Less is More. Except When You Mean ‘Fewer’

Firgas Esack - 16 Sep 18

Does anyone else mentally correct the supermarket aisle signs that read ‘Five Items or Less’?

Not just me then? Phew. Good.

‘Less’, as we learned in school, is not quantifiable (and therefore might refer to obedience, honesty or post-disco kissing time if your mate takes ages to get changed), whereas ‘fewer’ is numerical. It is quantifiable. It can be used to measure spoonfuls of sugar, or shoes and handbags. Or, you know. Groceries.

As part of The Hoxby Collective and therefore an advocate of flexible working, I often find myself talking about working fewer hours. But a flexible workforce doesn’t work less. As we know, time spent commuting on sweaty trains or waiting for reports to be filed is not productive. Agile working yields the same – if not more productive – output, if positioned properly and within a receptive environment. Fewer hours equates to more brilliant, inciteful, wonderful ideas; because a meritocratic workplace challenges you to push yourself harder, yet more effectively.

But in many ways working flexibly does mean working less, in the unquantifiable parlance. We surrender our interest in office politics, we give up the hassle of shopping for smart-casual attire. We stop worrying about what anybody else thinks about what we brought for lunch.

Working flexibly – in my case – means seeing my kids or walking my dogs. Going for a run or a swim. Breathing. Watering the basil plants. Generally, not being in an office. Then smashing the heck out of my job, exponentially. Because I want to.

When food activist and all-round ledge Jack Monroe fronted an ad campaign for Sainsbury’s back in 2013 she said she felt true to the cause as it was her local store. I wonder what she makes of their ‘Live Well For Less’ slogan. Personally, I have always felt that we should be embracing life and living it ‘For More’.

I comprehend Sainsbury’s positioning – and semantically ‘Buy Adequate Groceries Reasonably Economically’ doesn’t scan snappily – but living well is surely about embracing the unquantifiable; unquantifiably (as Jack Monroe amply does – even when making 35p salmon pasta!). Love each other unconditionally, explore inquisitively, challenge constantly – and then sleep in tranquility (even when one of the kids crawls under the duvet).

Interestingly, I read last week that Jack has taken the bold stance to advocate her own preferred advertising partners, which has resulted in very opulent brands connecting with her, as they appreciated her outspoken and unquantifiable passion and honesty (which – no doubt – blew their own Influencer metrics out of the window).

As a pre-teenager, I remember reading Milan Kundera’s ‘Unbearable Lightness of Being’ (not through intellectual prowess, but because Madonna namechecked it as a favourite read in an interview in Smash Hits!) The synopsis (if you’re not familiar) is loosely this: weighty, oppressive things give us a sense of purpose and value, flighty things do not. I love the book to this day but would argue the premise with anyone who has spent an afternoon with a giggling four-year-old, home-made lemonade, and a kite.

Successful flexible working – to me – is simple. Work the hours you prefer but throw a few extra or discard a few from the ‘basket’ as you see fit if the end result is delivering better work. Being valued should not be about counting hours. It is unquantifiable.

Firgas Esack

I am a publicist working as part The Hoxby Collective. I have three sons, three dogs and I prefer my Martinis stirred, not shaken.

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