What can I do at work to help someone when the usual advice never seems to work for them?

Short answer

Generic productivity advice can miss the actual barrier.

What this can look like

Advice such as “be more organised” can add pressure when the real issue is unclear ownership, too many tools or too little time.

Why it can happen

Ask what the advice was supposed to solve and whether it changed the work. If it did not, treat that as information about the system rather than failure to comply.

What might help

Ask what is getting in the way of the specific work. Change one concrete condition, then review whether it helped.

What the research helps explain

A broad work pattern can be shaped by task demands, health, stress, recovery, environment and support. Public information can help leaders improve conditions and have better conversations; it cannot decide what label, if any, applies to a staff member.

What can vary

Do not diagnose, compare suffering, demand private information or assume that visible output tells you the full cost. New, severe or concerning changes may need appropriate professional advice.

For this situation

For you, test one work-design change and review the result together.

More info and original sources

Poko summarises the relevance of public original sources and links out for anyone who wants to read more.

• About psychosocial hazards — Australian guidance on identifying and managing work conditions that can create psychosocial harm.
• Executive Functions — Explains attention, working memory and flexibility as distinct, context-sensitive processes.