READ THIS

“Overload arises because firms ask more and more of fewer and fewer employees,” writes Erin Kelly, Sloan Distinguished Professor of Work and Organization Studies at MIT, and Phyllis Moen, who holds the University of Minnesota's Mcknight Presidential Chair in Sociology. Overload: How Good Jobs Went Bad and What We Can Do About It, due out mid-march, shows that this not only affects workers but also harms organizational performance through burnout, turnover and reduced quality, creativity and collaboration. Basing their conclusions on pilot studies with a large U.S. company, the pair recommend that employers focus on results rather than time, allowing staff to decide when, where and how to work. Princeton University Press 328 pages, hardcover, US$29.95 •