00:00Okay, gather around, everyone. I've got a new term to teach you, and this one you might actually use.
00:06Unlike Riz or Skibbity, it's something you or someone you know has probably done at work called clock botching.
00:16Come on, Stanley, put your little game down and join the group.
00:20No.
00:21Stanley, we're having a little brainstorm session.
00:25Did I stutter?
00:26Stanley from the office is the poster child for clock botching, when an employee is physically present but mentally checked out.
00:34Experts say it's not laziness, it's quiet withdrawal, a sign of burnout or disillusionment when people show up but are no longer truly engaged.
00:44So how did we get here? Many blame Gen Z.
00:47Guy Thornton, founder of an employee testing service, tells Inc. Magazine it stems from work environments that reward visibility over output.
00:56Mental factors also play a role, with 66% of Americans reporting burnout, according to e-learning site Moodle.
01:04All this is happening while countries around the world are testing shorter work weeks to combat stress.
01:09Several pilots launched in recent years, including in the U.S., but the most recent spotlights are on South Korea and the Netherlands.
01:17South Korea's new president campaigned for a four-and-a-half-day work week.
01:22While widespread change hasn't happened yet, some places are trying it.
01:27One hospital found turnover fell from 19.5% to 7% for nurses with less than three years' experience, and average sick leave also dropped.
01:36And in the Netherlands, Eurostat data shows Dutch workers aged 20 to 64 averaged just 32.1 hours a week, the shortest work week in Europe.
01:47In comparison, Americans worked an average of 42.9 hours per week in 2024, according to Gallup.
01:53Studies suggest a four-day work week could lower stress and improve health, though some worry it could hurt companies due to competition.
02:02But clock-botching is already costing companies, a term born from mental overload that leaves teams scrambling to pick up the slack and deadlines at risk.
02:11With Stray Arrow News, I'm Kennedy Felton.
02:13Download our app or visit san.com for more.
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