Know your productivity

Standby to hear a lot more of the “p” word: productivity. Everyone’s talking about it; everyone wants to see a lot more of it but precious few are willing, or able, to explain precisely what they mean by this all-purpose wonder word. Surely the message could not possibly be that we need to work harder?

The Australia Institute , in its report Something for Nothing: Unpaid Overtime in Australia , claims we already work the longest hours in the Western world – an average of 44 hours a week. According to the institute, 45 per cent of employees work more hours than they are paid for on a typical work day. A survey by serviced office group Regus found that 41 per cent of Australian employees work between nine and 11 hours a day.

One reason people are working longer is that deliberately under-resourced organisations expect fewer employees to do more. This is their idea of productivity.

More responsibility is being placed on fewer shoulders but it is also true that many people work longer hours as a symbol of their importance to the organisation. These workers are either faffing around on unnecessary or third-order tasks, or they have fallen into the habit of taking much longer to complete work that could be done easily within a conventional working week.

Employers have not done themselves any favours by creating corrosive workplaces in which employees are being run ragged – either because it is expected of them, or because they feel compelled to pile on the hours so that they may be considered indispensable. Whatever the motivations, such cultures ultimately are counter-productive.

The global financial crisis has brutalised many workplaces – workers are exhausted, disengaged and angry. Now, in the menacing shadow of the European economic crisis, they’re being told they must increase their productivity. For most this means longer hours and more cutbacks.

As the first step to improving productivity, managers should look not to the predictable resort of cracking the whip but how they manage their workplaces. The most productive employees will be those who feel their work is valued, that they have the trust and respect of their employer and that their employer provides every opportunity for career advancement, professional development and personal well-being.

BRW

Comments (0)