{"id":65076,"date":"2025-06-23T00:02:16","date_gmt":"2025-06-23T05:02:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/trainingmag.com\/?p=65076"},"modified":"2025-06-19T15:30:39","modified_gmt":"2025-06-19T20:30:39","slug":"can-there-be-too-much-comfort-at-work","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/trainingmag.com\/can-there-be-too-much-comfort-at-work\/","title":{"rendered":"Can There Be Too Much Comfort at Work?"},"content":{"rendered":"

I\u2019m a creature who loves her comforts. I structure my life mostly to avoid discomfort. I\u2019m a master of avoidance. These are not qualities to be proud of necessarily. However, I\u2019m able to be honest that this is who I am.<\/p>\n

Life as a discomfort-avoidant person can be problematic in the workplace. The main problem is that work by nature often is uncomfortable and unpleasant. As I always say, if a particular kind of work were incredibly fun, people would pay for the privilege of doing that work, rather than being paid for doing it. It\u2019s a safe bet that if an activity comes with compensation, it probably isn\u2019t that much fun.<\/p>\n

As my work life evolves with new discomforts added, or (frighteningly) potentially added, I remember what a high school math teacher told us about a study on how people do their best work. He said that research showed that people did their best work when they were slightly uncomfortable\u2014slightly chilled and slightly hungry. I don\u2019t know what this \u201cresearch\u201d was that he cited, but I did find possible evidence that too much comfort in the workplace could be counterproductive.<\/p>\n

Can a Workplace Feel Too Safe?<\/h2>\n

An article in Fortune<\/em> in 2023 by Jane Thier cited a study<\/a> by Liat Eldor and Michal Hodor of Tel Aviv University showing that feeling too psychologically safe in the workplace can inhibit job performance.<\/p>\n

Psychological safety in the report is defined in the research as \u201cshared belief that one is free to take interpersonal risks on a team\u2014such as asking for help or revealing mistakes\u2014without any resulting negative consequences.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhile \u2018moderately\u2019 psychologically safe workplaces are linked to better routine task performance, the study authors note, \u2018highly\u2019 psychologically safe workplaces are linked to decreased performance. In one analysis of 474 knowledge workers, they found that high levels of psychological safety were correlated with better performance\u2014only up to a point, the 80th<\/sup> percentile. Beyond that, employee performance falters,\u201d Thier summarized in her article.<\/p>\n

Instead, the research recommends collective accountability in which everyone is held accountable for each of their actions.<\/p>\n

While managers should try their best to be respectful and sensitive to employees, they should not expect that they will never hurt anyone\u2019s feelings or upset anyone with feedback, the researchers contend. Employees must understand that there are consequences to the decisions they make related to their work\u2014even if the possibility of negative consequences makes them feel less psychologically safe.<\/p>\n

My takeaway from the research is a little stress and pressure is good if it keeps employees alert and on their toes.<\/p>\n

Is a \u201cHustle\u201d Culture Good?<\/h2>\n

In my own career, I have experienced the promotion of a \u201chustle\u201d culture in which a manager appeared to believe that a certain amount of scrambling was a good thing.<\/p>\n

For me, personally, this is hard to take. I consider hustling a form of discomfort, and so I have tried to reduce hustle from my life. I usually do tasks before they are due, and plan as far ahead as I can. I get anxious when those well-laid plans are messed with at the last minute.<\/p>\n

In some cases, my tendency for advance planning is a good thing, ensuring I meet all my deadlines. On the other hand, it can make me less nimble. What if new information or a new circumstance occurs that makes the plans I put in place no longer a great idea?<\/p>\n

In an organization, managers must find a balance between unnecessary hustle\u2014forcing employees to work at the last minute when doing so serves no purpose\u2014and productive hustle in which employees are asked to do a last-minute scramble for a good reason. That good reason in the industry I work in could be important, time-sensitive breaking news. In another industry it could be a rushed turnaround on a new product or technology update to accommodate a market need that suddenly appeared. The companies that are nimble enough to accommodate that new need are going to be the winners in the marketplace.<\/p>\n

Discomfort in the workplace, including \u201chustle,\u201d is useful and positive when it\u2019s judiciously employed. What you don\u2019t want is workplace personalities who appear to enjoy<\/em> bringing difficulty to their employees\u2019 and colleagues\u2019 lives. You want to be sure your workplace culture leaves no doubt that if employees are asked to endure discomfort, it\u2019s unavoidable and for a very good reason.<\/p>\n

How does your organization view the balance between comfort and discomfort, or ease and challenge, in the workplace?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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