Work Well Feel Well

Efficiency and caring at work – an awareness-raising campaign

Theme 10: Excessively high standards to the detriment of efficiency

As you may have read in the Bulletin, part 10 of the Work Well Feel Well series looks at striking a balance between excellence and efficiency.

 

When excessively high standards hold us back

Setting high standards can help us perform well, but when those standards become excessive, they can lead to stress, procrastination, and even burnout. Perfectionists often feel torn between meeting deadlines and meeting their own ideal of “acceptable” work, which can create constant internal pressure.

Recognising that perfection is unrealistic allows us to shift our focus to what’s truly needed. Discussing expectations with colleagues and our hierarchy helps clarify the level of quality required and avoid misdirected effort.

By learning to adjust our standards depending on the task, we can work more efficiently, prioritise impact, and maintain our well-being – while still doing good, meaningful work.

Gain more awareness on satisfaction standards and the benefit of adjusting them through the following exercises:

  • exercise 1: being excellent to the level of 70%
  • exercise 2: satisfaction index.

Here are some other resources that you may find helpful:

  • the recording of the 2023 CERN Microtalk “Excellenceism vs. Perfectionism” advocates that we should strive for excellence instead of unhealthy perfection.

  • the CERN training catalogue offers several relevant courses including “Balancing Performance and Pressure”.

The campaign, Efficiency and caring at work, designed by psychologist and specialist in burnout prevention, Catherine Vasey, invites you to explore the topic from different angles, deepen your knowledge, share your experiences and complete exercises made available on this website. We encourage you to take an active part in the campaign and the quest for a better quality of life at work.

Keen to learn more? Read about the Work Well Feel Well project, have a look at the useful resources and watch the micro-talk recording on burnout.