” approach can improve your work and non-work lives and let us know what wacky workplac
Broken Bones Break Logic In Breaking News
*****BREAKING NEWS!!!******Your (sort of) regularly scheduled episode of The Busyness Paradox has been postponed so that we can bring you coverage of a stunning development unfolding in Germany. Just moments ago, we learned that, 8 days ago, a German court single-handedly raised the bar for paradoxical workplace...stuff. In its landmark ruling, the Bundessozialgericht ruled that injuries sustained
When The Boss Burns Out
Many people experience job burnout at some point in their lives. When they do, it's often the boss that takes the blame. But what happens when the boss burns out? Companies have been learning the answer to that question the hard way since the pandemic started. While executives develop policies to meet employees' needs for safe and flexible work arrangements, the actual implementation of
The 15-Hour Workweek
Imagine a life where technological gains make us so productive that 15 hours a week constitutes a “full-time” job. The insane ramblings of two would-be men of leisure? Indeed. But also the prediction of a famous economist. No not the movie guy, the other one: John Maynard Keynes. According to his 1930 prediction, not only is such a reality possible, we’re about 20 years late in achieving it. Was K
Boring Job Burnout
Feeling overworked and dreaming of a new job with lots of downtime? One where marathon solitaire sessions fill the time between naps and happy hours? Careful what you wish for…making 10 hours of work fill a 40-hour week ain’t all it’s cracked up to be. If your employer is infected with the busyness bug, you’re likely to experience the delightfully paradoxical form of burnout that occurs when you’
Much Ado About WUSI
A while back, we published an episode called "Who You Callin' WUSI?" about the simple assessment we developed to measure employees' propensity to perceive abusive managerial behaviors where others do not. The show got way more interest than we anticipated, so naturally we've been looking for an excuse to revisit our beloved WUSI scale. So you can imagine our excitement whe
Twice The Work In Half The Hours: The Dual-Career Individual
Have you ever considered supplementing your full-time job with...another full-time job? Is it even possible to work two full-time jobs simultaneously? In this episode we learn that yes, yes it is. How? By leveraging the inefficiencies of the arbitrary 40-hour work week (ruthlessly exposed by the shift to remote work) and using the idle time of one full-time job to do another full-time job. Sound c
The Paranormal Paradox: Managing the Undead
In the spirit of Halloween, we reflect on how a failed attempt at finding a gas station in upstate Vermont led us to ponder the question: do ghosts affect the workplace? No really, hear us out. Even if YOU don't believe in ghosts, some of your employees probably do. So what do you do if your staff refuses to work third shift, clean that one hotel room, or serve that semi-translucent customer
Nixing Busywork With Niksen
You know those expressions like, "do more by doing less" and "work smarter not harder"? Bush league. In this episode we reveal the true secret to doing more: doing nothing. To much of the world, it's a bafflingly paradoxical truth. To the Dutch, it's simply called niksen.Articles and Books Mentioned in the Episode:Niksen: Why the Dutch concept of doing nothing is the
Fired By Artificial Intelligence (AI)
Remember that movie where George Clooney flew around the world firing people so their actual bosses didn't have to? We were all aghast that learn that companies could outsource such a thing. Then we pictured ourselves as absurdly handsome jet-setters with super-elite frequent flyer status and wondered where we could sign up. Sadly the golden age of fire-for-hire has passed us by. Suddenly we&
The Efficiency Paradox
In this episode we reflect on Oliver Burkeman’s recent column, Escaping the Efficiency Trap - And Finding Some Piece of Mind and the paradoxical reality that the relentless pursuit of efficiency in our jobs and lives often leads to chronic inefficiency. People, products and links mentioned in this episode:Coach Bobby Bowden dies at 91SisyphusEscaping the Efficiency Trap and Finding Some Peace of M
Take Some Time Off, You Slacker
In this episode, we discuss paid time off. While being paid to not work might seem like a paradoxical idea, we take it a step further and talk about why more paid time off can be a profitable move by employers. Historically, this view has not been as popular in the US as it is in the rest of the world, but are times changing? (Originally recorded April 2, 2021)Come visit us at busynessparadox.com
We’ve Got Cox!
In those heady days between the Covid vaccine roll-out and the Delta variant, a most unexpected paradox began to emerge. After a year of working from home and yearning for social interaction, millions of people got vaccinated and...stayed home. We had to call in reinforcements for this one, folks. David Cox, a Gallup-certified strengths coach, instructor, training specialist and former police offi
Perception, deception, or misconception?
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. So is your next performance evaluation. Everyone sees the world through their own perceptual lenses and we often form different perceptions of the same people, performance, and policies. Join us as we discuss strategies for managing these perceptions in the workplace - our own and those of the people we work with. Topics Discussed and Related Readings:1:15 - P
Shady Statistics and the Status Quo
A recent Forbes article titled, "Study shows people working from home are having sex, dating, taking naps and doing hustles on company time" (yes, that's the actual title) leads us to believe that either a) you all had a way more fun pandemic than we did or b) the article is a case study in bending statistics to fit your narrative. A decidedly pro-busywork narrative in this case. Jo
Take This Job and Shove It
It's April 2021. We've spend the past 15 months in a global pandemic. Unemployment rates are staggeringly high. What do you do? If you're like 4 million Americans, you quit your job!Please rate and subscribe/follow our podcast. Join the Busybody family and share your ideas or workplace experiences with us. If you have a topic you would like for us to cover, email us at input@busynes
Couch or Cubicle?
