Summary
This talk is a great insight into some existing biases and myths around productivity. One of the key things that Fried (2010) notes is that people require extended stretches of uninterrupted time to focus and work productively. Further, referring to the manager-employee interactions as the involuntary distractions of the office seems like a highly feasible reason for losing focus (Fried, 2010). People do not choose to get distracted by a colleague as they could have chosen to get distracted by watching TV at home. However, I was skeptical of the suggestion to replace most in-person communication with digital contact. In the context of 2022, social media, instant messages, email, and other forms of online connectivity are much more pervasive and distracting than they were in 2010.
Businesses Applicability
I think that most creative professions that entail devising complex projects or performing detail-oriented work, like programmers, writers, designers, and others, would benefit from this approach. Hence, eliminating meetings or introducing remote workdays would be successful for businesses that rely on these employees. However, this approach would not be feasible for any business that requires direct physical presence, such as physical labor, in-person sales, medical and beauty services, or dining.
Pandemic’s Effects
The onset of the pandemic made working from home mandatory for many workers worldwide due to health concerns and forced companies to find solutions to accommodate such a regime. Managers who earlier stated they required in-person supervision could no longer use that justification for making employees come to the office. Therefore, work-from-home became a reality, for which many are now more mentally and physically equipped. I think that the overall result of shifting to the work-from-home regime would be an increase in productivity due to the lack of disruptions that Fried (2010) mentions. It is necessary to acknowledge that some people may struggle due to the inability to separate work and home headspace effectively, resulting in eventual burnout and productivity loss. However, I think that it will likely be on the opposite side since people who are less stressed, less distracted, and better rested will be much more productive.
Reference
Fried, J. (2010). Why work doesn’t happen at work. TEDxMidwest. Web.
