We could all benefit from a little boost in motivation once in a while, but well-intentioned efforts don’t always have the desired effect. That’s what one CEO recently learned after he emailed his employees a quote in an attempt to increase their productivity.

One woman couldn’t resist breaking down exactly why she disagrees with his message, so below, you’ll find a post that she shared on the Anti-work subreddit detailing the entire exchange, as well as a conversation with the employee herself.

When utilized perfectly, a good motivational quote can go a long way

Image credits: The Coach Space (not the actual photo)

But after one CEO shared a message that this woman disagreed with, she was quick to explain exactly why the quote lacks nuance

Image credits: Yuliana Kungurova (not the actual photo)

Image source: rosie-bee-23

Later, the employee responded to comments and provided more info on the situation

Just because everyone has the same amount of time does not mean we all get to choose exactly how we spend it

Image credits: PNW Production (not the actual photo)

We reached out to the employee who shared this story on Reddit in the first place, Rosie-bee-23, and she was kind enough to have a chat with us. First, she made it clear that she does not hold this email against her CEO. “He really is a good guy and has, so far, changed this place for the better,” she told Bored Panda. “I think he has a lot on his plate and probably read the email, but didn’t understand it in the way it was meant to be understood. As far as I know, there have never been any other issues with him between me or any other employees, and when he first got here, he took the time to spend a day or two in each department, learning about what they do.”

We also asked Rosie-bee-23 why she thinks it’s important to have conversations like this. “These celebrities and the people that are using this quote to motivate people are looked up to, but have life so easy compared to everyone else,” she shared. “I mentioned the Kardashians in my email because I distinctly remember someone using the quote with their names instead, and thinking about how dumb that is because they have family money and are rich enough to hire cooks, cleaners, babysitters, etc. to take care of most everything for them.”

We also asked if she thinks there is anything her CEO could do to give employees’ more time in their days. “When he first started, he did state that he was attempting to give us 4 day work weeks, but that hasn’t come back up since,” Rosie-bee-23 told Bored Panda. “A lot of the jobs here could easily be done from home, which was proven during COVID, but a lot of the people here are older generations and believe in community and that working together physically is better for morale.”

“If I had the extra time in my week, I would probably just end up doing chores more stress free, hanging out with my friends, actually trying out new hobbies, and focusing on school more,” the employee went on to share. “I’m still young, and I have a lot on my plate right now, so making the most of my time is really important to me.”

Someone with disposable income will have more resources and opportunities to pursue hobbies than the average person

Technically, we do all have the same 24 hours per day, however it is naïve to assume that we all have the same amount of responsibilities during that time. While this employee acknowledges that her CEO was well-intentioned with this email, he likely does not understand where his workers are coming from and the lifestyles that they lead. While we all know money can’t buy us happiness per se, it can buy us resources and free time, and according to a study on time use and happiness, having “active free time” does make a person happier. This study examined a group of Dutch millionaires and a group of Dutch citizens with an average level of wealth and analyzed their happiness levels compared to how they tend to spend their time. The millionaires tended to spend their free time on active leisure activities, such as playing sports, pursuing hobbies and doing volunteer work, while the less affluent group was more likely to watch TV and scroll through social media.    

Unsurprisingly, the millionaires reported higher levels of satisfaction with their lives, and the more passively people tended to spend their leisure time, the less happy they were. But we cannot ignore the fact that money still plays a part in these results. Many hobbies and activities cost money that the average person may not have laying around. Taking pottery classes, paying for a gym membership, going golfing and painting all have fees associated with them, while hanging out at home might not cost a person any more than they’re already paying for Wi-Fi. Having disposable income allows a person to be more adventurous with how they spend their money, and if they didn’t have to return home after an 8-hour shift to clean their entire home, they might not be too exhausted to go play basketball with friends.

And we should not feel obligated to use every single minute of the day productively

Image credits: Andrea Piacquadio (not the actuqal photo)

Now, it’s not impossible for all of us to spend our time more wisely. Many of us could cut out social media or wake up an hour earlier to squeeze in that workout we “never have time for” or actually finish writing that book we’ve been working on for years. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the average American spends 2.5 hours a day watching TV, and most people in the US have 5 hours of free time per day. But we tend to always feel like we have no time at all, so why is that? Business psychologist Tony Crabbe says that one problem is our hyper-awareness of  time. We feel frantic and assume that we never have enough of it, so we lose the motivation to use what we do have. We also tend to attempt to multi-task too often, which can backfire. 

There’s no question that a single parent raising two children on an income just slightly over minimum wage will have more on her plate than a CEO who can easily delegate tasks out to others and afford to pay for a nanny, housekeeper and dinner at a restaurant. We should all aim to use our time as wisely as possible, but that doesn’t mean we need to be productive 24/7. Relaxing is important as well, and we should never feel guilty about not changing the world in the same ways Leonardo Da Vinci and Mother Teresa did. Most of us are slaving away at desk jobs for 8 hours, after all. We would love to hear your thoughts on this post in the comments below, pandas. Do you agree with this CEO’s point? And if you’re interested in checking out another Bored Panda article featuring the Anti-work subreddit, look no further than right here.   

Many readers applauded the employee for speaking up, though some were concerned she might face retaliation

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