With Covid seemingly on the ropes, the world of work is poised to finally return to normal. Not everyone is thrilled about that. Some savor the end of makeshift home offices, Zoom meetings, and isolation from coworkers. Others dread the return of long commutes, office politics, and wearing pants. Many would like to see a hybrid blend of on-site and remote work become the new normal. What's an
Who You Callin' WUSI?
An employee accuses you of being an abusive boss. Their proof? They THINK you’re an abusive boss. Research has led many states to pass laws intended to protect employees from abusive supervisors. Sounds good, right? But who determines the difference between legitimate reprimands, constructive criticism and abuse? In this episode we discuss our largely ignored (until recently) attempt to remove som
Show Crap Jobs Some Love
We Americans tend to look down on jobs that perform essential services while heaping praise on any gig that involves an office and a desk. We Americans can't figure out why restaurants, hotels and retail establishments can't fill their rosters at a time of high unemployment. Perhaps one paradox explains the other?If the list below is not formatted properly in your podcast app, click here
We Put the Cult in Culture
Do you work for a company or a cult? The idea is simple: attract energetic, young college graduates with the promise of fulfilling their wildest dreams and desires. Grown-up playgrounds for offices. Free food! The opportunity to change the world while playing beer-pong! Kind of low pay. Heaps of reassuring praise. Very long hours. Office keg parties: that are mandatory! Brilliant managers! Whose w
Technology and Productivity: An Insider's Perspective
Task lists, calendars, passwords, email, webcams...have they made your job more efficient or have they BECOME your job?In this episode, Stephen Robles from Apple Insider joins us to discuss strategies for using our digital devices as the productivity tools they're meant to be. Tune in to hear his expert advice on apps, books, project management strategies, workplace communication, an ingeniou
Frank & Paul Get Schooled
Frank and Paul have a special guest on this episode. Dr. Bento Lobo, department head of the Finance and Economics department and First Tennessee Bank Distinguished Professor of Finance, shares his input on our Masters of Busyness Administration episode. After our interview with Dr. Lobo, we discuss the widespread problem of financial illiteracy and steps we should all be taking to protect the mone
The Four-Day Work Week
Five days on, two days off. Repeat. But why? Please rate and subscribe/follow our podcast. Join the Busybody family and share your ideas or workplace experiences with us. If you have a topic you would like for us to cover, email us at input@busynessparadox.com or tweet us @busynessparadox. Come visit us at busynessparadox.com to see episode transcripts, blog posts and other content while you’re t
The Email Paradox: Inefficient Efficiency (Part 2)
Email is one of the most efficient forms of communication ever created. Email is almost universally viewed as a threat to efficiency, on and off the job. How can both of these statements be true? By being the most paradoxical paradox we've tackled yet, that's how!In the first part of this two-part episode, we discussed the challenges associated with email overload and the annoying truth
The Email Paradox: Inefficient Efficiency (Part 1)
Email is one of the most efficient forms of communication ever created. Email is almost universally viewed as a threat to efficiency, on and off the job. How can both of these statements be true? By being the most paradoxical paradox we've tackled yet, that's how!In the first part of this two-part episode, we discuss the challenges associated with email overload and the annoying truth th
BS Jobs
Bologna Sandwich maker? Barber Shop singer? Nah, not those BS jobs. In this episode we dive into what the late David Graeber defined as jobs that are "so completely pointless, unnecessary, or pernicious that even the employee cannot justify its existence [but] feels obliged to pretend that this is not the case."If your job that fits that description, you're not alone. Some say the g
Margin of Error: When Good Polling Goes Bad
What happens when you ask the wrong questions? You get the wrong answers. Then you make the wrong decisions. Then you look silly. Whether you’re a pollster predicting elections or a manager deciding who to hire, judgement calls like these are only as good as the data they’re based on. But how do you know if you’re asking the wrong questions? Do you know if your employees are telling you the truth
Chasing Productivity & Creativity in WFH
JPMorgan Chase has observed reduced productivity and creativity among employees working from home (WFH). CEO Jamie Dimon notes that younger employees are disproportionally affected, particularly on Mondays and Fridays. This leads us to question how productivity is measured at companies like JP Morgan: are they measuring output or are they measuring busyness?In this episode we unpack Dimon's c
MBA: Masters of Busyness Administration?
Elon Musk bemoans the modern corporation's obsession with busywork. We bemoan the modern corporation's obsession with busywork. Elon Musk blames the over MBA-ification of the business world for this obsession. We teach MBA students. We attempt to untangle this paradox, discuss the current state of MBA programs and answer the question on the minds of many listeners: is an MBA a good choic
Are You Too Good at Your Job?
Are you the “go to” person for help with some tasks at work? The one everyone hunts for when they need help dealing with a tough customer, setting up a spreadsheet, or navigating the ever-changing inventory management system? Does it sometimes drive you nuts? In this episode, we explore being “too good” at some aspect of your job and strategies for turning this mixed blessing into less of a time-d
Busyness and the 40 hour work week
Ask anyone at work how busy they are and you’ll probably hear some variant of “super busy!” You’ve probably said it yourself. Does that mean the standard 40-hour work week isn’t long enough? Or are we really as busy as we say we are?Like George Costanza’s tactic of acting annoyed in order to appear overwhelmed with work, acting “busy” is an impression management tactic and a mindset that many of u
Introduction to the Busyness Paradox
This episode introduces you to what The Busyness Paradox podcast is all about. We focus on business topics, especially relating to people in the workplace. We converse about current events that impact organizations. We also introduce ourselves, the hosts of this podcast, Frank Butler and Paul Harvey. We are 2 management professors who just enjoy talking about how businesses can do and be better. O
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