You’ve already seen from our headline here that we’re rather boldly declaring that productivity in today’s workplace is ‘dead’. Hopefully we’ll explain what we mean by that and you might finish reading this article agreeing with us. At least in part, anyway. Perhaps we can compromise and agree that it’s on life support. We’ll see.
Before we all start looking in our wardrobes for suitable funeral attire, let’s think a little about the eulogy. What exactly are we sadly declaring has passed away? The answer is the traditional idea of workforce productivity. The somewhat simplistic notion of an employee or worker’s value being measured merely by the amount of goods or services they can produce in a specific period of time.
We live in an age of ever-advancing technology, where work is aided by software, apps, AI and other tools. We operate in an era where, because of remote, virtual work environments, even quite large-scale companies needn’t even have an HQ. Things have moved on since the old days where staff could understandably be considered – to some degree – as machines creating units for shop floor supervisors to count and factory owners to get rich from.
If you listen hard enough while you read this, you can just about hear the opening bars to Bob Dylan’s classic track, The Times They Are a-Changin’. Which is kind of ironic, given that Dylan’s recorded more than 40 studio albums so far in his career (talk about productivity, eh?).
We’re halfway through the third decade of the 21st century. We have to reassess how we measure the ‘worth’ of the people that make up the workforce that drives the economy.
Preoccupation with data and efficiencies can blur your vision
All too often, business leaders and department heads focus on the wrong areas. Specific task completion, for example. It makes a lot more sense for us all to be paying attention to things like the actual quality of work, creative solutions to issues, input into workplace culture improvement, the strengthening client/key stakeholder relationships and other, more subtle – but still valuable – contributions to the business.
It’s vital we stop getting bogged down and start looking up… and ahead.
Old school metrics are limited in a modern workplace
Consider the most basic form of work-based metrics for a second. Firstly, we’ve got time. It’s never been a hugely accurate measuring tool when it comes to end results, but if an employee is at work for, say, eight hours a day… that’s a good start. So we’ve got punch clocks or clock card machines. Like the one Fred Flintstone used to have to use each day at the quarry he worked at. At the time, Fred didn’t mind punching in (it was the poor dinosaur who had to bite down on the slate each time that we felt sorry for).
Then we can broaden things out a little and think of tools which log tasks completed. They’re fine for rigidly recording standardised tasks or output. Let’s be honest, though, outside of a factory or warehouse, they’re not overly useful.
True productivity is about overall, long-term outcomes. The trouble is, outcomes can be nebulous. They can be intangible. They can be untrackable. And that’s bad news for tracking tools. So maybe it’s time to leave them and what they represent with Fred and his colleagues back in The Stone Age.
Beware (some) productivity management tools
Don’t get us wrong, lots of companies like to use some form of productivity management tool. If it works for them – and doesn’t cause tension in the workforce – great.
Software, apps and websites that help people work smarter and be more organised and collaborative can be very useful. Vital, even. So if you use Trello, Slack, Asana or whatever it is – great. Just be careful not to equate digital presence with ‘productivity’ or output.
The very second you install employee monitoring software on your employee’s computers, you open yourself up to a world of potential suspicion and motivational issues. If you’re considering such a move, bear in mind just how chafing it might be for those being surveilled. And if you go through with the installation, be prepared for some potentially lethal backfire.
Productivity preoccupation can lead to workforce atomisation
Focusing on individuals’ chartable performance or productivity can mean losing sight of valuable work that’s put into collaborative team projects. It’s tricky to put a numerical value on collaboration, improvement of overall teamwork and colleague relationship building. So why try?
Just because you can’t track these things, that doesn’t mean they’re not hugely valuable. The irony being that tracking metrics like productivity in a traditional way can often force your employees to sideline their contribution to teamwork improvement. And that can lead directly to a fractured, atomised and disharmonious team.
Are we really capturing the full value of our workforce by reducing their contributions to mere numbers?
