Just Let Me Do My Job!

Woman analyzing data

Source: Kaspars Grinvalds / Shutterstock

“I thought you said you weren’t working this weekend!” my husband said as he stood with a look of mild annoyance in the doorway of my home office on a Saturday afternoon.

“I’m not; I’m analyzing data,” I replied. He paused… “Are you getting paid for it?”

“Yes.”

“Then you’re working!” he retorted.

But it didn’t feel like work. Analyzing employee survey data is relaxing for me. It’s like quietly working a puzzle; it puts me in a state of flow. Csikszentmihalyi coined the term “flow state” to describe the experience someone is having when they are fully immersed, focused, and enjoying what they are doing (Csikszentmihalyi, 1990).

In fact, years ago, as a new professor, I was so “in the flow” of analyzing a new survey dataset that I completely forgot to go to class and give my students their final exam. (Yet another case of an annoyed face looking at me from my office door.)

Like many people, I enjoy what I do, and I believe that, for the most part, I do it pretty well.

So imagine being a highly productive employee and suddenly having most of your work resources taken away from you by your own organization… while simultaneously being expected to perform at the same level you always have.

That’s crazy, right? We all think, “Give that employee what they need to do the job!”

And yet we’ve all heard the stories of workers being called back to the office and discovering that there aren’t enough desks available (Bond & McLaughlin, 2025)! How frustrating! While those are extreme, newsworthy examples, many employees face a number of friction points causing frustration and preventing them from working most effectively.

Research shows, without a doubt, that people want to work! People prefer productive, purposeful activity over inactivity, so much so that people would rather harm themselves than be bored (Wilson, et al., 2014; Wu et al., 2022). Why?

Our work enables us to use our natural skills and abilities to make a difference, thus providing a sense of competence, confidence, and fulfillment. And decades of research provide ample evidence that employees whose work is meaningful to them have greater life satisfaction and higher levels of well-being (Steger et al., 2009). They are also more engaged (Albrecht et al, 2021), which, as we know, is quite beneficial to their company and its shareholders (Shuck & Rose, 2013)!

In Daniel Pink’s book Drive: The Surprising Truth about What Motivates Us (2009), he argues convincingly that humans are motivated not by paychecks and external rewards but by autonomy, mastery and purpose: autonomy to have some control over how we work, mastery to grow our skills and develop competence and expertise, and purpose to contribute to something significant beyond ourselves.

We want to work, to contribute, and to use and develop our skills!

In our effort to work, however, employees are becoming less and less tolerant of friction. A recent global study of over 700 employees and leaders across three continents reported that close to half believed that they have more friction than they have in the past; 68% reported that this friction hampers their productivity and customer service, and 37% reported that it made them consider quitting or at least taking time off (Thomas, 2023). The key recommendation was for organizations to identify and eliminate friction points that are preventing employees from doing their jobs with ease.

Friction leaves employees frustrated. Frustration is an emotional response that occurs when we are blocked from achieving a goal. Although it is generally a psychological response, we often experience it physically, too. For me, it’s a tightening in my chest.

What friction points are frustrating employees?

• Not having access to the space, resources and tools necessary to do their jobs.
• Rules and “mandates” that may make sense for some employees but not for them.
• “Red tape,” layers of regulations or approvals that slow down their progress and get in the way of their productivity.
• Being required to travel into an office, deal with a commute and parking, to find that the office is lacking the space, resources, technology, and tools that their home office already has.
• Micromanagement. Employees were hired to do a job for the skills and experience that they have. They should be encouraged tap into their expertise and creativity in order to do their best work without having a supervisor looking over their shoulder critiquing ever move. Otherwise, they may say, “If you know how to do my job better than I do, then you do it.”
• Any unnecessary friction that prevents their workday from running smoothly and them from feeling effective. This could be from a traffic jam, trouble finding a parking spot at work, or the challenge of finding a desk at the office, etc.

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In fact, workplace strategists and interior designers at Gresham Smith in Nashville, Tennessee, are making reducing friction an important requirement of their office designs. Lizzie Gerock says friction-reducing strategies include consideration of lighting, acoustics, and ergonomics to reduce discomfort; creating zoned environments (i.e., spaces designed specifically for the type of work required—be it focus, collaboration, socializing) so that employees may choose the best space for their task; integrating technology into the office ensuring employees have the audio-visual equipment they need in every workspace; and smart wayfinding technology so employees can navigate spaces and schedules seamlessly.

According to Gerock, reducing friction starts with empowering employees: “It’s about equipping people with the tools and flexibility to work when and where they’re most effective, while also designing a workplace environment that naturally reinforces the culture and desired work patterns of an organization.”

Workplace designers get it. It’s time for all business leaders to get it, too…

Employees want the freedom and autonomy to do their best work, to develop their skills for a purpose they believe in. And they want to do it free of friction and frustration. So, how about we let them? Lest we find another annoyed face in our office doorway.