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Want workers to be productive? Think of their well-being too
Managers who think only of driving workers to produce more are not doing their firms any favours. Let’s rethink our definition of productivity.
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To truly reap the benefits of a motivated workforce, organisations need to broaden their definition of productivity, says the writer.
ST PHOTO: DESMOND WEE
Henrik Bresman
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Many companies use traditional productivity metrics to assess the value that employees bring to an organisation. These are tangible, quantifiable, and results-based measurements such as work quality and output, efficiency rates, and the number of projects completed on time and on budget. This is the sole aspect that some managers use to determine promotions, salary bumps, and performance bonuses.
However, some companies and managers may take this too far, especially when the number of hours an employee works or is available is taken as a measure of productivity and, therefore, their value to the firm. Take the recent example of former Baidu public relations head Qu Jing. After videos of her glorifying an always-on, work-till-you-drop culture – including statements such as “don’t expect weekends off” and “keep your phone on 24 hours a day, always ready to respond” – were made public, she faced intense backlash, with many describing her management style as toxic. Ms Qu eventually issued a public apology and was reportedly fired from the Chinese tech giant.
