Work-Life Balance
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- 10 Aug 2020
- Research & Ideas
COVID's Surprising Toll on Careers of Women Scientists
Women scientists and those with young children are paying a steep career price in the pandemic, according to new research by Karim Lakhani, Kyle Myers, and colleagues. Open for comment; Comment(s) posted.
- 12 Jul 2020
- Book
The Harvard Business School Faculty Summer Reader
Harvard Business School faculty are both voracious book readers and frequent book authors. Here is what they are reading this summer, and what they have written over the last year. Open for comment; Comment(s) posted.
- 02 Apr 2019
- Research Event
Women Pay a Higher Career Price in Today's Always-On Work Culture
In industries that prize overwork, both men and women pay the price of missed time with family. But the career damage is more severe for women, says Robin Ely. Open for comment; Comment(s) posted.
- 18 Mar 2019
- Research & Ideas
Stuck in Commuter Hell? You Can Still Be Productive
Commuters who listen to music or browse social media might be increasing their chance of a stressful workday. Research by Francesca Gino and colleagues offers better ways to cope with a bad commute. Open for comment; Comment(s) posted.
- 16 Jul 2018
- Research & Ideas
Kids of Working Moms Grow into Happy Adults
In earlier research, Kathleen McGinn and colleagues discovered that adult kids of working moms are high achievers at work. Now it turns out they are happy, too. Open for comment; Comment(s) posted.
- 20 Feb 2017
- Research & Ideas
Having No Life is the New Aspirational Lifestyle
It used to be that we equated power and prestige with a leisurely, luxurious lifestyle. Today, lack of leisure time is the real status symbol. Anat Keinan discusses what that means for consumer marketing. Open for comment; Comment(s) posted.
- 22 Nov 2016
- Working Paper Summaries
Explaining the Persistence of Gender Inequality: The Work-Family Narrative as a Social Defense against the 24/7 Work Culture
A common explanation for women’s stalled advancement into high-level positions is that women’s family obligations conflict with the long hours of these jobs. Work-family accommodations have done little to help women advance, however. And men also experience work-family conflict yet nevertheless advance. This study argues that women’s advancement is slowed because of social defenses at the organizational level, along with wider cultural beliefs that are resistant to change. These findings concur with scholars’ observations that progress toward gender equality is slowed to the extent that efforts are focused exclusively on women. Expanding efforts to include a thorough-going reconsideration of gender at work and at home, such that both women and men can freely pursue lives in which one domain need not take precedence over the other, may be more effective.
- 02 Dec 2015
- What Do You Think?
What Will It Take to Achieve Gender Equality in Leadership?
SUMMING UP James Heskett's readers question the meaning of "gender equality" and ponder ways to give women access to the same management opportunities as men. Open for comment; Comment(s) posted.
- 08 Jul 2015
- What Do You Think?
Do Americans Work Too Much and Think About Work Too Little?
SUMMING UP The current debate on whether Americans work too much or too little has caused Jim Heskett's readers to wonder, is our way of thinking about work outmoded? What do YOU think? Closed for comment; 19 Comment(s) posted.
- 02 Jul 2015
- Working Paper Summaries
Mums the Word! Cross-national Effects of Maternal Employment on Gender Inequalities at Work and at Home
This study contributes to a growing body of research that explores the effects of maternal employment on their children's well-being. Female respondents raised by a mother who worked outside the home are more likely to be employed, more likely to hold supervisory responsibility if employed, work more hours, and earn higher hourly wages than women whose mothers were home full time. Sons raised by an employed mother spend more time caring for family members than men whose mothers stayed home full time, and daughters raised by an employed mother spend less time on housework than women whose mothers stayed home full time. Results overall show the power of non-traditional gender role models, especially employed mothers, as critical factors for reducing gender inequality in labor markets and households across the globe. Closed for comment; 0 Comment(s) posted.
