We keep asking
managers to do more with less.
They deserve better.
So we invented an approach to managing time and priorities called The Do Less Manager. Here’s what that means.
Being a manager feels like a punishing second job
We know that managers are the biggest factor in employee engagement, experience, and retention.
We know the best managers build elite teams that perform better and have greater physical and mental well-being.
And, we know that managers don’t get the support that they need. They’re leading larger teams, receiving less training, and being laid off in record numbers. Right now, managers are suffering extreme levels of burnout and leaving the workforce or going back to individual contributor roles.
Something needs to change.
More of the same won’t help
Most HR leaders will invest in training in the next year, even though skills development alone doesn’t work or scale.
And, the exact systems and frameworks that HR puts in place to improve workplace conditions — performance plans, performance ratings, old-fashioned trainings, OKRs — add piles of check-a-box busy work to managers’ already overloaded schedules.
Legacy HR software makes the problem worse, not better, by assuming those piles of paperwork have to exist and building workflows around them. They’re incorporating AI to do all the same things, just faster. Many HR leaders want to find a better way, but they’re also burdened with old technologies and lack of executive support.
But corporate HR and managers have a lot in common. They’re both under-resourced. They’re both sandwiched between teams and leaders that expect the world of them. HR wants managers to be better, and managers want that, too.
Why can’t we all get what we want?
We’re obsessed with using AI to let managers focus
It’s about time we used technology to evolve our relationship with work. Not just to squeeze more out of people for the company’s benefit and “do more with less”. Textio is building AI that reduces manager workloads and improves focus, motivation, and wellbeing.
Everyone wins when managers have the tools they need.
The Do Less Manager Memo
Here’s what we believe about how work should be. While legacy HR platforms build more administrative overhead into existing systems, Textio has a fresh point of view informed by People and DEIB experts, language science, and years’ of experience. These are the principles we’re building our products on.
More isn’t always better (it’s often worse)
Lots of software promises to help you work faster, automate process, write more words. But we know how that ends. Did Slack and Teams replace email? No. Now we have more inboxes, more unread alerts, more of that drowning feeling. Unlike other AI, Textio lets you write better and read less.
Impact over activity
When you optimize your time for impact, it puts the most important activities into focus. Have you ever stayed late in the office just to look busy? That’s not cool. You’ll never get those hours back. Nobody wins. Any time you can do less and get better results, you should.
Teams are magic
A manager’s whole job is to defy the laws of physics and make 1+1 add up to 3 by building a team with the right blend of skills, perspectives, and potential to reinforce each other’s weaknesses and amplify each other’s strengths. When you’re part of a great team, you can each do less and collectively deliver more.
Team performance is business performance
Performance management is broken. Writing a long personal essay for each employee on your team is subjective, prone to bias, and a giant waste of time. Anytime feedback seems like a great idea, but most people end up skipping it. When something this important isn't working you don't ignore it, you fix it.
Make it easy
Platforms like Workday, SuccessFactors, and Oracle are built around legacy process and workflow, so they don’t have to be easy or enjoyable to use. No surprise, they’re not. Textio is designed from the ground up to be easy and fun and helpful, so managers actually want to use it.
Learn while you work
What if you had an always-on plan to hone skills, practice, and get stronger at work? Real-time guidance puts those lessons into practice in the exact moment they’re useful. Improve yourself all the time, just like pro athletes train and practice, without taking extra time out of your day for a lousy training.
Your data isn’t ours
We’re building software, not spyware. The more you share with Textio AI, the smarter it gets—but you’re in control. The software always masks your personal information by default, and you decide how much to share with it to personalize your results.
AI for outcomes
That ✨ icon is next to meaningless. It’s getting slapped onto everything from chatbots to simple summaries. Textio’s vertical AI trains with real-world outcomes, so it’s prepared to guide you through real-world scenarios: recruiting diverse talent, giving tough feedback, and more. Always relevant, personal, and safe.
Joy matters
Some work fills your cup, and other work drains your soul. What if you could fill your weeks with the funnest, most satisfying version of your job? Find out what gives you and your teammates energy, re-balance the joyful work on everyone’s plate. You’ll have more energy to give when you do less of what drains you.
We’re making Do Less happen.
Join the movement, and be first in line for our new product.