BBC (2022) The ‘productivity paranoia’ managers can’t shake
Years after employees began working from home en masse, managers are still unconvinced that teams don’t slack off when they’re out of the office.
Presence does not equal productivity
I had an unforgettable experience with a new colleague sitting in the office full-time and working on something absolutely unrelated to our job. It took a few months to even notice that his productivity was way below expectations. We were measuring inputs (=time at the desk) instead of outputs.
It can happen in the office and remotely, but I think a measure of outputs is key. It brings a question to mind though.. if they can go months without this being picked up, was their role business critical in the first place?
In teams, the contribution of a single person may not be self-evident, especially when managers measure only the aggregated output. On the other hand, going too into detail results in micromanagement, and nobody wants that.
My point is that those managers who distrust remote work may be the same that do not see unproductive employees sitting in the next room.