- 15 May 2015
- Research & Ideas
Kids Benefit From Having a Working Mom
Women whose moms worked outside the home are more likely to have jobs themselves, are more likely to hold supervisory responsibility at those jobs, and earn higher wages than women whose mothers stayed home full time, according to research by Kathleen McGinn and colleagues. Open for comment; 33 Comment(s) posted.
- 24 Apr 2013
- Research & Ideas
Who Sets Your Benchmarks?
In his new book, What You're Really Meant to Do, Robert Steven Kaplan outlines a step-by-step approach to defining success on your own terms. Closed for comment; 9 Comment(s) posted.
- 11 Mar 2013
- Research & Ideas
Marissa Mayer Should Bridge Distance Gap with Remote Workers
Marissa Mayer's decision to bring work-at-home Yahoo! employees back to the office has set off a firestorm. Lakshmi Ramarajan writes on how to mitigate the problem. Closed for comment; 13 Comment(s) posted.
- 19 Dec 2012
- Research & Ideas
How to be Extremely Productive
Professor Robert Pozen discusses his new book, Extreme Productivity: Boost Your Results, Reduce Your Hours, in which he shares performance-enhancing tips on everything from better sleep on overnight business flights to dealing with employees' mistakes. From the HBS Alumni Bulletin. Closed for comment; 12 Comment(s) posted.
- 06 Jun 2012
- What Do You Think?
Is Something Wrong with the Way We Work?
Summing Up Who is to blame for our pressure-packed 24/7 work culture? Technology? Globalization? Increasingly demanding customers? Jim Heskett's readers say it's best to first look in the mirror. Closed for comment; 41 Comment(s) posted.
- 04 Jun 2012
- Research & Ideas
The Business of Life
Scholarly economic theory applies to more than just business. The same causal mechanisms that drive big corporations to success can be just as effective in driving our personal lives, says Professor Clayton M. Christensen. Closed for comment; 9 Comment(s) posted.
- 14 May 2012
- Research & Ideas
Breaking the Smartphone Addiction
In her new book, Sleeping With Your Smartphone, Leslie Perlow explains how high-powered consultants disconnected from their mobile devices for a few hours every week—and how they became more productive as a result. Such "predictable time off" might help phone-addled employees better control their workdays and lives. Closed for comment; 33 Comment(s) posted.
- 13 Oct 2011
- Lessons from the Classroom
Building a Business in the Context of a Life
Careers rarely run on a track from Point A to Point B—life experiences often change our goals. At Harvard Business School, Senior Lecturer Janet J. Kraus teaches students to take a life plan as seriously as they would a business plan. Key concepts include: Students and practitioners must evaluate what's important to them both personally and professionally and create a "life plan" for getting where they want to go. Students reflect on experiences and explore visions for where they see their lives going, taking into account not only career ideas but also family life, hobbies, community, spirituality, and other interests. The ideal is for students to find their "flow"—experiencing such enjoyment from an activity that they feel time, space and friction melt away. Open for comment; 13 Comment(s) posted.
- 28 Jul 2011
- Working Paper Summaries
The Three Foundations of a Great Life, Great Leadership, and a Great Organization
This is the commencement speech that HBS professor Michael Jensen delivered to the 2011 graduates of the McDonough School of Business at Georgetown University. Drawing from his own experiences, he discusses the three foundations of a great personal life, great leadership, and a great organization. Those three foundations are integrity, authenticity, and being committed to something bigger than oneself. Key concepts include: As integrity declines, workability declines. As workability declines, value (or more generally, the opportunity for performance) declines. The actionable pathway to authenticity is to be authentic about your inauthenticities. Being committed to something bigger than oneself is the source of both personal and corporate passion and energy. Closed for comment; 0 Comment(s) posted.
You're Right! You Are Working Longer and Attending More Meetings
A study of 3 million people confirms what many work-from-home employees already know: We're swamped. Research by Raffaella Sadun, Jeffrey Polzer, and colleagues. Open for comment; Comment(s) posted.