Many of us have (unfortunately) been there: You’re encouraged to take time off from work, but when you do, your boss looks down on you for not going the extra mile.
It’s called “the detachment paradox,” and it’s the enemy of work-life balance.
University of Southern California researchers recently presented nearly 8k participants with hypothetical scenarios designed to gauge an employee’s commitment to their job, per Axios:
So it’s good for literally everyone when workers take time off!
Those same participants consistently determined that the workers taking time off deserved fewer promotions, which gives us the “detachment paradox.”
The researchers suggest having managers evaluate workers based on their actual performance, which makes a lot of sense.
Of course, Axios notes that the study didn’t look at the pressure that managers might be under, which we’re all obviously deeply concerned about… right?