The argument for achieving accountability through autonomy
Granted, we went a little OTT with the alliteration there in that subheading. But bear with us. That’s a lot of long words beginning with ‘a’ in a row to put across a fairly simple concept: empowering and trusting staff yields positive results.
If we can learn to trust the people that make up our companies, we can benefit from the loyalty and ‘buy-in’ that comes from such an investment.
It’s alluring to dwell on measurables in business. Figures, numbers and units give us data to make graphs with. And everyone loves a graph. But if we can instil true, long-lasting confidence into our staff and ourselves, we can start looking at The Bigger Picture. That picture is a real work of art too; a giant mural full of smiling faces and a contented, well-motivated workforce.
‘Treat ‘em mean… watch ‘em flee’
When employers trust their teams and avoid micromanagement, employees tend to feel empowered and are much more likely to thrive. This sense of control can reduce stress, foster creativity and help grow the confidence and ability of staff.
As Richard Branson rather famously once said, ‘train people well enough so they can leave, treat them well enough so they don’t want to.‘ This approach by the bearded Virgin boss highlights the power of trust and care in building a productive, loyal workforce over the long term.
Trusted employees are more engaged, which almost always results in noticeably better outcomes for both individuals and the companies they put their trust in them.
Broaden your scope
Throwing outmoded definitions of productivity in the general direction of the nearest wastepaper basket and adopting new ways of thinking about what your staff offer you needn’t mean ditching metrics entirely. You can still measure success, you just need to take a step back and patiently do so by charting longer-term goals. One of the best things about this is that you’ll very likely avoid the pitfalls of micromanagement.
Longer-term work goals are generally preferable over short-term ones for a few reasons. Most of all because they promote growth, engagement and strategic focus. According to a study by Harvard Business School professor Teresa Amabile, focusing on longer-term goals also helps build motivation and fosters creativity, both of which are essential for problem solving and innovation. ‘A long-term visionary outlook is critical to creativity,’ she says.
Oh, that’s right – we’re dropping in quotes from big hitters. We’re keeping receipts here, don’t worry about that.
Putting their money with their mouths are
Okay, so we’ve talked about the theory and our thoughts. Now to back up what we’ve said with some real-world examples. Here are two enormous businesses that take a new approach to productivity and benefit from it:
Netflix: The streaming giant measures remote staff productivity by project outcomes, not individual inputs, hours or ‘facetime’. Which allows employees to work flexibly and deliver high-quality results, while not having to worry about being spied on while they sweat about hitting arbitrary targets.
Deloitte: These financial behemoths focus squarely on business outcomes rather than traditional metrics, using effectiveness, efficiency and empowerment (what they call ‘The Three Es’) to improve outcomes with remote workers.
Flexible working is The key to unlocking true productivity
Consider this: by rigidly measuring productivity through hours worked or tasks completed, we may inadvertently decrease the productivity that truly matters to the business.
Imagine an employee who’s forced to work 9-to-5, regardless of their personal circumstances or peak performance times. They might be physically present, ticking boxes and completing tasks, but are they delivering their best work?
Now, picture allowing that same employee to structure their day around their needs – perhaps taking a two-hour break to care for a child or attend a fitness class. Traditional productivity metrics might see this as a loss. But in reality, you’re enabling them to work without distractions, fully focused and engaged when they are “on the clock.”
It’s time to stop equating productivity with presenteeism
By shifting our focus from input (hours worked) to output (quality of work and actual business impact), we unlock a new level of productivity. We’re not just measuring more accurately; we’re creating an environment where employees can truly excel.
This approach to flexibility isn’t about being lenient – it’s about being smart. It’s recognising that true productivity isn’t about time logged, but about the value created. And sometimes, the best way to create that value is to trust your employees to manage their own time and energy.
So, what’s the answer?
We need to change what we consider as ‘productive’. It’s not all just about numbers on a spreadsheet. We’re talking about a cultural change and those can take time. Reframing ideas around productivity won’t be an overnight thing.
Start thinking about it now though and, before you know it, you’ve adapted and future proofed your business in a rapidly changing working world.
You’re welcome. Don’t mention it.
